uhh ohh...My 3 year old has just asked me where babies come from....

Amanda65

Mine were always told that when a Mummy and Daddy love each other very much they have a special cuddle and the Daddy's seed (sorry Pigpen ) and Mummy's egg mix together and make a baby.

All worked very well for DD's who accepted that and didn't really ask any further questions until I felt they were old enough for a more 'biological' explanation. DS however (aged about 4 at the time and strapped into a car seat behind me) then asked how the baby gets out of a Mummy's tummy. I explained that for him they had to make an opening in my tummy to get him out but that most babies come out of a 'baby hole' that a lady has.

DS - "Where's that then?"
Me - "Down near your bottom"

There was silence for a moment then DS burst into peals of laughter and said "What if the baby went wrong and came out of a Mummy's bottom by accident" "Believe me, it can feel like it" I muttered under my breath ! I had to explain that there were different tunnels and you couldn't go down the wrong one by accident - made me have the theme tune from 'The Great Escape' in my head for the rest of the day !!!

cte1111

Best answer = the hospital

bacardi66

My parents were always quite vague about "the facts of life" I remember my mum telling me and my brother when we were about 8 that she produced an egg every month - we could only imagine eggs like hen's hardboiled eggs and thought she must be fibbing as we had never noticed any egg shaped bulges in her trousers!! :rotfl:

I would try to be as honest as you can without going into unnecessary detail - it took me a long time to finally uncover the true facts of life!!

shellsuit

The child is 3, they don't need to know anything else other than babies come from Mummy's tummy and if they ask how the baby gets there, tell 'em by magic!

Person_one

cte1111 wrote: »

Best answer = the hospital

Until you have to take them to A&E for something and they think they'll be bringing a baby home!

bylromarha

On and off my 6 yr old has asked these sorts of questions. He's not wanted an in depth answer, just a one liner. So babies come from mummies tummy, mummy and daddy both help put the baby there and the baby comes out of the tummy from mummies front bottom.

We tell him the truth on every question, but my responses have been factual, satisfied his curiosity at that time and when he asks "But HOW do babies get there?" we'll tell him. A 3 year old really just needs an honest 1 liner like babies come from their mummies tummy.

mrcow

pigpen wrote: »

And it isn't a seed.. it is an egg.. like a chicken lays

Plants have seeds, animals and people have eggs.. some grow outside and some inside..

Seeds are already ferlilised, and like embryos (not eggs) they are diploid.

Eggs are not seeds as you quite rightly say (as they are haploid).

If you are talking about a "seed" in terms of an embyro or zygote however then yes, the terminiology is not very helpful but I guess it works. A kid of three however isn't going to bother. Refering to seeds that have been "put" into someone's tummy (again anatomically incorrect) and trying to explain the whys and wherefores is complete overkill.

pigpen

mrcow wrote: »

Seeds are already ferlilised, and like embryos (not eggs) they are diploid.

Eggs are not seeds as you quite rightly say (as they are haploid).

If you are talking about a "seed" in terms of an embyro or zygote however then yes, the terminiology is not very helpful but I guess it works. A kid of three however isn't going to bother. Refering to seeds that have been "put" into someone's tummy (again anatomically incorrect) and trying to explain the whys and wherefores is complete overkill.

I agree.. as I said 'mummy's tummy' is plenty explanation for a 3 y/o.. but to start on about seeds and such is incorrect and as well as being far too much info for a toddler it is potentially confusing.. I feel if you are going to tell them anything at all that remotely resembles the truth don't give incorrect info. But then I guess I have been known to give wild ideas about how things occur lol I think DS1 at 19 still thinks he grew on a tree!

At 5 mine were discussing 'seeds' and how they grow into plants.. I woudn't want them being confuse thinking they had come about in a similar manner.

moggitymog

my dd asked me that when she was 3yrs, but before I could answer she asked if I had put her in my pants and pulled them up really fast! I couldn't say anything else for laughing

ALI1973

I started with "mummys tummy" and see if she asks any further questions, chances are she won't (yet!).

Then we did the mummy and daddys special cuddle, and when more info requested we bought Where Willy Went and Mummy laid an egg. My 5 yo reads these now, but only sees them as a story, and the older two "got it" when they were about 8 ish.

We have now just gone into the tween stage and have just bought What's Happening to me? as my eldest is now 10, scary times ahead :eek:

Best wishes, Ali