https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 24 May 2026 15:54:14 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2878171 Mon, 25 Mar 2019 20:44:35 +0000 muffinsmuffins 2878171@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@erinbaderin: @Petitduck: hello fellow Ontarians! I also guessed you were talking about our lovely buck a beer hero :silly: also huuuuge fan of our current 1998 sex Ed curriculum which doesn’t acknowledge that our 2 mom family exists! I’m glad my kids are young and hopefully it will be properly revamped before long. What a disaster for our province though...even more reason why I’m preparing to have these conversations in case we end up further back in time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2878151 Mon, 25 Mar 2019 18:54:25 +0000 Petitduck 2878151@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@erinbaderin: haha. You got it! I can not believe all the stuff that’s going down with our education system right now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2878149 Mon, 25 Mar 2019 18:41:58 +0000 erinbaderin 2878149@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Petitduck: Oooh, let me guess - Ontario? (Eye roll, heavy sigh, muttered curses about Doug Ford) Me too. I’ve never called my MP so much in my life as I have in the past year. </p> <p>@foodiebee: I’m going to not raise this for a while. I figure I’ll deal with the immediate “how are babies made” first, and then once they’re older I can deal with the “how were you specifically made”. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2878125 Mon, 25 Mar 2019 15:12:41 +0000 Kaohinani 2878125@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@foodiebee: One of my close friends from college did IVF. When her DD began asking questions about how she was made and where babies came from last month (* while we were having coffee, mind you ... D nearly choked on her latte! ☕😱 ), D explained as follows:<br /> "Men make sperm and women make eggs in their bellies. Sometimes, they get together to put the sperm and egg together, and, SOMETIMES, they don't, but all babies are born from sperm and egg holding hands." Her 5-year-old, of course had follow-up questions, so D explained that, sometimes, mommies need help from doctors to put the sperm and egg into her which is how her DD was conceived. Her daughter asked about why would a doctor help. So she explained the doctor helps the sperm and egg "make friends" so they can form a baby cell. Her DD wanted to know why the sperm and egg would need the doctor to help them "hold hands" (typical small child with a zillion questions! 🙄 Love the curiosity, though!) So D told her that sometimes mommies and daddies can't make the sperm and egg "hold hands," because the sperm and egg "don't listen" OR sometimes 2 mommies or 2 daddies want a baby and they need help with it. Her DD was satisfied with this and promptly walked away. While not technical in the least, I respect her response as it not only covered every topic her DD asked while covering the bases, but it also satisfied her 5-year-old's curiosity.<br /> Honestly, D had a bunch of anxiety leading up to explaining this to DD; however, when questioned, D found her words and explained it well ... just as I am certain you will do with your LO. 💜 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2878121 Mon, 25 Mar 2019 14:54:33 +0000 foodiebee 2878121@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just curious how couples who did IVF handle this question? We joke that we had very little to do with making the current bun I'm baking, but I hadn't put much thought into explaining it to our little in the future. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2878033 Mon, 25 Mar 2019 09:57:14 +0000 graceandjoy 2878033@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I told my 4 year old, at some point close to or around 4, that mommies have eggs and daddies have sperm, and when you mix the two, a baby will grow. Besides that, she has known for a long time babies grows in tummies and get pushed out from the vagina :grin: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877987 Sun, 24 Mar 2019 21:23:27 +0000 Petitduck 2877987@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Autumnmama79: I’m jealous your province has its crap together! :happy: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877982 Sun, 24 Mar 2019 20:21:04 +0000 Autumnmama79 2877982@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Petitduck: also not in the US, I’m in Canada. Sorry things are up in the air for you now - hopefully they get sorted out soon and don’t impact your LOs learning too much. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877976 Sun, 24 Mar 2019 19:34:19 +0000 Petitduck 2877976@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Autumnmama79: I like that there is a specialized person who comes in and the parent chat beforehand. Our sex-ed curriculum is so so and was recently revamped to include specifics for each grade level and introduce some topics and vocabulary at an early age, but now it’s a bit up in the air because of a new politician. I’m not in the U.S.</p> <p>@lady baltimore: @Mrs. Turtle: @muffinsmuffins: I’m curious to see how it will be handled at school by teachers and other kids. I know my sister had to start talking to her kids about it because some kids at school were talking about stuff in a way she didn’t like. I think that’s my worry, not so much an adult responding, but a kid providing information in a way that I’m not comfortable with / that’s inappropriate for my kid. Although, faced with a choice, I’d rather them get as much information as possible and hope they’d share it with me so we could discuss. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877969 Sun, 24 Mar 2019 18:33:04 +0000 Autumnmama79 2877969@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Petitduck: where we live they have a sex educator come to the schools and do a full &amp; proper talk to students based on their grade level from k-7. The woman is an expert in her field, youthful and current. She provides the facts in a non-intimidating way and also does a talk for the parents beforehand. DD has had it every year since K. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877965 Sun, 24 Mar 2019 17:44:47 +0000 lady baltimore 2877965@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Petitduck: If my child were asking direct questions about reproduction or intercourse, I wouldn't mind a teacher providing her with basic factual information and encouraging her to come to me and her father with further questions.