"how do babies get out?"

[MeganW]

ACK! I wasn't expecting this at 5! My kids know they were born via C-section b/c I have an ugly scar (emergency), but another kid felt the need to tell them mysteriously that there are TWO ways that babies can be born, and they are very curious as to the other way. Of course, right after that, they wanted to know how babies got IN to a mommy's tummy.

 

Book recs?

[Tanikit]

My 3.5 year old asked me this when I was pregnant with her sister - we read The Usborne Flip Flap body book and then I told her very matter of factually that some babies are cut out of their mothers (caesarians) and others come out down below. She was perfectly happy - I doubt she remembers it now though. Funnily enough she never did ask how they get in but it is explained well enough in that book without discussing sex at all though they do say that sperm from a man joins with an egg from a woman so it could lead to more questions.

Edited April 22, 2012 by Tanikit

[mommyto2]

I don't have any book recommendations but I will share what I told my kids. We were studying mammals and that their babies were born alive. I told them that all mammals have a special tunnel that opens up when it time for their babies to be born, and that it is called the birth canal. Our oldest asked if that was how they were born. I told her yes and if she had any questions to feel free to ask me. That was one of those things we should talk about with our mommy and daddy. And other kids should ask their mommy and daddy. (she is the kid that likes to explain everything to other kids.)

 

Until they are ready for the, where babies come from talk, we are comfortable telling our kids that when mommies and daddies love each other that sometimes God will bless them with children. That being said, we do give the anatomically correct name for body parts. And I am pretty sure that the kids have seen the page in the encyclopedia about reproduction. I think if you freak out then they freak out. Just treat it like any other question, but don't feel like you have to explain everything in great detail at once either.

[MommaOfalotta]

WOW! This same situation has happened to us! I am pregnant with our 2nd child and my dd is 5. I explained to her the way she was born (C-section) and since then she has said she doesnt want to get married and have babies. I ask why and she tells me, "because I dont wanna have the Doctor cut the baby out!" Well I thought that I had explained it much more.. pretty, than that. Lol.

So my big mouth.. I tell her "Thats not the only way babies are born." Now she wants to know what this other way is. I'm too worried of telling her and scarring her even more! Lol.

[momtoamiracle]

my son has asked me that and I told him there was a special place for it to come out. He BEGGED to let him see it. I told him it was a private place and no one could see it. He asked "Is it around your bottom?" I told him yes. He's never asked again to see it! LOL!

[MommaOfalotta]

my son has asked me that and I told him there was a special place for it to come out. He BEGGED to let him see it. I told him it was a private place and no one could see it. He asked "Is it around your bottom?" I told him yes. He's never asked again to see it! LOL!

 

LOL! :lol:

[MegP]

I would just be matter of fact and explain that moms have a special place in their private area where the baby comes out.....that it stretches to allow the baby to come out. I really don't think that info will scar your child. :) Whether you tell your child the proper name is up to you...but even calling it by its proper name won't harm your child.

[Sharilynn29]

I've always been blunt with my children because there should be no shame or embarrassment about sex or our private areas (in context of course):001_smile:

 

I would just tell her that babies come out of your v*****. At 5, she should know what her v***** is or have an approximate idea. I also tell my children about sex at a fairly young age. That way there is always an openness about the subject. I know some people would disagree, but my 8yo and 13 yo children are not sex crazed or damaged for knowing about sex. My 8yo dd even asked me a question about a hermaphrodite (she overheard a Tv show). I tried to get out of answering, but she was persistent. I told her that some people are born with test*****s when there should be ovaries. She was like, "Oh, okay." She didn't know what that meant but it was enough that I answered her question.

 

Kids are curious. Sharing the amazing way that the Lord has made us should leave no room for shame. Sorry if that was way more than you wanted. Also there is a good series of books if that helps. Learning about sex by Ruth Hummel. This is a Christian series that has different books depending on age.

