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

Jess - posted on 08/15/2010

My daughter is 20 months old and ive never called her privates anything. She now calls it her 'Fan Fan' not sure where she got that from but her vagina is fan fan. Im cool with that, no doubt as she gets older it will change.

Jennifer - posted on 08/15/2010

We say pee-pee and bottom for the basic reason that 20 month olds in general can't say vagina. I need them to be able to tell me what hurts or is an issue if there is one. Before I had kids old enough to speak I was on a high horse about using correct terminology and not using a cute name for it. I am not very happy I have a child who will simply say, Mommy I have to go pee-pee or my pee-pee hurts as opposed to saying out loud, Mommy I have to urinate and my vagina hurts. My 20m old is potty training and she will not be able to say the word urinate and defecate for a quite some time, though she can tell me when she has to pee and poop. This is one situation where keep it simple stupid applies. I mean really, does it matter when they are older WTH you call it as long as they are able to communicate it regardless of their parents maturity level or lack there of?



fwiw I was raised by a medical professional and we use age appropriate nicknames but also knew the clinical term for parts. I never grew up confused. I have also always been extraordinarily comfortable with my own and others bodies.



FYI the vagina is from the cervix to the vaginal opening and nothing on the outside. So those of you calling that area the vagina and arguing that it is the correct technical term...fail. Grown women should know their own anatomy.

Elektra - posted on 08/14/2010

Sabrina...my only issue with calling it a bird is this:
When my brother was little he had a friend (Trevor)who called his penis a bird. We were at Trevor's house one day with parents and Trevor came running into the house yelling " Mum!Mum! My bird is hurt! My bird is hurt!" My dad was the first one to get to Trevor and asked if he could see his bird and if he could fix it or help it. WELL..... the shock on my dad's face when Trevor wiped out his penis just about bowled my dad over. Thankfully Trevor's mum was there to smooth things over... but myh dad had NO IDEA that BIRD was PENIS.
Although it was all innocent, it could of turned bad.

Cheryl - posted on 08/14/2010

Thanks everyone for the ideas. I like girl/boy parts or fanny personally. I want to use terms my daughter can understand, say, and potentially yell in public that aren't inappropriate :)

Tammy - posted on 08/14/2010

My husband has never been comfortable with the term penis, due in part to the fact that he never heard the word used except in very clinical terms. I taught my son the proper term, penis. One night, during my son's after bath streak through the house, my hubby says "Is that your weenie?" And my son looked at him, as if he were not the sharpest crayon in the box, and said "No Daddy, PENIS!" I about wet myself from the look on hubby's face. It has helped lessen my hubby's discomfort around the word penis, as we can't relate the story without saying it!

Vanessa - posted on 08/14/2010

Cheryl,
I know most on here are sticking to "vagina" and "penis" and some have cute names also....I think a toddler shouldn't use the "real" words until they are old enough to know about them, like in grade school. A nickname for private parts is much more appropriate, like for example, if your toddler starts saying it in public at the grocery store. I'd much rather my son yell out a cutesy name, rather than "PENIS"! I have a 7 yr old daughter, and ever since she was little, we've called her private part a "po-po". Not "poo-poo" like going #2, but pronounced with the "o" sound. I also have a 20 month old son, and we call his private part a "peanut". So, it's sort of like "penis" but much more age appropriate. Hope that helps!

Danielle - posted on 08/14/2010

We use penis and fanny (I'm in Australia and that's used as another word for vagina here). Even though I know it is recommended you use the correct words for body parts, vagina is just too difficult a word for my daughter to grasp at the moment.

Jodie - posted on 08/13/2010

Yeah, my daughter calls nipples "ninnies" and boobies are "bobos" right now. She came up with that. I'm not sure what will tell her about a penis cuz she hasn't really noticed one yet. But I agree on the lying.

Beth - posted on 08/13/2010

I have an almost 3 year old and a 20 month old, both girls! My soon to be 3 year old calls her boobs "nippies" her butt "butt" and her vagina 'jay-jay" for girls and "noodle" for boys. My 20 month old doesn't talk too much but when she starts asking questions I will teach her the same thing...Also, when she sees her part, or my nephew's, she says "Mine goes in, his stays out" I'm not going to lie to her.

