how do you label "private parts" for your kids?

Sarah - posted on 07/29/2012

We use mostly the proper terminology, but have called it the "area" or just peepee. I have two boys though. When they ask about my body parts, I say what they are, but I've also called my vagina "my area." I don't think it makes much difference as long as they don't feel uncomfortable about talking about it when they need to.

Viridiana - posted on 07/29/2012

yep we call them privates for the Vagina and butt for the butt.

Jacqueline - posted on 07/27/2012

I called my daughter's a vagina. She is three now and calls it a "China" trying to say vagina and she has now shortened it herself to call it a "Chi Chi"

Angela - posted on 07/14/2012

todger for penis, tuppense for vagina and bum for their bottom, it is what i was brought up with, when they were old enough to understand that that isn't their correct names, that is when we taught them vagina and penis. :o)

Lila - posted on 07/05/2012

I'm new to the group so forgive me for being so late.... I believe everyone has their own opinion on how & what is best when teaching their children. My 3 year old daughter calls her private area in the front her "pocketbook" she actually saw it being taught to someone on tv & it's stuck with her. I sometimes call mine a pocketbook so I don't mind her knowing that terminology right now because she can still continue to call it that in the future. She's call her back her butt or booty, no nickname for that. It's perfectly fine if you just want to teach your children the right terms but it's also ok if you want to teach them other words that u feel will be better for them to learn that's also ok.

LaSaundra - posted on 06/22/2012

My daughter is 3 and she calls her girl part a "crotch" and her butt a "butt," my other kids are older and calls them by the parts anatomically correct.

Amber - posted on 06/03/2012

Honestly and directly is the best way, I believe. I told my son "flat-out" what they are because I dislike it when people make up nicknames for their genitals/chest. I mean, to each their own but I personally disagree with giving them unnecessary nicknames. We don't call our elbows our "el-boos" so why call another part of the body something else?



Just my opinion.



*Note: I did not mean to offend anyone who DOES use a label for their children's parts. If I offended, I do apologize. However, this is just my opinion.

Michelle - posted on 05/30/2012

Responding to someone saying it's just wrong to teach children to call it anything that has a reference to food!!

I COMPLETELY AGREE and was immediately repulsed at the thought!! Not to long ago, I made an order of hair bows for a cheer leading group for their competition. One of the songs they danced to was "Poker Face." The very first time I listened to the song, I about DIED when I imagined these little girls dancing to the lyrics, then I was almost mad I took the order!! I told my husband: "Our daughter will NEVER be a cheerleader if it means dancing in front of people to a song that says ANYTHING about: "Teasing him with my muffin!!" Of course, he agreed. I mean, GEEeeeze! SERIOUSLY!? Ugs.

Michelle - posted on 05/30/2012

My daughter has a: "Bottom". My son has a "Pee-pee" & a bottom. 8)

Grace - posted on 05/28/2012

i have two kids. when i was little my mom used ti label them as 'lou' for girls and 'wagga' for boys but in any case you dont want to use that word try something that: 1. is easy to say 2. isnt very rude 3. is easy to remember. i hope this helps.

Crystal - posted on 10/01/2010

My oldest daughter calls her vagina a "gine gine"! We r teaching our youngest the same name for her vagina! I know some ppl call it their area so here are 2! :)

Jennifer - posted on 09/24/2010

I believe children are "experimenting" at younger and younger ages now because they don't know what their bodies are supposed to do. Tell them the truth. You don't want your child to grow up being someone who lies so don't lie to them. Penis, Vagina. Simple as that. When they ask where babies come from in a couple years tell them. You don't have to be gross and graphic. But don't lie to them. Other kids in their school are going to be thought the real terminology and if your child goes in calling it a cutesy name she's gonna either get made fun of or she is going to be mad at you for lying to her and braking her trust. U may think that at this young they don't know any better but kids are VERY smart. These are the years they retain the most knowledge. Just be honest. If you are calling it by anything else you are lying to your child. You are the most important teacher they will ever have. Teach them everything the right way

Melissa - posted on 09/02/2010

My girls are 4yrs and 2yrs. They know all their body parts by their correct names. My youngest knew what and where the vagina, breasts (although she does say boobies), nipples and penis are located on the body from the time she was 15mos. She knows that she has a vagina and daddy has a penis. I love the fact that she knows and is comfortable with the correct names of her body parts. She also understands that babies are eating when they're latched on a breast. She's the only 2yr old I know that instead of feeding her dolls by bottle, she holds it to her chest and says "baby's hungry" She's very smart, so I wanted her to know the correct terminology right from the start!

