I am conservative by DCUM standards and don't understand the squeamishness around this discussion at all. I told our kids at a young age that a sperm from the father and an egg from the mother meet inside the mother to make a baby. When asked, I explain how the sperm gets inside the mother in clear terms. We also discuss how families don't all look the same and some children do not live with both biological parents due to adoption, single parents, etc.

Anonymous wrote:“When a mommy and daddy love each other very much…”

So how did Barb and Laura down the street get Larla?
Be prepared. Unless you only hang around with straight married people.
We told DD at 6.
We had talked a lot about how she didn’t grow in our tummies ( gay couple) she grew in someone else’s but that person couldn’t care for a baby so God brought her to us because he knew we wanted a baby.
Anyway. We used the “ it’s not the stork” book to guide us. Told her the nitty gritty, accurately enough that after she said “ wait, the p**** goes inside the va****?”
To which we said yes and she said that’s gross and went on her way.
She’s 12 now and has no emotional scars from the discussion.

Anonymous wrote:They don’t need to know. I didn’t know till I was like in 10th grade.

I knew by the time I was three, and felt bad for kids like you.

You probably should just tell them in simple but accurate terms. If you don't somebody else will and it might not be so accurate.

Anonymous wrote:They don’t need to know. I didn’t know till I was like in 10th grade.

Um... either that's an exaggeration or your school system failed you.

I explained that taking gametes from each parent and putting a fertilized gamete into the mommy so it can grow was a very technical and expensive process that doctors use. A gamete is like an egg.

This is actually true so you don’t have to lie 😅

Ask him first what he thinks. And go from there.

We have a DK Eyewitness book about the human body. It shows an embryo and fetus in a uterus. I have found that this is enough for the under 5 set. They don’t need to know what starts the process of a baby growing.

They don’t need to know. I didn’t know till I was like in 10th grade.

Start by asking him what he thinks happens. And correct any wrong pieces of info.

But I think the best general advice is to tell them that a piece of the dad and a piece of the mom join together inside the mom. Then the baby grows in a special place inside the mom.

Then stop and see what questions they ask next.

+1 for It's Not the Stork but it's also helpful to read/watch about flower pollination, fish reproduction, etc - it gives them the vocabulary and the sense that they understand mechanically what is happening.

“When a mommy and daddy love each other very much…”

Anonymous wrote:Get the book “it’s not the stork”.

+1

Get the book “it’s not the stork”.

4.5yo wants to know how babies are made and how they get here. How would you explain? I tried big picture/vague, but he’s realizing there’s a gap in my explanation! Not sure how detailed to be at this age. Suggestions?