To just call a fanny a fanny?

[teafortoads]

Apologies if this has been done before/to death but i am new to this Mumsnet Lark (posting not lurking, I have happily lurked for years). What on earth word do you give to your toddler to describe their girl parts? I have and always will, have a fanny, where as I am aware of friends who have foofs, fairies (could cause some confusion when you go to put the fairy on top of the Christmas tree) lady gardens vulvas and so on. I see no reason to pretty things up, and always arrive back at good old trusty fanny in the end having massively overthunk things. When DD2 is a little bit older I will furnish her with all the proper words, but are fanny and willie (not that she will encounter any of THOSE until she is at least 40 given that I am a single Mum and our house is happily a man free zone nowadays, and boyfriends will not be permitted until she is at least 40) acceptable? Is fanny a bit coarse?

There is another word that can be used for Fanny, we say Minnie just sounds nicer and seems last offensive

Penis and vagina here since the DCs began asking. It's never really been an issue, aside from MIL shuddering every time she hears the DC mention those words as she thinks it's vulgar to teach them correct names for their anatomy. I feel quite the opposite; the more they know about their bodies hopefully the more they'll be in charge of their bodies.

Fanny makes me cringe. We use noonie, which probably makes other people cringe, but there you go.

I've had lots of gynae issues over the years and not one person from GP to Consultant has ever used correct names it's always ' down below, private area,underneath,inside/ outside' etc so I can't get het up about people not using the correct terminology.

It's a hard one, it depends on how thick-skinned your company is.

I used fanny to describe my bits when I was a bit older. I personally don't think that 'fanny' is offensive, but other people can find it a bit vulgar.

When I was little, we used 'foo-foo'. It's a softer word, slightly nicer to hear if a child says it in company.

"My fanny hurts, Mummy"
"My foo-foo hurts, Mummy"

It's more of a euphemism.

It all comes down to the consonant usage. The double 'N' gives fanny a harsher sound, a bit like a swear-word, so 'CUNT', 'TWAT', 'TITS', 'KNOB', 'DICK', 'FUCK', 'FANNY'.

A word with more vowel sounds is softer, which makes it more socially acceptable because it doesn't sound harsh like an insult, so 'FAIRY', 'FOO-FOO', 'WILLY', 'BOOBY'.

There are 3 'fanny's in this man-free house.

Fannies

Dame, how strange, I would find that very patronising, if a medical professional referred to my 'down below', or 'private parts', they'd get a raised eyebrow and an 'are you referring to my vulva/vagina/labia?', I get very irritated when members of the medical profession treat grown woman like imbeciles.

(Not saying the all do BTW before anyone leaps on me, but some obviously do!).

reminds me of a sketch from still game

Hound- there's never been anything patronising about it at all.

Love the idea of my own Ice Cream van...

Great post peggy BTW

No, no to 'fanny'. It's crude.

My son has a willy and I have a tinkle (our word for it as children and seems as good as any). Or when he's pointing and laughing at me in the bath it's 'Mummy's hairball'

I'll teach him the 'proper' names when he's older but I find it a bit cringeworthy to see people getting on their high horse about using anatomically correct terms with toddlers. For me it's in the category of being a 'Mumsnet special' - something people on here get inexplicably aerated about but I've never met anyone in real life who gives a damn.

Showofhands I disagree with most of your post but am absolutely guffawing at 'dangle kicker'. I'm adopting that immediately.

I find front bottom a bit I hate the implication that it's the same as your bum, in that that's where you poo from and therefore it implies an inherent dirtiness to the area. Vaginas are not dirty and girls shouldn't grow up thinking they are. Even if that's not the intention in teaching your daughters it's your front bottom a small child may logically associate it with pooing. Fanny's not rude where I am, we call it fannyfoofoo and my DS has a winkie, and sometimes a wilberforce (? Thank my uncle for that one!)

We say lady bits. I don't see the need for my two year old to know the words vulva and vagina at this age. When she is a bit older then I can explain what's what, but for now lady bits is fine.

Undercarriage...

DS asked where my dinkle was, and when i replied i didnt - he said "what have you got then? A polly?"

Yes I see what you mean underrugs Fanny is a bit rude for very small ones er children that is.. It was Bits in this house up until a couple of years ago, then we went Fanny.

We use 'privates', it's not cutesy or cringey and reinforces the idea behind the underwear rule. DD(7) knows the anatomical names too but seems more comfortable with privates.

I think 'fanny' is very crude and only ever use the word for comedic effect. I'd be really taken aback if I heard a child say it.

My mum used 'foof', which makes me cringe now. I tend to say 'bits' when avoiding the proper name.

I think part of the problems springs from an accepted lack of collective term for the area, for the posters talking about correct anatomical terms, that's all very well, but you don't speak about wiping/washing, your vulva, labia (minora and majora), clitoris, vagina, perineum, urethra, and anus do you?

You just wash yer bits.

So whilst anatomical accuracy may be needed in safeguarding or medical settings, it's not really useful on a day to day basis, so we need to find an acceptable word that's neither twee nor crude - not so easy.

I suppose genitals works, but if I instructed my DCs to wipe or wash their genitals they'd think I was having a laugh, it sounds a bit po faced really.

I love that the Swedes have invented a word for girls.

They had 'snopp' for boys and now they have 'snippa' for girls.

Dd calls hers a nu nu, her creation!
Ds has a willy. We tell them the right names too.
I don't find fanny all that bad, don't really hear it here much.

I Nu-nu is what I used to call my blanket! Haha