[MegP]

I have this series and it is very very good-

 

http://www.christianbook.com/gods-design-for-sex-books-revised/stan-jones/pd/060130?event=SERIES

[ClassicalTwins]

For some reason my boys got it in their head that they came out my belly button...and until they ask for further detail, I'm good with it, especially since they don't have the same anatomy for me to describe how they actually got out.

 

I think that's what makes it hard for us parents of boys, my friends with girls seem to be able to describe it a little easier.

[garddwr]

A friend's son (3 years old) asked me when I was pregnant with my second if the baby was going to come out of my ankle:001_huh: I told him he needed to ask his mother!

[momtoamiracle]

For some reason my boys got it in their head that they came out my belly button...and until they ask for further detail, I'm good with it, especially since they don't have the same anatomy for me to describe how they actually got out.

 

I think that's what makes it hard for us parents of boys, my friends with girls seem to be able to describe it a little easier.

 

 

 

I agree with you on that one! I honestly have not told my son the proper names of woman's parts. I just say private parts. He knows his own parts but for now I think that is sufficient, considering my son.

[SebastianCat]

I have this series and it is very very good-

 

http://www.christianbook.com/gods-de...0?event=SERIES

 

We also have this series and I'd highly recommend it. The first book would be very appropriate for the OP's child's original questions being asked.

 

We have generally read them with our kids as a way to start a discussion, and answer questions as they come up. We've gotten the books out for review on a couple of occasions. We typically read them toward the latter end of the recommended age range (I think the 1st book is recommended for ages 3-5, 2nd for ages 5-7, 3rd for ages 8-10, etc.) We've gone through the first 3 with our almost 10-year-old DS and the first two with our almost 8-year-old DD.

[Hunter]

It took me a long time to realize that I do not have to answer all children's or adult's questions.

 

I know this is getting off topic, but bear me out. To ask a question is an offensive move. To answer a question is a defensive move. to be asked a question is to be put in a vulnerable situation. To ask a question often gives a person power over the other person.

 

I've been taught that I do not need to answer all questions asked of me. I have the right to my privacy. And I also need to know that sometimes people are asking me questions ONLY to make me vulnerable.

 

I've been taught now to answer questions with another question. By asking a question I put myself in the place of power and the other person in a defensive position.

 

"Why are you asking me that?" and "Why do you think you have the right to ask me that?" are common responses that I use now to some questions.

 

Now I'm very aware these children's questions are not--at least in most cases--meant to make you uncomfortable or coming from a desire to gain power over you, but...you do not HAVE to answer the questions!

 

My mennonite friends were the first ones to introduce me to the idea, that it is acceptable to just tell a child that you won't answer their question. The child survives and quickly forgets their frustration. As a group, their children are exposed to a lot of animal births and have many questions, but the parents in most cases as a group refuse to answer the questions.

 

Children are not the bosses. Even bright ones with bright questions. We should explain things to them when WE are ready to explain them to them, not when they ASK. We do NOT need to answer every question posed to us, no matter who is asking.

 

Yes, I did answer the VERY specific questions posed to me by my 2E 5 year old. I didn't at the time understand my right to just say "No!" to him. I might have pacified his intellectual curiosity, but he wasn't emotionally ready for the answer to his question, and it was my responsibility as his mother to have been emotionally healthy enough to know that I didn't have to obediently answer every question posed to me, with the "truth". Sometimes the "truth" isn't meant to be shared.

[stripe]

Personally I think it's comforting to know that a woman's body has a special place for babies to come from. I also don't think that, in and of itself, is a sexual question. Asking how the baby got there is another matter, but of course babies don't exactly get in, do they. The term "birth canal" might be more descriptive about its function in childbirth.

 

I have never found a book that I like. I still hope to find one, but until then I suppose I will have to just wing it. I got one (religious in nature) that was so mysterious as to make me loathe it. Basically the answer to "where do babies come from?" was from prayers. I hid it from my kids. I believe biology and theology shouldn't be interchanged in that idea unless divine intervention is the sole cause of one's pregnancy. It was so vague and cagey as to be useless, in my opinion. My children have been vastly more interested in childbirth, about which they had many questions, than conception, which they have never shown particular interest in.

