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Original poster

mummy, how will the baby get out of your tummy?

36 replies

EllieK · 29/10/2006 08:02

hi all
i am pg and have a little boy just turned 3
not due til April but have already mastered the 'mummy is having a baby' one with him, thanks to the help of the book 'There's a house inside my mummy'.
Yesterday we were talking about my bump getting bigger and he asked my how will it get out. I fumbled an explanation of 'somewhere near my bottom' and he looked petrified!
Anyone have helpful suggestions on how I could tackle this better?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
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hauntymandy · 29/10/2006 08:04

just tell him you go to the hospital and the doctor gets it out.
Think 3 is a bit young for all the details!

hauntymandy · 29/10/2006 08:05

or mummies and babies are very clever and they just come out when the time is right. Neither story is untrue

asleep · 29/10/2006 08:06

i found it best to be honest with DD. not like my mum who told me babies come out of your belly button! she was 4 when i was pregnant with DS. though, when i was actually in labour DD got very upset as she knew i was in pain.

Original poster
EllieK · 29/10/2006 08:07

no, he understands loads of stuff already
he's quite scared of hospitals so i want to give him as much info as possible before it happens
don't really believe in fobbing them off with niceties!

OP posts:
asleep · 29/10/2006 08:08

to clarify, i didn't go into great detail with DD. just "babies come out of your bottom and it hurts quite a bit". i found it harder to explain when she asked how babies were made.

Original poster
EllieK · 29/10/2006 08:10

that sounds more like it thanks 'asleep'!
want to be as honest as possible

OP posts:
Hattie05 · 29/10/2006 08:11

EllieK i agree with you. I've just told my dd the truth! and shes dealt with that no probs. she is 3yrs8mths.
In a way its easier cos she's a girl and therefore knows she has a bottom and a vagina.

hauntymandy · 29/10/2006 08:13

answer if they ask. only with things they understand. I didnt fob mine off, just didnt feel the need to go through too mich detail. my eldest breathed with me in early labour which was quite funny.
I remember telling one of them 'mummy has a special hole' which was ok till they asked to see it.
So if you want to give them details, dont stop because it suits you!!!

hauntymandy · 29/10/2006 08:15

what happened to the innocence of children.? You are all in such a rush!!
There is no right and wrong, telling them there is a baby on the way is heaps to deal with. talk about the baby lots how it will change their life, how you will still love them etc. No need for graohic detail!!
None of my kids are scared for nit knowing every tiny detail at 21 months and I have 5

Original poster
EllieK · 29/10/2006 08:15

as yucky as it is, i think i'd rather show him stuff myself than have him ask some girl at nursery to show him the inside of her knickers!!!!!

OP posts:
hauntymandy · 29/10/2006 08:17

he'll do that anyway!!!

FrannyandZooey · 29/10/2006 08:20

If they ask, I would tell them. I would imagine your ds has seen you naked anyway and knows that women have different body parts? You can just point next time he asks if you haven't given it a name yet - "the baby comes out from here"

I can't imagine why anyone would say the baby comes out of their bottom??? What an odd and confusing thing to tell a child.

gigglinggoblin · 29/10/2006 08:21

my ex told my kids that babies come out of womens bottoms and they found it highly amusing. they are both boys, 6 & 7 and so love anything to do with bottoms. i was pretty horrified at that and set the record straight that is not where they come from! i just explained that instead of a willy girls have a hole called a vagina. the 6yo was happy with that, 7yo is quite a lot more mature so i got him a book out of the library which held his interest for 5 minutes and answered a few questions.

i always find that 'ill tell you later' is good if you are put on the spot and cant think of what to say, or if they ask while you are at the supermarket checkout (and then they usually forget later, letting you off the hook)

Original poster
EllieK · 29/10/2006 08:29

he has a bath with me so knows mummy is different, and we have a friends little girl here today, he just helped change her nappy and was confirming with us that she has no willy so will try to explain to him if he asks again i think

OP posts:
lucy5 · 29/10/2006 08:35

My dd is 5 and I have told her where the baby is going to come out. She asked I answered but didn't go into graphic detail. It's on a need to know basis

McDreamy · 29/10/2006 08:38

Both my children were CS and so I have a scar. When my daughter asked how she came out I showed her my scar, unfortunately I think she thinks every mummy has "a purple line" as she calls it! She's only 3 but I do realise that I will have to tell her how most babies are born but I'm not going to tackle it just yet! Sorry I know this isn't much help for you Ellie just wanted to share my story

Original poster
EllieK · 29/10/2006 08:48

that's ok McDreamy, very cute!

OP posts:
sugarfree · 29/10/2006 08:58

I told the same story McDreamy, and then when the oldest 2 got a bit bigger ds2 wanted to know how the rabbits on a local roundabout got a doctor etc etc, so we had the vagina chat then.

Hattie05 · 29/10/2006 18:39

haunty i'm not in any rush but i just give honest answers to my very inquisitive daughter. My own experience tells that if a question doesn't get a straight forward answer the first time round, a child can feel that they shouldn't answer it again and then they have to wait years to find out .

poppiesinaline · 29/10/2006 18:51

I remember DD (then aged nearly 5) and DS1 (then aged nearly 8) asking me this question when I was pregnant with DS2.

I said that the baby comes out of mummy's front bottom. The look on their faces was a picture, then DS1 burst out laughing and said "ooooo mummy, thats going to hurt!"

Greensleeves · 29/10/2006 19:05

I don't think them them the frank truth in a non-threatening way compromises their innocence. If anything I think making up elaborate lies, avoiding their questions and setting up a culture of secrecy and shame around bodies and reproduction is more of a threat to their innocence.

Tommy · 29/10/2006 19:12

I've told them it's going to come out of a special hole that's made for babies to come out of.....

seemed to do the trick

DrFrankenZooey · 29/10/2006 19:25

From personal experience I have found that my ds will ask again and again and again about something, and seem worried and confused if he senses I am fudging the issues, or bothered about a subject. We had question after question about death until I explained it quite baldly and matter of factly, then he was satisfied.

TheDaVinciCod · 29/10/2006 19:26

you do a big poo
thtats what i said

TheDaVinciCod · 29/10/2006 19:27

how ODD ot be coy abotu it
best to tell them now when its not embarrassing
i told mine that girls have three holes
a wee hole a poo hole and a baby hole#a nd you do like doing a bigg poo a dn the bbay pops out of hte baby hole

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