The Super Bowl and Babylandia – Who Knew?

As I watched bits and pieces of the Super Bowl, the commercial of Babylandia caught my attention.  So this is where babies come from?  Ha!!  The dreaded questions posed to parents, which we all try to avoid.  Now we have one more version of the story – BABYLANDIA!!

The makers of the commercial actually got it right: children do ask this question, and the car actually is the most frequent place for these conversations to start.  (In a car, no one can go anywhere, and eye contact can be avoided.)  The kids in the car were about 5 or 6?  Right again, perfect age to address this question.  But, alas, the answer was wrong.

The proverbial question as to where do babies come from can be addressed very easily using the follow strategy:

1. Start with a question.  “Where do you think they come from?” is a great response…  it should allow you to figure out what your child already knows, if anything, and correct any misconceptions.
2. State the basic facts – Where do babies come from?  “Babies grow inside the mother’s body in a nest called the uterus.”  Most children are satisfied with this answer as all they’re looking for is a more concrete explanation.
3. Be Prepared.  It’s true, responding to your child’s natural curiosity about babies, human nature, and what sex is will be rife with moral, religious, and personal beliefs that all parents have to tease out.  Take time to think about the message you want your children to have surrounding this topic.  Then set your personal philosophy about the topic including your values and use this message to come back to time and time again.

As to explaining SEX to children, stay tuned for my next blog.

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Founder of Healthy Chats, Dr. Chrystal de Freitas is a pediatrician, author and mother of three children who has a special interest in health education. She completed her pediatric training at the University of Washington, in Seattle, WA, and has been in private practice for 22 years. She practiced with North County Health Services in Encinitas, for 6 years. In 2004, Dr. de Freitas opened her solo private practice of pediatrics, Carmel Valley Pediatrics in San Diego, CA.