 

Sometimes it really is helpful to live on a farm with a bunch of boisterous male animals.

[Kathryn]

ODS has known since I was pregnant with his brother, when he was 3, everything except how the sperm gets to the egg. We read books about mommies and daddies loving each other and whatnot, and daddy's sperm, that's made in the testicles, going into mommy's egg that's in her uterus/womb, about how the baby grows there and comes out of the birth canal that ends in the vagina. He didn't outright ask for a long time, but wondered aloud how the sperm got to the egg. He finally asked point-blank when he was five. We told him that that was private information between a mommy and daddy that he wasn't old enough to know yet, or to not accidentally tell his friends whose parents didn't want them to know. He asked if we would tell him before he got married and we assured him we'd tell him when we thought he was ready, which would be long before then. But that for now, he didn't need to worry about it. And he hasn't asked since.

[woolybear]

My son asked once, "If a baby isn't born by Cesaearian (like he and his brother were) how does it come out? It's not like there's a hole or anything." I said, "Yes there is." He was shocked. :D That put an end to that for awhile.

[sillymommy]

I'm a former L&D nurse & current childbirth educator. I teach natural childbirth & encourage my couples to know & understand the anatomy & physiology of pregnancy & birth.

 

For curious siblings & for my own kids who know more about birth than most adults, I can offer some recommendations for a gentle introduction to questions about birth:

 

Baby on the Way by Dr. Sears Cartoon-style drawings of a family expecting their 3rd child. Great tips on how to adapt the text to fit your specific situation(dr/midwife, hospital/home, c-section/vaginal). This was my family's favorite.

 

How was I Born? by Lennart Nilsson Photographs go along with the two sets of text--one simple, one more details. Beautiful photos of babies inutero. My kids liked the picots, but thought the text was too long.

 

Welcome with Love by Jenni Overend A beautiful story of a home birth with lovely drawings of the family & their home. FYI, a few of the drawings depict the mother as she gives birth in a standing position. No drawings of the perineum, but you do see her bare legs, belly & breasts. My dd(5yrs) LOVED this book while awaiting the birth of our fourth child.

 

Birth is truly wonderful & I get giddy when I'm able to share my enthusiasm for birth with people, especially my kids. :001_wub: Good luck sharing this amazing part of our human experience with your kiddos!

[MegP]

Sometimes it really is helpful to live on a farm with a bunch of boisterous male animals.

 

 

LOL! I agree!

[MrsJewelsRae]

My friends and I all had our babies around the same time, they tol their kids that they go to the hospital and the doctor takes it out. To me, it really took away from the miracle of birth, not to mention I was not about to hand over all the praise of giving birth to a doctor! I told my kids the plain facts, mommy pushes the baby out from between my legs, there's a special hole God made just for the baby. I told them that it does hurt and sometimes women scream, but you feel so happy once the baby is born that its all worth it. I was preparing them for a home birth at which they would be present, I ended up with a hodpural birth and they were there for 90% of the affair except when I pushed him out, they were right outside the door and heard it all. My son was at the birth of his sister when he was 2, I had a home birth and it went so fast none of my helpers made it besides the midwives, so he woke up to me moaning loudly and came in s I was pushing her out. He was totally unphased by the method of her arrival, he wasps just excited to meet her and play with the stethoscope. (my mil was traumatized on his behalf tho! ;) ) I also told then that sometimes babies can't come out the usual way so they can give the mother medicine so she doesn't feel pain and they cut the belly open and then sew it back up. They asked how the baby got there, I told them that after mommies and daddies got married sometimes God gave them a baby, that daddy has a seed and mommy has an egg and together they make a tiny baby that grows until he's ready to come out.

[Irishmommy]

My son just kept asking, "Does it come out of _____?". I would just reply, no not quite. That satisfied him until my dd was born. Then Daddy told him the truth...from the birth canal!:lol: that was good enough for him!

[EKS]

I have the same question and I've had two of them!

