4 YEAR OLD asking "how do babies get in your tummy?" HELP!!!

[looneytune]

I'm a childminder who looks after babies every day (both started at 7/8 weeks and are now nearly 6 months and nearly 4 months).

He LOVES babies and wants mummy to have one in her tummy - bless

Now...........what do I do about this???...........Ds is 4.3 and this morning said to me in the car "Mummy, I know babies grow in your tummy but HOW do they get there?"

I managed to change the subject by pointing at the BAD traffic this morning - phew - reason for not answering is because I want to answer it correctly. I phoned dh and told him about this question and he laughed and said ds asked him the same thing last night. He also managed to change the subject.

Now, I'm a big believer in explaining things as they are (within reason, wouldn't want to talk about stuff that would really upset him) but I'm worried about his age and whether or not I should use a story like the stork etc (but I just DON'T believe in making up stories) or do I just tell it as it is? I worry about what he would say at nursery school etc if he knew the full details but this is clearly on his mind so I can't ignore it.

IF I'm to tell him as close to the facts as possible, can anyone recommend anything/got any tips?

That's it really, just at how early he's come up with this question!

we have talked about the sperm and the egg, where the egg is, where the sperm are made etc but hadn't actually done the how the sperm gets to the egg. he asked that a few weeks ago and i told him that the mummy and the daddy have a special cuddle (cos i think it is) and the man puts his willy in the womans vagina, which is where the baby comes out of, and thats how the sperm get to the egg, he thought for a minute then giggled and asked didn't it tickle, i said it sort of tickled, but it was a nice cuddly tickle and he was happy with that. tbh he is more concerned that only 1 sperm makes it and the rest die off! he is 4y8m now.

ds1 is asking bits and pieces abnd we are just answering his questions in a simple and unscary way. Did nt occur to me not. He drew a picture of my sister in labour in a 'big bath' with the baby coming from her 'lady's bits'.

We havent had the 'how does the baby get threre?' question yet but it won't be far off

I haven't read all the posts so sorry if repeated.

I've got a great book by Babette Cole called Mummy Laid an Egg , it's written in a very funny way, but it does explain how it all works with some hilarious pictures showing how mummies and daddies 'fit' together, including one of a space hopper, brilliantly funny. Age appropriate I might add

My Mum was a great believer in telling the truth about these things and I cannot remember a time when i did NOT know about having babies, periods etc.

I don't think you need to worry about young children knowing too much because I think that they only take in what they can cope with/really understand. Despite my knowing the "facts of life" from a very young age I was really very naive until my mid teens. Although My Mum had explained the mechanics of having sex, the whole thing about it being enjoyable, getting aroused etc comletely passed me by. I was convinced that my parents had sex every night, and just thought the willy slipped in somehow while they were having a cuddle, without them even noticing!!

We have said that the Daddy has a seed and the Mummy has an egg, and they join together and grow into the baby

when asked "how does the baby get started" I chose to answer about how the baby is at first just a tiny cell, then it divides and so on and so forth

this was enough info for ds at that time but I have no doubt next time he may be more specific

I tend to find children just want MORE information and at this age don't always have a specific question in mind, just TELL ME MORE

if he indeed wants to know exactly how then tell him, otherwise you can give more information about other aspects of it that might interest him

i was left to tell my nephew after he told me mommy had baby in her belly! he was3ish i told him his mommy an daddy had a special cuddle! it worked at the time my ss didnt say anything else to him!

Ds1 knew all about babies by the time he was four because I was expecting no2. He had the Body Book, back in those days (1970's), which seemed to tell him all he needed.

But I was mortified when we went to view a house owned by a couple with a new baby. Dh and I came downstairs after a second look around, to learn that ds1 had cheerfully told them he knew all about how their baby had got into his mummy's tummy!

PS We bought the house - felt obliged to, really.

I just told ds1 the facts, without hiding anything. He was fascinated. Ditto about death and religion and decomposition and all the other things he plagues me about. There's nothing inherently frightening or distasteful about sex/reproduction IMO.

We have the Body Book too, it's fabulous I can remember me and my brother sniggering at the farting bit, it was great to see ds1 cracking up over it too

'There's a house inside my mummy' is good to explain about pregnancy to a younger sibling but does not actually address how the baby got there! 'mummy laid an egg' is the best book for this imo - dd got this aged 2 and knows exactly how babies are made and all the right words (ok, so she calls her vagina her 'gina' (jye-nah)! I think it's really important to tell lo's when they are still young and don't have the embarrassment or giggling factor. Good luck.

There is something inherently frightening and distasteful about having a child who will walk up to random strangers and start talking to them about sex and death though

ds age 2, in the park: "She's got a vulva! And SHE'S got a vulva! And she's DEFINITELY got a vulva."

daddy put a seed in