Jennifer - posted on 08/29/2010

Amen Vicki! Makes me sick.

Vicki - posted on 08/28/2010

You know, I was thinking about this again last night, particularly the usage of the word "muffin."

I can't help but imagine some sicko convincing a delicate young girl to let him taste her muffin. After all, it's a food, right? GROSS.

I am so totally against naming your kid's vagina after foodstuffs.

Jennifer - posted on 08/28/2010

I am shocked that there are adults embarrassed by theses words. If you can't say it you should not be doing the things with it to get pregnant in the first place.

Vicki - posted on 08/28/2010

I've always called my son's rear end his "bum" or "bottom" or the like. He knows his penis as it is. I'm sure at some point he'll discover there are also balls, nuts, or testicles, if you will. I'll probably refer to those as testes, I guess, but we'll see. My brothers, while growing up, generally used slang, so that's how I tend to think automatically.

I haven't used any names for girl parts with my son yet... Though he has pointed at mine while I've been changing, saying, "pee." Yes, he watches me pee, and helps me wipe (by getting the toilet paper LOL)...

I wouldn't generally say "urinate" either. I'll ask my boy about "doing pee-pees on the potty." You know, there are just so many different words to mean the same thing.

I don't think it's wrong to use a code name for a younger child. Eventually, yes, we all learn the proper technical terms, and as I recall from my school years, this comes with plenty of giggling. What CAN lead to trouble is how abuse can be overlooked, like as someone said in the case of the "hurt little bird." Yikes. Someone could all too easily take advantage of that. It's scary to think of my son in that situation. I would absolutely prefer for him to announce that his penis is hurt, so everyone who has heard knows this is a Mom situation.

Also, my friend's daughter, when she was much younger, often had infections of all sorts and many doctor visits. She was probably just two one time she announced in a waiting room that it hurt, "inside her vagina." This little girl noticed a nurse behind the desk stiffle a giggle, so she danced around singing, "Bagina, bagina, it hurts in my bagina." Luckily my friend has a sense of humour about these things. Also, because of these recurring issues, she made SURE her daughter knew all the proper parts, so she could tell them exactly the problem.

Jessica - posted on 08/27/2010

@KristiScott as a child care worker you hould be trained to know what a muffin is when spoken from a child during a suspected situation! The important thing is the child knows what they are talking about because then they can point and show you! Just like using the word A$$ is the proper term for a donkey(thats what it was called in the Bible), do you really want your child walking around saying the word a$$?
This is just my opinion I am no expert but I feel the same towadrds all the other ones who feel like it necessary to rush our babies into adulthood.
No disrespect to anyone

Jessica - posted on 08/27/2010

I went throughg and read all of your posts and I agree with some that what ever works for you and yours is the answer and as the child or children grow older and more mature they will find a new name to call their private parts. We all did.....

Jessica - posted on 08/27/2010

The only reason we feel embarrased to say certain things is because we were indirectly taught to do so. If he sees that it embarrasss you then he will also be embarrassed by it.

Jessica - posted on 08/27/2010

I have twin 20 month old boys and I just use the simple pee pee for a boy, and potty for a girl, they know what boobies and butts are but I have been careful not to make noticing or touuching those areas seem shameful but they understand what is ok and what is inapropriate. Communication is all it takes little nes are so smart and absorbent!

Rathbun - posted on 08/23/2010

DS knows his as penis and his bum.

Heather - posted on 08/22/2010

As for people saying they wouldnt know what a chid was talking about, I seriously doubt you are all that ignorant. The words pee-pee and butt or bottom or what have you have been used for forever.

Caroline - posted on 08/22/2010

We use "vulva" for her front and "bottom" or "butt" for her back... it took a little getting used to at first, but I knew we wanted to use the "technical" terms right from the start. My friend loaned me the book "From Diapers to Dating" by Debra Haffner and it's a common-sense, down-to-earth guide to teaching kids about sexuality in an age-appropriate way.

Marjorie - posted on 08/21/2010

I remember taking a course in college that brought up this same question. My professor told us that studies say that it's best to have children understand the private parts as they are. Not to disguise them with another word that sounds cute no matter what age.

