How to Answer Your Child’s Question: “Where Do Babies Come From?

Tips to answer: “Where do babies come from?”

• Give answers relevant to the age of the kid

Before answering the question, think about your child’s age. Give him/her only the information your child needs and nothing beyond that. If your kid is just about 4 or 5 years old when he/she asks you this question, you don’t have to talk about sex, egg, sperm, etc. You can give him/her the basic answer that babies come from a mother’s stomach.

• Give the right information

If your child is older, you can use the right medical terms when he/she asks you, “Where do babies come from?” Instead of using words like stomach or belly, you can start using the words uterus, womb, etc.

• Don’t create fictitious stories

This is a common mistake that most parents commit. When your child asks you where babies come from, you don’t have to say, “gift of God”, “from the sky”, “magic”, etc. These fictitious stories don’t help your child at all. Don’t avoid the question as well.

• Avoid being awkward

When you express discomfort or awkwardness when your child asks you this question, it discourages your kid from opening up to you anymore. Your child might feel he/she has asked something shameful if you express discomfort. If your kid is old enough (10 or more), you can even use the terms vagina, C-section, etc.

• Use external sources

Use books and websites as references to answer this question for your child. Many books have age-specific answers for this question, so you don’t give your kid anything more than he/she needs, and you don’t avoid the question totally, as well.

• Story mode works well

For kids aged 8 and more, you can explain childbirth in the form of a beautiful story. You can talk about the meeting of the sperm and egg, the foetus being formed in the womb, and how the baby is delivered after 9.5 months.