DD keeps asking the question

[Jenn Lynn]

DD keeps asking me how DS got in my tummy. I have given her the "Mommy and Daddy love each other...." answer, but she keeps bringing it up.

Do you think she is not satisfied with the answer? Should I give her more (child friendly) details? She knows the proper names of body parts. Maybe I need a book! LOL!

Help!

 

[Mickeyhugger]

This is a tough one. How old is she?

 

[Jenn Lynn]

She is 4.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

My DD asked when she was about 7. and I told her that mommies have eggs (didn't yet explain about sperm) and that because of Mommy's and Daddy's love for one another, they 'come together' and sometimes a baby grows inside of mommy. She then looked thoughtful for a second, and said 'Oh.' Then she went back to coloring in her book, LOL! She hasn't asked any more since, but I think she knows more now at 10, and we're going to be having more talks.

 

[ducklite]

I"d give her a little more info. Maybe daddy plants a seed in mommy's ****** type of thing? (Hope I"m not getting to graphic for a "family board"--mods, if I am, sorry and just delete the post.)

Anne

 

[DVC Jen]

When my oldest (now nearly 17) asked I told her that when a Mommy and Daddy love each other a whole lot, part of Mommy's love, part of Daddy's love and part of God's love all mixed together to make a baby and it starts to grow inside the special place in the Mommy's body that God made just for babies. And when God sees that baby has grown big enough and everything is right the doctor helps the Mommy get the baby out.

I definately wouldn't go into graphic details with a 4 yr old. It may scare or confuse her more than anything.

 

[poohandwendy]

I have always been one to be totally honest when answering questions about sex with my kids. Even at very young ages. I think it is only scary when you make it seem scary and secretive, to be honest. At that age, I would basically say that daddy's body has the seeds and mommy's body has the eggs and they are both needed to make a baby. When we wanted a baby, daddy gives mommy a seed so that she can grow it into a baby. And that there is a very special way that daddy and mommy get really close to each other so that daddy can give mommy the seed.

My kids usually were usually just satisfied with that until they became older. And then I would tell them the biological aspects. It was really never a big deal.

 

[disneymom3]

I would give her more information along the lines of mommy's having eggs that can grow into a baby. If she still is asking questions figure a way to gently tell her that when it is time for the mommy to have a baby, the daddy and mommy share a special kind of hug and cuddling and the part that the mommy needs for the baby to grow goes from the mommy into the daddy.

I also would be heading to the bookstore to read up on some ways of explaining this. You don't want to give TMI but you don't want her to feel like you are making it a big secret so she won't be comfortable coming to you in the future. I read a few kids books before I told DD and then I didn't use the books themselves, but they gave good ideas as to how to present the information.

 

[Beth76]

Sooooo glad that I never got that question. My son only wanted to know how the baby came out. Much easier answer: mommy goes to the hospital and the doctor takes it out. Good luck with this one Jenn!

 

[lulugirl]

Funny story.....last year while pregnant w/ Ds, then 5 yr. old Dd was very curious about how the baby would get out (oddly enough, she never asked how he got there) so I told her "Mommy will push him out through her ****** w/ the Drs. help"
A few weeks later we meet a woman in Target w/ her newborn baby...she goes on at length about how huge he is (9.5 lbs at birth) so after listening to this Dd says to her "wow you must have a REALLY big ******".
The woman responded by telling her she had a c-section.

 

[vettechick99]

Funny story.....last year while pregnant w/ Ds, then 5 yr. old Dd was very curious about how the baby would get out (oddly enough, she never asked how he got there) so I told her "Mommy will push him out through her ****** w/ the Drs. help"
A few weeks later we meet a woman in Target w/ her newborn baby...she goes on at length about how huge he is (9.5 lbs at birth) so after listening to this Dd says to her "wow you must have a REALLY big ******".
The woman responded by telling her she had a c-section.

 

[ashjohnson80]

All I can say since I don't have kids is good luck!

 

[Jenn Lynn]

Sooooo glad that I never got that question. My son only wanted to know how the baby came out. Much easier answer: mommy goes to the hospital and the doctor takes it out. Good luck with this one Jenn!

Well, DD saw DS be born so she is all filled in on that part.

I was thinking she wasn't satisfied because she keeps asking if he got in through my mouth. This would make sense to a 4 year old who probably links it to eating and food going into the tummy. I tried to always say uterus vs. tummy, but....

I will use the egg and seed explanation next time. PHEW!

 

[bgirldeb]

Funny story.....last year while pregnant w/ Ds, then 5 yr. old Dd was very curious about how the baby would get out (oddly enough, she never asked how he got there) so I told her "Mommy will push him out through her ****** w/ the Drs. help"
A few weeks later we meet a woman in Target w/ her newborn baby...she goes on at length about how huge he is (9.5 lbs at birth) so after listening to this Dd says to her "wow you must have a REALLY big ******".
The woman responded by telling her she had a c-section.

 

[Rowena]

Back when I was pregnant with DD, a friends 5 year old asked me how it got there.

I told her "God and the babies daddy put it in there, to keep it safe and let it grow until it was time to be born."

The mother, my friend, even liked that description and it seemed to satify the curiousity.

 

[snoopy]

Funny story.....last year while pregnant w/ Ds, then 5 yr. old Dd was very curious about how the baby would get out (oddly enough, she never asked how he got there) so I told her "Mommy will push him out through her ****** w/ the Drs. help"
A few weeks later we meet a woman in Target w/ her newborn baby...she goes on at length about how huge he is (9.5 lbs at birth) so after listening to this Dd says to her "wow you must have a REALLY big ******".
The woman responded by telling her she had a c-section.

OMG....I am seriously rolling on the floor laughing. DH just asked me what the heck was so funny but I couldn't catch my breath long enough to answer.

As for what to tell the kids, I like Poohandwendy's response. We gave the oldest some farfetched story about mommy and daddy wishing on a star, and it backfired.....with the youngest I've been very upfront, along the lines of what P&W said.

 

[MELSMICE]

Funny story.....last year while pregnant w/ Ds, then 5 yr. old Dd was very curious about how the baby would get out (oddly enough, she never asked how he got there) so I told her "Mommy will push him out through her ****** w/ the Drs. help"
A few weeks later we meet a woman in Target w/ her newborn baby...she goes on at length about how huge he is (9.5 lbs at birth) so after listening to this Dd says to her "wow you must have a REALLY big ******".
The woman responded by telling her she had a c-section.

 

[Kermit]

My mom told me that mommies have eggs and men have sperm, and when mommies and daddies do lots of hugging and kissing because they love each other, the sperm and egg get together to make a baby. I plan to tell my children something similar when they're young.

 

[always quiet]

My oldest DD was always more interested in how babies got out. I have to be honest here and I normally would skirt around the issue, never really giving her an answer. She was in kindergarten/first grade at the time. The question really kept popping up when her first grade teacher became pregnant. One day, while they were home from school, I was going through the channels and came across a show on the Discovery channel. It was showing a C-section. My daughter's eyes got HUGE and she NEVER asked that again!!