[twoxcell]

Maybe I'm not the right one to ask because my oldest was there for number 3 and 4's birth and my 2nd was there for my 4th's birth as well. They know exactly where the baby comes out and it is really no big deal.;) I try to answer there questions appropriately and usually they are satisfied with simple answers. I have read them a book called The Wonderful Way That Babies are Made before(the younger kids section) when they asked me how babies were made. So far that has pretty much satisfied them.

[Mommy22alyns]

WOW! This same situation has happened to us! I am pregnant with our 2nd child and my dd is 5. I explained to her the way she was born (C-section) and since then she has said she doesnt want to get married and have babies. I ask why and she tells me, "because I dont wanna have the Doctor cut the baby out!" Well I thought that I had explained it much more.. pretty, than that. Lol.

So my big mouth.. I tell her "Thats not the only way babies are born." Now she wants to know what this other way is. I'm too worried of telling her and scarring her even more! Lol.

 

I had one of each and both girls insist they're adopting! :001_huh:

 

 

I have this series and it is very very good-

 

http://www.christianbook.com/gods-design-for-sex-books-revised/stan-jones/pd/060130?event=SERIES

 

 

This is what we have used. For a 5yo, I'd just stick with the first book.

[MiztrezzLyn]

I have a book called "Amazing You!" and I love it. Both my 6 year old and 3 year old have listened to me read it MANY times and they love it.

 

I am very matter of fact about describing body parts, they use the correct full name for their parts and this book shows the body parts. I don't want them feeling ashamed about their bodies or to feel embarrassed asking me questions.

 

The book also explains that these parts are private and also how babies are made and where they come from. It doesn't explain HOW the sperm gets in to the egg and my son has asked me several times about it but I just tell him that that part isn't for him to know just yet. That satisfies him.

[MegP]

I have read them a book called The Wonderful Way That Babies are Made before(the younger kids section) when they asked me how babies were made. So far that has pretty much satisfied them.

 

We have that book, too, and it is nicely done.

[Crimson Wife]

My two older kids were there for the birth of their little sister, and for literally years afterwards I had to explain to DS that the baby did not come out my butt. :lol:

[NASDAQ]

"When the baby is all ready to be born, it comes out through a mummy's vagina."

[8circles]

I haven't read all the responses but this happened to me as well - my oldest was 5-ish, maybe 6, when he asked. I just used as many correct terms as possible & told them the truth - about how they got in & how they get out. It was a non-event.

 

They've also asked to see where they come out (I've had a c/s too so they've seen that). I just explain where it is - between my legs close to where I go potty. They've seen me in my undies (we aren't that private) so it makes it not easy for them to imagine.

[Sevilla]

My kids have known this since they were 2 - it wasn't a secret "Mommy pushes the baby out of her v*gina/vul*a. It's hard work and then the baby is born!' They've seen photos from A Child is Born of birth and watched a few birth videos on youtube by the time they're 5 and thought it was really neat. They were young enough not to have any bad associations with birth and to not have a lot of natural privacy, so the timing was pretty great for them to learn about this.

[MegP]

"A Child is Born" is a great book! But the photos are kind of graphic. I have it, but haven't showed the pictures to my kids yet. What age do you think it it would be ok to show them those pictures? We are pretty conservative.

[southcarolinamom]

We demonstrated to our young children with a small rubber band :D Show them a normal rubber band, lying in your hand, and say something like "God created a special part of Mommy's body down in this area ..." It's not the hole where we go to the bathroom, but near there. Normally it's a very small opening, like this rubber band ... BUT .... when the baby is ready to be born, that hole

S T R E T C H E S to make room for the baby to come out ..." then stretch the rubber band to its full capacity. And then say something like " after the baby is born, that hole goes back to its normal size again...." and show them the rubber band in its normal un-stretched size again. ;)

 

Ok, it's not pretty, but it's effective!!

[stripe]

LOL! I agree!

Too bad I don't actually live on a farm, or have any randy male animals anywhere near. Time for the nature videos.