Krystle - posted on 08/21/2010

oh my god, i've just read some replies, are people serious about the whole being embarrassed at the shops thing??? would you rather have a few seconds of people giggling or allow your child to be abused and tell someone who has no idea what he/she is talking about.... i am actually feeling really cranky... its just pure selfishness.

Krystle - posted on 08/21/2010

from a child protection point of view... DEFINATELY call them by their real names.
I am a childcare worker and if a child came to me and said that someone had touched her muffin i would think someone had taken her morning tea.
I dont understand why people find it so hard its a penis and vagina so why not call it that... you dont have pet names for your fingers or arms!

Desirée - posted on 08/20/2010

We use 'pee-pee' and then 'bum bum' both for obvious reasons. She kind of started it on her own by telling me she's going pee, and then began referring to her vagina AS her 'pee pee' so, if that's what she's comfortable with then so am I.

Kelli - posted on 08/20/2010

I agree that using the correct names is best. You don't make up names for other body parts so why would you for these?

Mphahlela - posted on 08/20/2010

I have a 20 months boy i thought him to call his private part tsubitsubi(cigarette).I feel unconfortable to teach him the real namesbecause I dont want to feel embarrased when he mention it in public.

Kristie - posted on 08/19/2010

we call it a "pee pee" and a "butt" :) works for boys or girls

Mabel - posted on 08/19/2010

I just call them by their correct names.He will also call them wee wee or winky.He knows them by both so he can pick which he wants to call them.

Tara - posted on 08/19/2010

My three year old was very particular that going pee was potty and going poop was poop so I called her rear her butt and her front her potty butt....It is just what she understands and uses to communicate. I don't have boys, but when it has come up I just call it a pee pee. It sounds silly but when she is old enough I will tell her the real names. She is very inquisitive so I am sure we will be talking about that soon enough! :) I think it is whatever the child can say and communicate their needs and whatever works for each individual parent.

Kristen - posted on 08/19/2010

When I'm bathing my daughter, I say "froggie" and she knows where that is to clean. Otherwise it's bum or bottom for the other side. When she wants to draw my attention to these areas though, she refers to them universally as kaka or poo-poo - I don't think she quite gets it yet.

Anna - posted on 08/19/2010

Potty and bottom. Keeping it clean and gender neutral so that you don't get embarrassed in the store. ^_^

Andrea - posted on 08/19/2010

When it comes to my 20 month old, she knows her vagina as her "Monkey". I don't have a boy, I have a 4 mth old girl as well, and she will know it to be the same thing. My eldest also knows that her fathers parts are his "Bird". I don't care how cutezy or fluffy, or bubbly or whatever the references are to her vagina, but to me, my daughters are babies... Now, I don't have a problem with them knowing the real terminology later on in life, but when they are children, why should she be walking around calling it her vagina, when she can use an easier, nicer word to refer to it as. Seriously, VAGINA!? Who made THAT word up anyway!? They could have picked something nicer. As for the rest of it, she knows pee pee and poo, and she knows where her "boobies" are. I don't want to hear those words out of her mouth. My God, I hardly say them myself, but that's because I have small children, with mind that are easy to mold and no matter how little their ears, they are the size of elephants ears when it comes to something they really want to hear and will repeat .

Joy - posted on 08/18/2010

I've got one of each, the elder being a 3 1/2 yearold girl. At 2 she, without prompting called it her 'wet', she now calls it her frontie, or her wee-wee; she refers to her brother with the term pee-pee. My boy doesn't yet say words for body parts, but he makes sounds "piissh"& "ppiiirrtt". AS THEY REPEAT WHAT THEY HEAR. If your happy to hear them repeat it then that's the term to use.

Gretchen - posted on 08/18/2010

for my son: pee-pee for penis and tush for butt.

Jennifer - posted on 08/18/2010

@ Jennifer Borden...I am glad one other person here knows their anatomy. I love those with the technical argument and what they are calling vagina is not even the correct technical term. ;)

Heather - posted on 08/18/2010

Im sorry but for me my 20 month old doesnt need to run out around yelling Penis! which he would do. So we call it his pee-pee. That way, it's close enough to the real word without being cutezy.

Nora - posted on 08/18/2010

"weiner"



I forgot to mention that I have 2 boys. "Weiner" works. We just had the discussion that girls don't have weiners, nd thus, neither do I... and my soon said, "Poor mommy."

