5 year old asks "how does the baby get inside

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My 5 year old asked me “How the baby gets inside the Mommy’s belly?” I would so shocked by his question right out of the blue that I said “I don’t know!” Doh, I think I should have done better than that. What would you say to a 5 year old who asked that question?
 
I have a 5 year old, and while I’ve mentioned that he grew in my tummy I don’t recall if he asked how he got there. I’d probably say that God put him there to grow and be safe until it was time to be born.

Depending on maturity, I might add that God made him from parts of me and parts of dh, but that’s a while off yet for our son, lol. Later, I’d add in biology and specific names but that’s a few years off yet.

Gotta love these questions they pose!
 
LOL. I am not pregnant. Hehe. I would love a third, but it does not look like that will happen. I actually think he did ask how does God put the baby in there? He does know that God sends the babies. He remembers his 2 year old brother being born and coming to the hospital. I like the idea of saying that God makes the babies with parts of the Mommy and parts of the Daddy. I also agree that I need to address this again. I don’t want to let the “I don’t know stand”
 
When I was that age, my mom told me that “daddy planted a seed inside of mommy.” It worked for me. I didn’t ask why, what she told me was enough.

I like how someone else said that God grows a baby from different parts of mommy and daddy. That seems reasonable, as well, for that age.
 
LOL im 14 and still embarrassed at all the questions I asked as a younger kid…i remember leaving my parents speechless…LOL
 
You could also say something like “When a husband and a wife show a special kind of love for each other, a baby is made.”
 
KendraDZ1902 said:
When I was that age, my mom told me that “daddy planted a seed inside of mommy.” It worked for me. I didn’t ask why, what she told me was enough.

I like how someone else said that God grows a baby from different parts of mommy and daddy. That seems reasonable, as well, for that age.
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That sounds like a good answer. Daddy planted a seed and the baby grew.

Sometimes, kids don’t want as much information as we might think. I recall my own lack of curiosity when my Dad tried to explain the facts of life to me at around age 8 or 9, as I was lying in bed. I was getting bored and just fell asleep. Later, when I really wanted to know something I looked it up in Gray’s Anatomy or the Merck Manual.
 
KendraDZ1902 said:
When I was that age, my mom told me that “daddy planted a seed inside of mommy.” It worked for me. I didn’t ask why, what she told me was enough.

I like how someone else said that God grows a baby from different parts of mommy and daddy. That seems reasonable, as well, for that age.
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That is what I told our son.

Daddy planted a seed.

Then, a week or so later, he came back and asked, “how?” :eek:

I think I said something about a “special way Mommy and Daddy love each other.” It was enough for him for a while longer. 👍
 
When my son asked, I just answered Mommy and Daddy made it. That seemed to satisfy him for several years. As someone said, don’t get to complicated, they are still so young.
 
Not to make light of the problem of explaining the facts of life to children, the poster who said sometimes we give them more information than they actually want reminded me of an amusing story. It went something like this: A little boy asked his mother where he came from. The mother launched into a long explanation of where babies come from, but the boy looked confused. His little friend had told him that he was from Cleveland and so the boy wanted to know where he was from, too! In your case, MrsLLD, no harm was done when your son caught you off guard, and the other posters have suggested good ways to handle this situation.
 
KendraDZ1902 said:
When I was that age, my mom told me that “daddy planted a seed inside of mommy.” It worked for me. I didn’t ask why, what she told me was enough.
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I remember my mom telling me the exact same thing. I was going to ask about how the seed got planted, but even at that very young age, I could tell my mom didn’t want to talk anymore about it, so I let it drop. I got the real scoop at school…on the playground…from another kid.
 
When Mommy and Daddy got married, they asked God for a baby so He answered their prayers and sent them a baby.

Why is the baby in the Mommy’s tummy? Because God feels they are so little that is the safest place for them to be until they are big enough to be born. And when they are born, it is the baby’s birthday and everyone is happy.

How does the baby get there? God puts the baby there.
 
I remember asking that question when I was about 5. My mom told me that God brought babies when mommies and daddies really prayed and asked God for one. Then, a few days later, I remember going into my parents’ room, kneeling by the window, and praying to God to bring me a baby (since I wanted a real baby to play with–my dolls weren’t enough for me, I guess). :o

Funny how I took that literally at the time, but it’s neat how my mom explained it.
 
There have been such sweet responses to this thread! I am curious how people explain unplanned pregnancy, since most of these responses seem better for a different time.

My kids will likely be attending religion classes at our parish, since I am a teacher (they will not be attending public school like the other children, but will need somewhere to be while I teach). Many students come from broken homes. Then there are neighborhood kids and their families. Last but not least, I plan to continue donating to a crisis pregnancy center and want to include my boys in the effort.

Does anyone have experience explaining less than perfect family situations to small children, while respecting the beauty and dignity of all involved?
 
I said that I knew the answer, but that it was one of those things that are too complicated to explain to someone who was only five. Then I gave an example of something my five years old knew, but couldn’t possibly explain to a two-year old. (I don’t remember what it was.) This was satisfactory at the time, and I think it was an honest answer.
 
EasterJoy said:

“I said that I knew the answer, but that it was one of those things that are too complicated to explain to someone who was only five. Then I gave an example of something my five years old knew, but couldn’t possibly explain to a two-year old. (I don’t remember what it was.) This was satisfactory at the time, and I think it was an honest answer.”

It’s totally OK to give a small child a rain check for some time in the future if a detailed explanation would be inappropriate now.

But then you have to honor the rain check.
 
Xantippe said:
EasterJoy said:

“I said that I knew the answer, but that it was one of those things that are too complicated to explain to someone who was only five. Then I gave an example of something my five years old knew, but couldn’t possibly explain to a two-year old. (I don’t remember what it was.) This was satisfactory at the time, and I think it was an honest answer.”

It’s totally OK to give a small child a rain check for some time in the future if a detailed explanation would be inappropriate now.

But then you have to honor the rain check.
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Well, yes, eventually you have to teach them. The age at which you teach them has to do with the age at which they can comprehend an answer that is not so incomplete that it will get them into trouble.

This question came up at our house when a son asked “what’s a virgin?” Well, you can’t tell him it is someone who isn’t married, because you can’t have your 5 yo going around asking adults if they are virgins when what he wants to know is whether they are married. My answer–I know what it is, but it is hard to explain–worked for him. He knew about many things that he felt he comprehended but that he’d have difficulty putting into words, particularly in terms someone much younger than him could get, so he could relate with that.
 
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