[deerforest]

I think we own just about every (secular) book available about this topic. My daughter's K year was pretty much dedicated to birth. It's what she wanted to learn about. So, I tracked down YouTube videos, books about every living thing on the planet giving birth. I think her favorite book is still "A Child is Born". National Geographic has amazing animal videos too, if the interest is beyond humans!

 

A dear friend even invited her along to a midwife appointment that year too. We're an adoptive family so I think this was pretty heavy stuff that she was going through so we spent a lot (a lot!) of time talking about it.

 

I think it's pretty typical at that age to ask these types of questions.

[Sevilla]

"A Child is Born" is a great book! But the photos are kind of graphic. I have it, but haven't showed the pictures to my kids yet. What age do you think it it would be ok to show them those pictures? We are pretty conservative.

 

We're pretty conservative too - modest clothing, I won't wear shirts that expose cleavage, no short skirts, etc...

 

When it comes to knowing basic anatomy, I thought it through and realized that it makes sense for some of these things to be introduced before children develop their natural modesty/awkwardness about those topics. The average 3-4 year old is not phased by seeing their mom or dad naked getting out of the shower, or barging into the bathroom when they're using the potty. They don't feel shame about running around naked after a bath. Contrast that with an 8-10 year old who has more developed modesty - they're not going to see the opposite sex parent naked regularly (in most American homes), they're not going to parade around naked in front of everyone, and they're going to laugh and feel awkward if they see photos in a book of naked body parts.

 

That is why it was easier to teach my children about childbirth when they were under 6 - they weren't distracted by the nudity b/c it was no different than seeing Mommy get out of the shower or seeing Mommy's breast nursing a baby. Instead, they just focused on the mechanics of birth - how the baby grew inside, how it was pushed out, how happy the family was to see the baby, how the baby learned to nurse, etc...

 

They got excited to see if the baby was a boy or girl with the in-utero pictures and didn't think it was awkward/weird/silly to point out the p*nis or v*lva b/c they're in the stage of naming gender, not feeling private about it. (They did think it was funny that the baby was naked inside the mommy 'swimming in a pool and splashing' b/c as kids they can relate to being naked in a bath/pool and splashing). If they're used to seeing a baby's diaper changed then seeing a newborn baby naked isn't weird/strange.

 

There were no sexual connotations for them, it was much more family-centered topic for them. I also found it helpful to find a few tasteful birth videos on youtube for them to see in real time what birth looked like - they're generally very short and just show the end of the pushing stage with the excitement of the family afterward. Often you can't see much except a baby's head coming out (especially if it was a waterbirth and the camera is shooting from above - private parts of the mother aren't visible).

 

I consider educating about normal birth to be important and something kids should know from a young age b/c it's how we all get here, and the nearer kids are to their own and siblings time of birth the more natural and easy a topic it is to discuss.

[spaceman]

"through the mom's vagina" :)

 

 

It wouldn't have occurred to me to saying anything else.

[Mergath]

I've always been blunt with my children because there should be no shame or embarrassment about sex or our private areas (in context of course):001_smile:

 

I would just tell her that babies come out of your v*****. At 5, she should know what her v***** is or have an approximate idea. I also tell my children about sex at a fairly young age. That way there is always an openness about the subject.

 

:iagree: My dd, also born via c-section, has asked the same question about how babies get out, and I tell her that when they're ready to be born, they come out a woman's vagina. No big deal. *shrug* She's known the correct words for things since she was two.

[MegP]

Sevilla, that makes perfect sense! Thanks!

[Hunter]

He didn't outright ask for a long time, but wondered aloud how the sperm got to the egg. He finally asked point-blank when he was five. We told him that that was private information between a mommy and daddy that he wasn't old enough to know yet, or to not accidentally tell his friends whose parents didn't want them to know. He asked if we would tell him before he got married and we assured him we'd tell him when we thought he was ready, which would be long before then. But that for now, he didn't need to worry about it. And he hasn't asked since.

 

This was exactly our scenario, and I wish I had known to handle it as you did.