</p> <p>However, in my state, as a trained health educator, I am not allowed to tell my students about reproduction as it is not part of the fifth grade curriculum. Of course I have had more knowledgeable students ask questions about it, but I have to redirect them to talk privately with a trusted adult. I don't know what the expectation is if these questions come up outside of health class/with a teacher who has not been trained. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877962 Sun, 24 Mar 2019 17:03:23 +0000 LemonJack 2877962@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I haven’t read all the replies, so I don’t know if anyone bas mentioned this book, but we bought “It’s NOT the Stork” for DD (4.5). She hasn’t asked any questions yet, so the book hasn’t come out, but I looked through it and it looks pretty good. I’m sure we’ll be getting those questions soon.</p> <p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Its-Not-Stork-Families-Friends/dp/0763633313/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=its+not+the+stork&#038;qid=1553464857&#038;s=gateway&#038;sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/Its-Not-Stork-Families-Friends/dp/0763633313/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=its+not+the+stork&#038;qid=1553464857&#038;s=gateway&#038;sr=8-1</a></p> <p>@Mrs. Turtle: DD is really into talking about poop lately too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877943 Sun, 24 Mar 2019 11:25:57 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2877943@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Petitduck: Like @muffinsmuffins: I'd fear the heteronormative explanation that would leave my child feeling left out (if we'd had a bio child via donor insemination) or confused (when mommy and daddy love each other, as that doesn't explain things for her either) but a simple scientific explanation of sperm and eggs wouldn't bother me at all. </p> <p>Side note, O is kind of fascinated by all things poop related lately, and bathroom humor is a daily thing. She also has said that women "poop babies out of their butts." :grin: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877934 Sun, 24 Mar 2019 08:06:08 +0000 erinbaderin 2877934@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LAZB: Bevause I had two c-sections my kids think babies always have to be cut out of your stomach, and my son once said to me “Boy, I’m glad I’m not a girl, I wouldn’t EVER want to get cut open!” </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877930 Sun, 24 Mar 2019 07:26:21 +0000 muffinsmuffins 2877930@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So far DS has only asked how the baby gets out when DW was pregnant with DS2. He asked if it came out of her bellybutton ha which she said no and told him the doctor would help him out of her vagina. Which just led to a most girls have vaginas and most boys have a penis conversation. But now reading this, I think I need to be more prepared! Especially considering we are also a 2 mom family as @wrkbrk said and I want our answer to reflect how our and other families are created. When we were going through our fertility treatments it was suggested to make a personalized book for the child about their particular story. It’s on my to do list but that other book seems quite good in the meantime.</p> <p>As for @Petitduck question: I would rather I get a chance to talk to my sons first because I would fear the heteronormative answer that they potentially would give, but I don’t think I would be upset. I think the info coming from a trusted adult is my preference overall vs some kid on the school yard freaking everyone out or spreading misinformation. I don’t feel I need to totally censor out info at this age if my kid asks...we plan to answer things matter of fact and use correct body terms, etc. Even from a young age and give the basic info and expand on that if the child pushes for more. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877926 Sun, 24 Mar 2019 05:17:10 +0000 Petitduck 2877926@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Spin-off question: would you be upset if your child’s teacher told them about how babies are made? Example: penis goes into vagina and men have sperm that mixes with egg and it grows into a baby. </p> <p>Just curious. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877925 Sun, 24 Mar 2019 05:15:32 +0000 Petitduck 2877925@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lady baltimore: interesting about the podcast. That lines up with what I have been questioned about by most small children under 5. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877924 Sun, 24 Mar 2019 01:41:04 +0000 LAZB 2877924@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lady baltimore: my daughter also knows that babies come out of vaginas (haven’t covered csections yet) and when she first learned that she would go up to pregnant women and tell them. It was hilarious, almost like a warning “you know, that baby is going to come out of your vagina” 🤣 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877922 Sat, 23 Mar 2019 22:30:52 +0000 lady baltimore 2877922@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am a health teacher (5th grade), and have seen how confused kids can be by that age, so I endeavor to answer LO's questions as honestly as I can without overloading her. She's 3, and so far she is not curious about how babies get inside women, but she does know that she grew inside Mama's abdomen (I specifically avoid "tummy"), that Mama had to push her out through my vagina, and that having a baby is very hard work. :wink: (I had to clarify this last point after she was asking about when my cousin's baby would "pop out.") </p> <p>I recently heard a conversation on a parenting podcast about this, and one of the panelists highlighted that most kids who are asking questions about this are asking about reproduction, not sex. This supports the approach of highlighting sperm and egg, without introducing how the union occurs until they are asking about it more specifically. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877916 Sat, 23 Mar 2019 20:37:32 +0000 bhbee 2877916@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LAZB: that is amazing! :shocked: </p> <p>My oldest is focused on the sperm/egg part too (she’s older, 6.5 when #3 was born). She thinks it’s soooo cool that she and her sister have all their eggs already. I guess it’s more interesting because it’s relatable to her own body? It totally blew her mind though that a full size baby came out of me! