LivingHow to explain to children where babies come from

How to explain to children where babies come from

Sooner or later, every child asks a question that makes many parents nervous: where do babies come from? Some children do it out of curiosity and try to understand how they got into mom’s belly, while others ask it for the first time when they find out that a little brother is on the way.

So if that time has come or you want to prepare yourself for when the little ones ask the question, here are some tips to explain to children where babies come from .

Consider the age of the child.

The first thing we have to take into account when trying to answer this question to children is their age and maturity.

In the case of children who are still young or in preschool age (a stage in which they usually ask dozens of questions a day), answering that babies come from mom’s womb will usually leave them more than calm and satisfied.

However, in the case of the elderly, curiosity is greater and perhaps this answer is not enough for them, because they will want to know how a baby came to be in the mother’s belly in the first place.

How to explain to children where babies come from

Although many parents usually (or used to) resort to flowers and bees or the story of the stork and similar stories, it is not recommended to do so, because as a psychologist told us a long time ago when we touched on the subject of how to talk about sexuality with our children , the use of such metaphors and not speaking clearly can convey the idea that there is something negative in this.

The best we can do is respond to children in a natural way and without many turns or complicated stories , just as we explain and answer many other questions on various topics.

Taking into account the maturity of our son and the age at which he asks this question, we will then have to see how we can talk to him in a way that he can understand and avoid making the mistake of giving him too much information.

As we have previously mentioned, many times children are satisfied with short and precise answers or what really interests them are simple things and it is not necessary to explain the entire conception process or go into so many details.

For example, the simplest explanation is to tell children that babies are born from the union of two cells . If they are tiny, perhaps the word “cell” is difficult to understand, so we might consider temporarily replacing it with the classic “little seed” to make it easier for you to understand.

As they grow and mature, we can add more details to this first explanation, then talking about eggs and sperm and telling them that babies are the result of a consensual action between two adults and with enough maturity for it.

Stories to explain to children where babies come from

If we want a little support when it comes time for our children to ask us where babies come from, there are some children’s books we can turn to.

Nace Eugenia

In this book, little Eugenia tells the children everything about her upcoming birth: from how she arrived in mom’s womb, to what will happen during childbirth and how she will be fed in the days after her arrival.

“Nace Eugenia” is the first book of the association El childbirth is ours .

Nace Eugenia (Ed. 3) (Letritas de Amor)

Eugenia is born (Ed. 3) (Letritas de Amor)

Today on Amazon for €12.00

Was I In Your Tummy Too, Mom?

Seeing a friend of mom’s with a huge belly and knowing that there is a baby inside her, a small question if she was also inside her mom’s belly before she was born, starting a clear and realistic explanation, but with tact and sensitivity, about how babies are made.

¿Yo También Estuve En Tu Barriga, Mamá? (Conocer y comprender)

Was I In Your Tummy Too, Mom? (Know and understand)

Today on Amazon for €13.30

Regardless of the age at which our children ask us this question, it helps a lot to pay attention to what they want to know, guiding us by the questions they themselves have about the subject and always remembering that it is best to do it calmly and naturally .

Cover photo | Richard Jaimes on Unsplash

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