[ktgrok]

I can't imagine answering any way other than "out of a mother's vagina".

[MegP]

I can't imagine answering any way other than "out of a mother's vagina".

 

 

Great answer...I don't get why people often think that this will traumatize a child or something.

[stripe]

Great answer...I don't get why people often think that this will traumatize a child or something.

I explained this as well, but I got the impression the OP was looking for something more than a quick one-liner.

[Ecclecticmum]

I second this:

 

http://www.christianbook.com/gods-design-for-s-ex-books-revised/stan-jones/pd/060130?event=SERIES

 

Just as note though, I would count the material at the later end of the recommended age groups (i.e. first book is 3-5yrs = 5yrs second book 5/6-8yrs= 7/8years) the second book is quite GRAPHIC in its description. We are a very open household, and even my DH (who started reading it to the kids) went to start reading something and went ahhhhh.....and went to the next page :tongue_smilie: I think there were two double pages (so four pages) that we skipped from the second book, not sure if there were any from the first. And we were mainly reading it for my 6yo, so that gives you a bit of an idea. I don't blush at many things, but the description of those two pages (I think it was the s*x page and the birthing page) were very....descriptive and the drawings very...graphic. And my daughter was at the nether end for both of her siblings births, so she knows how they come out ;) and I still skipped the birthing page lol.

[eloquacious]

I can't imagine answering any way other than "out of a mother's vagina".

 

Because in my case that's not true... and the thought that Mama would have to get cut open to get a baby out might be overly traumatic.

[Veritaserum]

My kids know how babies get in and how they get out. I explain what the uterus is. Babies are made by combining a mommy egg with a daddy sperm. (I start thee and fill in the how when asked). Then the fertilized egg finds a place to grow in the mom's uterus.

 

The uterus is connected to the vagina. The bottom of the uterus stays closed until the baby is ready to be born. Once the baby is ready, the uterus starts squeezing, which opens up the bottom and lets the baby out through the vagina. The vagina unfolds to make room for the baby. Sometimes it's safer for a baby to come out through a cut in the mom's tummy. (There was a likelihood that I would need a c-section this time due to complications, so we talked about how that works. My 5yo was quite relieved to know that I wouldn't be able to feel the doctor cutting.)

[Tanikit]

It took me a long time to realize that I do not have to answer all children's or adult's questions.

 

I know this is getting off topic, but bear me out. To ask a question is an offensive move. To answer a question is a defensive move. to be asked a question is to be put in a vulnerable situation. To ask a question often gives a person power over the other person.

 

I've been taught that I do not need to answer all questions asked of me. I have the right to my privacy. And I also need to know that sometimes people are asking me questions ONLY to make me vulnerable.

 

I've been taught now to answer questions with another question. By asking a question I put myself in the place of power and the other person in a defensive position.

 

"Why are you asking me that?" and "Why do you think you have the right to ask me that?" are common responses that I use now to some questions.

 

Now I'm very aware these children's questions are not--at least in most cases--meant to make you uncomfortable or coming from a desire to gain power over you, but...you do not HAVE to answer the questions!

 

My mennonite friends were the first ones to introduce me to the idea, that it is acceptable to just tell a child that you won't answer their question. The child survives and quickly forgets their frustration. As a group, their children are exposed to a lot of animal births and have many questions, but the parents in most cases as a group refuse to answer the questions.

 

Children are not the bosses. Even bright ones with bright questions. We should explain things to them when WE are ready to explain them to them, not when they ASK. We do NOT need to answer every question posed to us, no matter who is asking.

 

Yes, I did answer the VERY specific questions posed to me by my 2E 5 year old. I didn't at the time understand my right to just say "No!" to him. I might have pacified his intellectual curiosity, but he wasn't emotionally ready for the answer to his question, and it was my responsibility as his mother to have been emotionally healthy enough to know that I didn't have to obediently answer every question posed to me, with the "truth". Sometimes the "truth" isn't meant to be shared.