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877915 Sat, 23 Mar 2019 20:35:03 +0000 Mrs. Champagne 2877915@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LAZB: sounds right to me 😂 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877914 Sat, 23 Mar 2019 20:10:14 +0000 LAZB 2877914@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We told our (then) 3 year old that mommy has an egg and daddy puts a seed in her tummy and that makes the egg grow into a baby.<br /> The other day she (now 4) asked me where eggs (as in chicken) come from, and as I was fumbling to explain, she said “I know, I know! The daddy chicken shoots milk out of his penis, you put it with sugar, and it makes the egg!” :shocked:<br /> I didn’t even know how to respond to that </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877913 Sat, 23 Mar 2019 19:33:35 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2877913@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@erinbaderin: I'm fairly certain my 3 year old thinks babies come from CPS via social workers, though she hasn't asked yet. 🤦‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877910 Sat, 23 Mar 2019 19:14:44 +0000 Petitduck 2877910@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@wrkbrk: definitely a bit dated. We have also said to her that two daddies can have a baby or two mummies, but it works a bit differently and they need help. She wasn’t too interested, but I assume that’s because she doesn’t know any same sex couples yet. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877908 Sat, 23 Mar 2019 19:12:18 +0000 Petitduck 2877908@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We own this weird and hilarious book as well. My husband hates reading it to our kid. I quite enjoy the book. If you google image it you can see pages from the book. There is only one weird page where it shows the parents doing it on a space hopper and stuff. All cartoon style, diagrams drawn by the kids of “some ways how mummies and daddies fit together” 😂</p> <p>It’s informative and cutesy though (we changed some words, or I do anyway so I’m actually saying vagina vs “hole” I think they say in the book, and it opens with the parents telling their kids how babies are made “girls with sugar and spice and all things nice and sometimes delivered to the front door” and the kids tell their parents “we don’t think you really know how babies are made” and explains the process to them.</p> <p>[attach=7676/19/pougky.379x600.4C294489-57FA-4ED0-AE73-A6FF36650829.jpeg] </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877906 Sat, 23 Mar 2019 19:09:11 +0000 wrkbrk 2877906@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Now take this with a grain of salt seeing as I have a wife and DS has two mamas, but I think the whole “babies are made when a mommy and daddy love each other” story is a little dated. He’s asked and I’ve told him something similar to @Petitduck: babies are made when an egg and a sperm are joined together and the they’re born out of a woman’s vagina or tummy. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I think they accept as normal whatever they are used to hearing! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877905 Sat, 23 Mar 2019 18:55:01 +0000 erinbaderin 2877905@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son was four and asked me at 6am as I was trying to iron something for work. He asked if we could have another baby, and “how do you even GET a baby, anyway?” I got a little flustered, said we couldn’t have another baby because four people in our family was enough and babies were expensive, and now he thinks you can buy babies at a store. Whoops. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877901 Sat, 23 Mar 2019 17:33:27 +0000 Lindsay05 2877901@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My oldest has asked lots especially when I was pregnant. I definitely danced around the topic. I’m not ready for them to know and I don’t think they need to know either. FWIW they are 6.5 and 5. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877893 Sat, 23 Mar 2019 15:42:52 +0000 BadgerMom 2877893@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Champagne: I guess I never expected these questions so early!</p> <p>@bees_knees: Ha! DH keeps telling him to go ask me and I think because he’s the one with the medical background and also a boy, he should answer lol!</p> <p>@Petitduck: Thank you! I’m glad to hear that the sperm/egg was sufficient and she kinda glossed over the penis vagina part. I really don’t want him to go blabbing about penis/vagina all around preschool. Even though sperm/egg is more technical it just seems a little bit more high level. </p> <p>@Kaohinani: Perfect, thank you! I’m going to go buy it right now. Now hopefully I won’t scar him like the IL’s did to DH. 😂 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-are-babies-made#post-2877886 Sat, 23 Mar 2019 14:52:42 +0000 Kaohinani 2877886@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We bought "What makes a Baby," for my daughter (* which was 6 @ the time in which I was pregnant with my DS). DD had begun asking MANY questions about reproduction, what was Daddy-Mommy Time, and how she was made. When I would try to explain the concepts to her in a very "G-rated" manner, she became confused (abstract ideas for a young child) so I ordered a few books. Her favorite was "What Makes a Baby." It is for ages 3-7 and is non-technical. I like it because it afforded her the proper vocabulary without too much detail AND was neither gender specific, nor did it make all families to be composed of structurally as Mommy and Daddy ONLY (* Very LGBTQIA friendly). Last year, when he was 3, DS began to ask about how babies were made (which was completely appropriate as DH and I have been TTC for #3 since 2015.). I asked DD if I may borrow her copy to read to DS and SHE requested to read it to him "as long as Mom answered any questions" (DD's words, verbatim). It was a wonderful bonding moment for the 3 of us and opened the door for further discussion with my DD (who was 10 at the time).</p> <p>What Makes a Baby <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1609804856/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_yTOLCbB17GR7Z" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/dp/1609804856/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_yTOLCbB17GR7Z</a> </p>