What to call your little ones privates?

Julie - posted on 03/10/2012

His wizzle! Its fun and cute :O)

Amanda - posted on 01/03/2012

i have twin 4.5 year olds and a 2 year old son. we have always called them by there proper names, so vagina and penis. i find if they get used to the words now and now the proper names for them than it wont be such a big deal when they hear them later on in life.

Amanda - posted on 01/03/2012

i have twin 4.5 year olds and a 2 year old son. we have always called them by there proper names, so vagina and penis. i find if they get used to the words now and now the proper names for them than it wont be such a big deal when they hear them later on in life.

Elizabeth - posted on 12/08/2011

The amount of posts in which people call their children's genitalia by "funny or cute" names is just sad. Why is it such a big deal for a boy to know he has a penis? Or a girl to know she has a vagina? You, as a parent, are teaching them that this part of their body is somehow "bad" because you can't even say the word! These children are going to grow up having self esteem and sexuality issues because they think bits of their bodies are so dirty or bad that the name of it can't even be spoken. Do you call a child's ear an ear? What about a nose? Do you still call it a nose? There is NOTHING wrong with telling your son he has a penis. Please use common sense. If you can't call it what it is, then why? Are you ashamed of your parts? The whole human body is an amazing thing. Don't make your child think there is something wrong with him/her. I've never seen a little girl yet that has a "cookie" on her body. Just think what nightmares a 3 year old girl might have about Cookie Monster! Come ON PEOPLE! These are just BODY PARTS, act like grown-ups for goodness sake!

Blessed - posted on 12/08/2011

Is the name of our private parts bad words so why are we ashamed, when we become comfortable so will our children, my son is 2.5 and I told him his private are is called a penis,and he has never embarassed me or his father.
Children are a reflection of who we are just talk to the children!

Lisa - posted on 12/05/2011

My daughter knows she has a vulva. She did ask about her clitoris the other day, since her's has always been somewhat visible. I told her that was just part of her vulva. I figured we could cover clitoris at a later date.

Ashleigh - posted on 12/02/2011

Growing up my mom taught us our front was "front butt" and our back was just "butt" So i decided it'd be easier to just tell my daughter the same thing.

Amanda - posted on 11/28/2011

I have seen some people say they call a girl's vulva her cookie. Really? How is she going to know the difference between her privates and a real, edible cookie? It seems like if you are going to have cutsie names, they cannot be words for other, real objects. I don't know about that.

Amanda - posted on 11/28/2011

I have a son, and I call it his penis. If I had a daughter I would call it her vulva (or vagina; I know vulva is more correct, but..). Anyway, I am not in to calling things by names other than what they are for the most part. I want my son to learn the correct terms for everything.

Aniesha - posted on 11/26/2011

In my opinion you should just call it what it is. My son knows he has a penis, and it's less confusing I believe. Also, you're never in the dark when you get older and don't know what people are talking about. My parents were too embarrassed to use the proper names and I don't want to make my kids feel that there is anything embarrassing about their privates.

Elizabeth - posted on 11/26/2011

I agree with you Sarah, that sounds a little more than inappropriate. Bridgette, did you actually mean "kiss"? Because this would actually be some form on child abuse or molestation I would think. Another good reason to NOT use nicknames for genitalia. Less confusion!

Sarah - posted on 03/19/2011

@Bridgette...am I the only one who is a little confused and startled that you KISS your daughter's "Shnoefy Noefy????"

Noreen - posted on 03/22/2010

We have always called private parts by their proper name, penis and vagina. My boys are 5 and 4. And thats what we call them. And we will be calling Abby's private a vagina.

Mylene - posted on 03/22/2010

I call it what it is. It's a vulva. And had i had a boy or when i will have a boy it will be penis. Butt or bottom is fine as there is no confusion what you are talking about, no matter who hears it. Calling it some cutesy name and then changing it later on only confuses things for children. The worst names out there are those that reference food (like cookie, or peanut, or wiener, etc.). This is genitalia, not something to be eaten. Talk about sending the wrong message to kids. And people wonder why kids have issues. It gets even worst for the child when they interact with other children and the nickname pops out. I have seen too many children teased because parents will not use proper terms.

Bridgette - posted on 03/20/2010

My daughters is a "Shnoefy Noefy" and when she makes a poo it's a "poopsy doopsy" she loves these words and laughs whenever we call them that and when we kiss her " Shnoefy Noefy" when she's older and understands i'll teach her the correct words and she can decide what she wants to use.

Becky - posted on 03/17/2010

I call my son's penis his penis. My 2 year old calls it that now too. I believe in calling them by their proper names so there's no confusion later on.
I do call breasts "boobs" or "boobies" instead of breasts, but that is so common, I don't think it would lead to any confusion.