Jodie - posted on 08/13/2010

For my daughter who is almost 20 months, we call her vagina her "giny" (rhymes with shiny). It's kinda cutesy but its related to vagina so she's getting the general idea. I was with you, I wasn't going to call it a hoo-hoo or anything like that. She clearly knows what her giny is and then she call her bottom her hiney. So we have giney and hiney. Works great for us.

Jo-Ann - posted on 08/13/2010

Cheryl, for my daughter she called her Vagina her "front bum" and her bottom is called her "back bum". She chose to name these body parts herself and we all know where she is referring to :)

Samantha - posted on 08/13/2010

my daughter is 3 n my son is 19mnths old n we they say widgy for a boy n a wanny is wot girls have n there behind is her bum there are loads of things u can say but if u try n use sumthing similiar to wot the actually name is thn they wnt get to confused as they get older and learn the proper namesfor thm x

Lyndsey - posted on 08/13/2010

My son has known where his "weiner" is since he was about 8 months old... and we just use the word "butt"... he's a late speaker and doesn't say either, but he knows what they are. I see nothing wrong with using "penis" and "vagina", His dad and I just naturally called it a "weiner" and it stuck.

Emma - posted on 08/13/2010

With my son it was easy 'penis' but with my daughter (19mths) I have taken the name my Mum taught me which is 'chumfer'. My daughter knows that is where the 'peepee' comes from and her bottom is a bottom. She has started to pee on the potty before getting into the bath and is very interested when I go to the toilet. she even hands me the toilet paper.

Elektra - posted on 08/12/2010

Just because she cant say the word doesnt mean she wont be able to understand it. that is how language is taught. Repetition. It is like any other word.

Elektra - posted on 08/12/2010

Im all about the honesty... Vagina, Penis, Bum/bottom, Boobs/breasts..... Its the words that everyone knows so there will be no confusion.

Terri - posted on 08/12/2010

hello; alot of people are 'in-to' saying the actual words which is fine at home.but my daughter (4) loves to yell about her areas sometimes so im happy that we call her vagina 'Fanny' ! everyone knows what there talking about but its not so harsh sounding when screamed at the supermarket...e.g 'my mummy has a VAGINA' -oh my embrassment. i also have a son (1) and we call his penis a 'doodle' for the same reasons.and the normal old 'bottom'/'bum'. its really all up to you as the kids will learn all the correct terms at school and the doctors etc. good luck : )

Brandi - posted on 08/12/2010

My kids refer to the back as the "butt, rear or bum" and to the front for both my girls & boys as "privates". We are working very had with the concept of privacy (I haven't gone to the bathroom by myself in 5 years) so it works well because they are also learning that that part of their body is to be kept private and not to share or for others to look at or touch.

Samantha - posted on 08/12/2010

moo moo for girl and peepee for boy x

Marie Jayne - posted on 08/12/2010

Havent really thought about this yet, But guess now is the time to do so. At the moment its just botty and TupTup. Not much help really.

Melly - posted on 08/12/2010

Hi I agree with Kristina. Our children are constantly learning and we would like them to know everything possible. We are also mentoring ours to be honest. I think maintaining one word for each gender is appropriate without muffling it with cute names. I grew up knowing mine as a fu-fu. While there is nothing wrong with the real anatomy name, go with what you are comfortable with. Our children will learn many names for these parts soon enough. Good luck :)

Mary - posted on 08/12/2010

My girls call them girl and boy parts. Short and to the point.

Summer - posted on 08/12/2010

my input i also agree with those who said giving the proper names of ur private parts are the best option but come on some of our kids wont be able to say those names for a while my son dont say anything but when i asked him where his cocolok is he know where it is.

Annette - posted on 08/12/2010

You need to teach them the proper names b/c if anything happens God forbid they can tell you and or a social worker.

Amanda - posted on 08/12/2010

We just use "Pee pee" until he can say penis and for his bottom we just go with "booty" or "butt". The ladies my mom used to work with always called the vagina a flower but growing up I always thought it was silly. My mother used "pee pee" with all 4 of her girls but we knew it was a vagina. I think calling them what it is and letting them find their own way to say it is best :)

Valencia - posted on 08/12/2010

I just tell my son its a Penis, so he knows, id rather teach him the proper word than the corny or cute word...