Jennifer - posted on 08/18/2010

When we got pregnant, my husband and I discussed this issue. He wanted to be grammatically correct. Which is a great idea but when it comes to little girls, it's a bit more difficult than vagina and penis. Boys are easy... penis and scrotum but little girls take a little more work. While not trying to be disrespectful to anyone on here, when you are making reference to a little girl's body, we are usually not making reference to her "vagina". It's not her vagina that needs to be wiped or that burns if she doesn't get all the soap off her when taking a bath. My daughter told me her front bottom was burning one day. Well, if she'd told me her vagina was burning because I thought I was using the "correct" term for her body, she and I would have been wrong. I made the joke with my husband when he said "let's call it what it is"... well then, let's go ahead and teacher her she has an anus, a vagina, urethra and a clitoris. He decided that maybe we'd come up with some different terms. While I do think "cutesy" names can be a bit much, I'm not ready for words like penis, vagina and clitoris to be coming from my little girl's mouth. My daughter, 5, calls her brother's penis his water fountain, since that's how it worked when he first got here, or his extra body. She makes reference to hers as her front bottom. It works for us but we are the strange ones that also make reference to flatulence as bubbles and nose particles are what come from your nose. If she needs to do anything in the restroom, we are going to the "powder room" where there she can tell me more details, if needed. No need to be at a nice restaurant and hear my kid say "Mommy, I need to go poop". We've actually been at a high end restaurant where she said "Mommy I have bubbles". No one knew she had gas & what a save from some serious embarrassment. I will teach my son, 19 months, the same way. Well, we will say the little boy's room. I do like the idea of teaching the kids the proper terms but will save those for when they can use some discretion.

Rebecca - posted on 08/17/2010

I use the real words, then later there will not be any confusion. There is nothing wrong with the real words.

Laura - posted on 08/17/2010

For our 4 yo, its her "hoo hoo" and her bum...since our 19 month old girl hasnt been talking much yet, we haven't tried teaching her the same yet, though we label them the same.

Emma - posted on 08/17/2010

for my 3 year old and 20 month old son we use wagger willy or tail, and for my parts we say bits

Rachel - posted on 08/16/2010

Sorry Elektra, I'm having my PMS and I can be harsh during those days.

I just think that vulva would be a better choice if a parent want to use the CORRECT term.

Even in children books, when they show the difference between boys and girl they say penis and vulva. I don't like thinking about my daughter as a reproductive/sexual being. Maybe it just make me think of those awful people that could do awful things to her. Just writing this brings me to tears. A couple years ago there was a show on Oprah about pedophiles and what they do to babies.. and it's still frightens me like hell.

Laura - posted on 08/16/2010

My son is 20 months and calls his penis his willy. My daughter is 4 and has always referred to her parts and her winky. Both word easy to say for young children and not offensive.

Elektra - posted on 08/16/2010

I think that it more has to do with the more commonly used phrase than being scientifically correct in GENITAL NAMING.
Rachel~ you obviously feel this conversation has gone too far. I think people were just weighing opinions in, instead of judging and people thinking they were higher than others.
Whatever you decide to call your child's private parts make sure you can understand what it is they are saying and make sure it is age appropriate. Ensure that the close people in your life know so that should they be looking after your little one they will know if her "peepee" area or "bum" hurt.
In the end, like most parenting, it is WHATEVER works best for you and yours.

Rachel - posted on 08/16/2010

Ladies, lemme ask you a question, why are you talking about vagina??? It has nothing to do with peepee and it's not the counter part of the little boys' penis. If you wanna be holier than God and use the proper terms..blah blah blah, you should say vulva, the vagina is deep in there, when you clean during a diaper change, you clean the vulva, when she plays around her genital, it's still the vulva. The labia and the clitoris... the vulva. So stop trying to be all mighty and stop telling your daughters about a body part that has to do with reproduction... they are a bit young to understand that concept.

Sorry if I sound pissed but I think that if you girls wanna use the proper word.. than do it correctly. I for my part call it her flower because it's delicate.

Colleen - posted on 08/15/2010

personally I don't think the words vagina or penis are inappropriate words at all. That's what they are. I believe that using cutesy names just gives them a negative self image. My son has been calling penis' and vaginas' by just that since he was about a year or so (although vagina started out vaginga). He's pretty much over the curiosity about them now though and has moved on to learning how the world goes 'round.