Nichola - posted on 03/17/2010

I prefer to call a spade a spade...I use the correct terms NOW, as I don't want to confuse them later in life when suddenly her "cute name body part" is assigned its correct term

Ori - posted on 03/17/2010

I call my daughters privates a nee naw. If we have a boy it will be a johnny worm. I will, when they are old enough to understand, use the proper term. But for now I think it sounds better for a young child to use "silly names".

Stacey - posted on 03/17/2010

Hi I have four kids and always I have call their private parts by there real name as I don't really understand why we have to call them by anything different. Penis is easier to say and vagina gets shortened to gina when they are learning to speak but in time they have been able to pronounce it properly.

Pam - posted on 03/17/2010

we call it a hoo-hoo for a girl and a wee-wee for a boy.

Naomi - posted on 03/17/2010

keeping it simple and relevant works for us,,, girly bits and boy bits!

Lisa - posted on 03/16/2010

When my oldest daughter was 4 (now 7) she kept referring to her private area as her "butt". I asked her why she kept calling it her butt, she told me it was because it had a crack in it like the one in back. From then on, i had her refer to it as her "Girly Parts", and when she first saw her male baby cousin being changed, she knew those were his "boy parts" I think that works well enough for now! ;)

Julie - posted on 03/16/2010

Our wee man has a 'wizzle' and when he needs to go (or during no nappy time all over the place) he's a 'wizzle monster' hahaha.

Sharon - posted on 03/16/2010

Girls have a tutu and boys have a penie.

Jessica - posted on 03/16/2010

You need to be careful what you decided to name it in case it gets confused for something else! eg cookie my sister always used to call her sons a 'noodle' and then when he had swimming lessons earlier this year the kids were told to grab their noodle! so u can guess what my nephew grabbed onto!!!!

Tammy - posted on 03/16/2010

I just have to say I'm so glad that someone asked this question I was wondering what to call it myself. My daughter is 6 months and I want to use proper terms but wanted other suggestions. Friends of mine use Muck-le, Duck, and Fish. And I really didn't like using vagina but "privates" work! Thanks.

Allison - posted on 03/16/2010

yep, i'm an anatomicaly correct mother too, my boys have penises and my little girl has a little vagina. . . i say it in dutch and it rhymes. . . kleine vagina (kline(ah) vagina)



i ws callingi a bug, cause it resmbles a lady bug or something but then i realized that when she started comparing her junk with other little dutch girlz they wouldn't know what i bug was. . .

Lisa - posted on 03/16/2010

WOW! Some people take this FAR too seriously. What happened to no judgement? This almost sounds like some of the discussions you have with breast feeding/bottle feeding folks.

I'm all for calling it properly once she really starts talking and can tell people things, but I don't see the issue for calling it something different while they are still young.

I'm SO not embarrassed or ashamed about sex and teaching her properly when she is ready. So that is NOT the reason I asked the question in the first place. I didn't mean for people to take it so seriously, just thought it would be funny to hear the different names and stories like Christie's balancing story!! FUNNY!!

Emma - posted on 03/16/2010

i have a lil boy, i'd never thought about it til i read this, but i found i either say bits or willy.

Lyndsey - posted on 03/16/2010

my mom called it a cooch.....my friend callled it a peachka....im not sure what ill use....prolly the proper names

Christie - posted on 03/16/2010

My son is a very inquisitive little guy and calling them his parts wasn't enough, so I started calling his 'parts' his Penis, and just recently he noticed his testicals. I don't want him to feel embarassed by his privates.. they are Penis and Testicals. Now I certainly havent explained the "multiple uses" for his Penis... hahahahahaha but he did ask me what his Testicals were for....I dodged the question and later asked my husband what we should tell him....he said to tell him they were for his balance! LMAO I thought I was going to fall off the chair I laughed so hard! Don't think we are going to use that, but thought it was funny enough to share!
My daughter is 6 mths old and I will probably go with the appropriate names for her stuff too!

Virginia - posted on 03/14/2010

I can understand why some parents call them by different names. Some may not be comfortable calling them by their proper names. I am one of them. but calling it a cookie or marshmallow could confuse them. I plan on calling my sons his privates because they are private.When he learns the proper names it's up to him to call them what he wants. As he grows older he will hear all the slang terms for it. I didn't learn the proper names till sex ed class in school. That's just how I was brought up. I never heard my mom use the proper terms.

August - posted on 03/14/2010

I call my sons a "goober" and when I have a daughter we'll call it a "who-ha", when they get older we'll use real names but for now were fine. I also like "pee-tom" for a boy.

Noelle - posted on 03/14/2010

I plan on using the proper terminology referring to my childrens genitalia. The thing that helped my to decide this is my 5 year old step daugher (who is now 7) was spending the summer with us and ended up with a really bad yeat infection....she kept telling my her "bummy" was hurting....it took me a few days to figure out what she was talking about because she would not point to the area that was bothering her...which delayed treatment of the yeast infection. She also told me that her baby brother got a tick bite on his "bad place".....who teaches their child to call a penis a bad place.....I think that it extremely innapropriate!