 

This was fascinating to read and yes I agree with you that you do not have to answer a question asked of you - its what they show you always on the movies when dealing with legal issues - that you can implicate yourself more by answering than by remaining silent.

 

However these are our children we are talking about and the question we should then ask ourselves and answer is: will they try to get the information elsewhere and if they do try to what are they going to be reading/seeing/hearing? I would really rather my child heard from me and could ask a whole lot of questions and get the answers than for them to feel that it is pointless asking me and that they must look elsewhere. The other question that needs to be asked and answered is why I do not want to answer it and whether it is to protect myself (most likely from some perceived harm) or to protect my child.

 

Despite saying this there are some things that I think children should not be exposed to even if they ask - I worked with a man who's 5 year old daughter saw a dog being spayed that was heavily pregnant - she asked afterwards where are the puppies? 5 is not the time to hear about abortion so she was told the puppies died as she had experienced this before and it was the truth though why they had died was not told to her. In the end it is up to the parents to decide what to expose their children to and that is fine so long as the parents have been honest about why and how it is affecting them too.

[Kathryn]

We're pretty conservative too - modest clothing, I won't wear shirts that expose cleavage, no short skirts, etc...

 

When it comes to knowing basic anatomy, I thought it through and realized that it makes sense for some of these things to be introduced before children develop their natural modesty/awkwardness about those topics. The average 3-4 year old is not phased by seeing their mom or dad naked getting out of the shower, or barging into the bathroom when they're using the potty. They don't feel shame about running around naked after a bath. Contrast that with an 8-10 year old who has more developed modesty - they're not going to see the opposite sex parent naked regularly (in most American homes), they're not going to parade around naked in front of everyone, and they're going to laugh and feel awkward if they see photos in a book of naked body parts.

 

That is why it was easier to teach my children about childbirth when they were under 6 - they weren't distracted by the nudity b/c it was no different than seeing Mommy get out of the shower or seeing Mommy's breast nursing a baby. Instead, they just focused on the mechanics of birth - how the baby grew inside, how it was pushed out, how happy the family was to see the baby, how the baby learned to nurse, etc...

 

They got excited to see if the baby was a boy or girl with the in-utero pictures and didn't think it was awkward/weird/silly to point out the p*nis or v*lva b/c they're in the stage of naming gender, not feeling private about it. (They did think it was funny that the baby was naked inside the mommy 'swimming in a pool and splashing' b/c as kids they can relate to being naked in a bath/pool and splashing). If they're used to seeing a baby's diaper changed then seeing a newborn baby naked isn't weird/strange.

 

There were no sexual connotations for them, it was much more family-centered topic for them. I also found it helpful to find a few tasteful birth videos on youtube for them to see in real time what birth looked like - they're generally very short and just show the end of the pushing stage with the excitement of the family afterward. Often you can't see much except a baby's head coming out (especially if it was a waterbirth and the camera is shooting from above - private parts of the mother aren't visible).

 

I consider educating about normal birth to be important and something kids should know from a young age b/c it's how we all get here, and the nearer kids are to their own and siblings time of birth the more natural and easy a topic it is to discuss.

 

Great post!

[Spy Car]

I usually start with a discussion of DNA (can you say "de-oxy-ribo-nucleic acid?"). Then, if the discussion is not sufficiently detailed enough to lose him, I move into a discussion of gametes and zygotes, with possible rabbit-holes into genetics and the experiments of Friar Mendel.

 

Sooner or later I exceed the limits of his attention span, and—there—I've successfully kicked the can down the road for another day :D

 

Then there is always the back-up plan: "Go ask your Mother" :tongue_smilie:

 

Bill

[scooby-do]

Some interesting answers.

 

For a 5 year old; I'd simply say a zipper on mommy's tummy. More info can come later. I don't think for a 5 yo we have to break out all the charts, health books, and dictionary to answer a 5 yo question.

 

5 yo. questions gets a 5 yo answer.

[MegP]

A zipper on mom's tummy? Seriously?? I am not a fan of lying to kids..sorry.