Valerie - posted on 08/11/2010

I dont agree with using food objects to name body parts, I was sooo grossed out growing up because my friend calls it a muffin and everytime I would eat a muffin all I could picture was a vagina. We call it a penis and vagina.....

Serena - posted on 08/11/2010

I haven't even really thought about this one, as my daughter is a rather late speaker, but I spose I will use bottom for her rear and I have no clue for the vagina, I grew up with "privates" for both, but I have a friend who uses cookie for the vagina and it caught on, but that might get confusing since that is one of the few words my dd will SAY!!!

Beccie - posted on 08/11/2010

I have a 20 month old boy, and he says willy for his penis, although it is prounounced 'lola', and his word for wee is the same lol !! He can easily say bum and poo and understands them, and now gets that his and daddys body is different to mine. He says boobs and knows what they are too, so I tell him that mumys have boobs, and boys and daddies have willies. Havent moved on to mummies other 'private parts' just yet lol :)

Daisy - posted on 08/10/2010

I think she would have a hard time saying the word vagina but she'll find a variation if that's the term you use:) I call my son's penis a penis and his testicles, testicles and he points to it and says nis and then points to his testicles and says sicles. Which is actually very cute. We were at a friends house and he took a bath with her two boys 16months and 3yrs and he pointed the there bits and said nis I said yes they have penises too hahaha My friends daughter same age says gina and her mom calls it vagina. I think that if you use the proper terms because they have a hard time pronouncing them they kind of make them really cute:) I've always been a fan for sticking with the actual names, I think it gives them the same respect as all other body parts but ah what works for you is just as good:)

Kelly - posted on 08/10/2010

We just refer to the general region as hiney (no idea how to spell it though hahaha). One simple word and she knows where we mean.

Caiti - posted on 08/10/2010

Elyse- I love those names!
A couple of months ago I taught my 20 month old son names for urine and feces since he was starting to recognize when he was going in his diaper. We use pee pee and caca for those. And Sam enjoys yelling "Caca!" whenever he sees the dog going, lol. But I think Sam thinks those words also stand for body parts-- he'll try to reach his bottom and say "caca" or reach down while I'm changing him and say "pee pee." When he was littler I used to refer to his penis as his "spout" but I didn't say it enough for it to catch on. Unless I see a need to name his parts sooner, I''ll just stick with what comes out of them until we're actively potty training.
Btw, I knew someone who's son called his penis a "Pee pee tail!" That makes me laugh so hard, I could never use that one!

Elyse - posted on 08/10/2010

My daughter is 20 months and we call the front a "Muffin" and the back is her "Bumper."

Judy - posted on 08/10/2010

We use penis and gina, just leaving off the va, like Sasha recommended. We find it is easy enough for our 19mth old to say, but not a silly made up name. When she gets older it can become vagina, or we are happy for her to keep saying gina.

Natalie - posted on 08/09/2010

I haven't had to really deal with it yet. Lily is almost 20 months old now, and doesn't really mess around down there. At this point, I just call them her "private parts".

Sasha - posted on 08/09/2010

my son know his "private parts as a doodle and had known what and where it is since 16mths, he now refers to dolls "privates" and mine as a flossy, even thoygh you dont want to teach her cutsy names and she wont say vagina anytime soon, realisticly she need to refer to it as something, my friends daughter calls her vagina "her body" and thats the only part of her body that she refers it to... i mean she call her tummy a tummy and arms legs etc so if she hurts herself she says my tummy arm leg hurts and only calls her vagina my body when it involves that area. i grew up with Va-jay-jay and still call it that also what about gina as in vagina with out the va and once she gets the hang of saying that put back the va???

Cheryl - posted on 08/09/2010

I agree with not liking cutesy names but I also know my daughter isn't going to say vagina anytime soon and was wondering if there were other terms people use that kids can more easily label.

Crystal - posted on 08/09/2010

I completely agree with Kristina!

Kristina - posted on 08/09/2010

How about....Vagina? I've always found that using the correct terminology eliminates all the cutesy names that really are unnecessary. I want my children to be comfortable with their bodies, and the first step to that, is not giving their body parts 'nick' names, just because the word "vagina" or "penis" is uncomfortable for US to say.
My son is almost 20 months old, and we're potty training now... And he knows what and where his penis is. I really do prefer the right anatomical name over....Mr Winky