Simone - posted on 03/13/2010

his "bits" :P

Heather - posted on 03/13/2010

Well I have all boys and they all have worms, but a girl we call them kootamomas. lol I used to work in a nursing home and that seemed to make everone of them thrilled.

Amber - posted on 03/12/2010

I call my daughters s pee-pee, habit I guess, thats what my mom called it for me and my brothers. My best friend calls her sons penis, a Nuk Nuk. IDK how i feel about all this. I will definitely teach my daughter, that she has a vagina and what inappropriate touching is on her privates.

Kathy - posted on 03/12/2010

The health nurse says to use the proper names for those parts but I still call my daughters a pee pee or a peanut, my mom called it a peanut when I was little so thats likely where it came from

Alecia - posted on 03/12/2010

i feel like they should be called by their proper names from the beginning (of course u can just say u need to put destin on her diaper area for now). U can say that ull change it later on, but its easy to get into a habit and stick with it. and yes, doctors and lawyers understand how prudish american parents are, but like one woman said, a daycare provider isnt going to know the cute name the parents use and it could cause abuse to linger on. I really think america (and i am american) is way to afraid of sex. Human beings are sexual, thats all there is too it. its better to give ur child age appropriate (or maturity lvl) information. if u teach them from the beginning what u want them to know (and instill values) they will grow up knowing that sex is not a bad thing, but something to be done with great care and responsibility.

Yun - posted on 03/12/2010

Seriously, I don't understand why we would call it something other than what it is. Perhaps it's because I have a background in science, but things have names for a reason. We always called it a penis for my son and now he uses the word correctly, because that's what it is, a penis.

We also taught him that Mommy has a vagina (although it's actually a vulva that you see, which is a bit difficult for him to pronounce). So, the other day, while I was changing his little sister, he said "Baby, no penis, 'gina!" And that was that. We hadn't taught him that connection, but he pieced it together.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with kids calling body parts what they are. What's the point in calling it a hoohoo or a what's it?

Bridget - posted on 03/12/2010

I call my daughters privates her bumbles. Thats what we called it when we were little so Ive just sort of passed it on. She still doesnt understand but I find it easier to say than the proper term. As far as it "confusing" the courts if the worst should happen, thats not the case. Lawyers, doctors, judges etc understand that different terms are used and a little one telling a story of someone doing something to their (bumble, pee pee etc) holds the same meaning. Its just a matter of personal preference.

Gina - posted on 03/12/2010

I'm not comfortable using the technical terms in casual conversation so I reserve those for those kinds of conversations. (I have a 4, 2, & 5m old, all girls) We generally use the term, 'privaties' Works for both boys & girls.

Laura - posted on 03/12/2010

i work in the medical field and i prefer proper terminology, im all about empowerment through knowledge however my little girl could not say vagina when she first started talking and she said majiney and it eventually got shortened to just jiney, I’m ok with it because it is obviously referring to her vagina, it couldn’t be misinterpreted like calling it daisy or cookie. my husband has been using the term wiener for my son, I would prefer penis but it is catching on (our daughter has taken to calling it a wiener) so unfortunately I don’t think I’m gonna win that battle.
On a side note I do have a friend whose mother called hers a marshmallow, i thought that was pretty funny, but according to her this terminology led to some confusion on her first camping trip!

Anita - posted on 03/12/2010

Haha interesting subject.

Being babies I think its better to have a fun name.

My boys is Baw-baws lol

Kylie - posted on 03/11/2010

Im teaching my daughter to use the right names, penis and vagina. Let me tell you why I think it is really important.

A friend of mine is a daycare worker, there was a little girl there about2-3 years old who kept telling my friend that her uncle and her played with Daisy. No one knew what she was talking about but later on it was found out that her mum and dad used the word 'daisy' in place of vagina and that her uncle had been interferring with her! Scary I know, not to mention discusting. If her parents had taught her the correct name then the abuse wouldnt have gone on for as long as it did.

Jeanne - posted on 03/11/2010

well, i call my little girls thing her cookie, but if you have a little boy, a girlfriend of mine calls her little boy's a hang down, too cute!!!

Julie - posted on 03/11/2010

My son is 2 1/2 and we use the proper terminology...we think it's important and nothing to be embarassed about. They are what they are. We have a baby girl now and will do the same with her.

Stacy - posted on 03/11/2010

I have not decided what to call my sons but when we were young my mom called my brothers a peter. One problem with nicknames are when they hear it in a public place and their minds go to one thing when people are referring to another. :)

Carrie - posted on 03/11/2010

I use the proper name for my sons too. He has started reaching for it when I change his diaper now so I have to keep telling him to stop playing with his penis! lol boys are boys even at 6 months!

Desiree - posted on 03/11/2010

We call our 6 month son's Mr. Winkie. When he gets old enough we will address it by the proper term but for now that is what we refer it as.