Benziwa Njani Abantwana

“How are babies made?” is a question that many adults, sadly, dread having to answer. But, if we can remember to think about the question from the child’s perspective, answering it actually becomes much easier and straight forward than we think. When children ask about their origins, they aren’t interested in knowing about adult sex at all. Their curiosity is about the mechanics of how they came to be in the world. At this age, keeping our answers brief and developmentally appropriate is important. One simple answer is that a baby starts to grow when a tiny cell from a male body (called a sperm cell) joins with a tiny cell from a female’s body (called an egg cell). This kind of response may well satisfy children’s curiosity at the moment, but at some point, most will gradually go on to ask for more detail. If we stick to the pattern of giving short, concrete answers until their curiosity is satisfied, we’ll remain on track. See our discussion starters for ways you can start a conversation with your child and our amaze jr. Parent Playlist for more information on how to prepare for age-appropriate conversations with your children.