Spin-Off of what to call the pee-pee area --

Honestly I am so NOT a prude about this sort of thing -- I was a volunteer sexuality educator all through college, teaching kids how to put condoms on bananas, and worked for years at various reproductive health organizations -- but I just don't like the idea of my kids busting out with words like "vagina" and "breasts" at the grocery store when they don't know any better, KWIM? So I'd prefer to leave some of the more descriptive words until a little later on if I can. But I don't in any way want to make it seem shameful or embarrassing, and I definitely don't want to come up with cutesy names.

That said, the girls are obsessed with their nipples. Whenever we'e changing jammies and diapers and she's naked on the changing table, Natalie fiddles with her nipples. She asked me what they were called and I, on the spot, said "chest." So she pretty much uses that interchangably for nipples and breasts at this point (and uses it for boys/Daddy as well, although she does like to point out that "Mommy have big chest!" LOL).

So, what words do you use for the upper parts of the private anatomy? Just curious how others handle it with their young children. I am OK with "chest" although I feel a little odd about it since technically she was asking about the nipple, not the breast, KWIM?

 

One of our girls is similarly (actually more) obsessed with one of her nipples. It's become a comforting thing (touching it) like sucking her thumb. It's weird.

At first I specifically called it nipple. Then I wondered if I created the problem by calling "attention" to it (we've been learning lots of body parts and they love to point and say the names of everything). So I've resorted to "chest". It's a general term, but I think appropriate for the moment.

I was reading the other thread.... I personally dislike the "slang" terms, so I've used vagina, now I'm realizing vulva is more accurate. I don't know... it's weird. I want them to know the correct terms, but I don't want it to be an issue in public or with other children/families. ya know?

 

I call that area the chest. Emma calls nipples "chest buttons". :laughing: I like that so much I never correct her. I call my breasts "boobies" because that word makes me laugh. Emma knows that chests (like hers) are flat and boobies are lumpy.

 

Boobies (OMG, I don't think I have ever spelled that, so I am assuming that it is spelled correctly). Makes me laugh when we walk by the bras at Target and Ben always has to scream at the top of his lungs, "Look Mommy, Boobies!" Funny thing is, Ben is very aware of boobies, whereas Hannah could care less. Hmmmmmmmm...little man in training.

 

Yep, "boobies".

 

Chest buttons! That is too cute.

 

I am not one for cutesie words either...but somehow our chest area became "chi chis." Anthony does refer to nipples as nipples and knows that mommy has "big chi chis." :laughing: One day he even was upset because he wanted "big chi chis like mommy!" All the other anatomy parts are referred to by name...so I dont know how we ended up with this word.

I love chest buttons! How cute!

 

Chest buttons is so cute!! Right now we haven't really started on that, since we're just now learning "eyes", "ears", "nose". I usually say boobies; probably b/c I wasn't allowed to as a kid. Sometimes, when Zoe's wearing her bikini & it slides off to the side I'll say, "Oh, no, your booblets are showing!"

 

We mostly use proper terms, although p***s has become zee zee (which I guess is what the French use, and DHs family is part French). For Clarissa they know the word v****a, but generally say "gina", which is fine. My problem now is that Clarissa has discovered she has a "little zee zee" and wants to know what it is. Now proper terminology is all well and good, but I'm not comfortable teaching a 2 1/2 year old the word cl*****s, so I mostly just ignore her request for information, which I know is not a good thing. Any suggestions on that one?

-Rachel

 

Yes, we use the term "boobies" as well.

 

They are just chests around here... girl chests and boy chests. They know they are different.

 

We use boobies, giny, and penis. It's funny because they are always telling us that evelin (their nanny) doesn't let them say penis or giny. We told them that they could use it with us and that you don't talk about it with very everyone.

 

Boobies.

 

"chest buttons" - that is too funny!!

We call them boobies, too. Like a PP, Lilly used to bring me my bras saying "here's your boobies mommy"!

 

DH calls mine "boobies." But when the girls point to them and seem curious, I call them "breasts." It's too soon to tell what word the girls are going to use.

For their nipples, I use "nipples." I guess I think of "chest" as referring to the whole area, whereas when I say "nipples," it's because they are fiddling with their nipples specifically.

 

I call mine and sometimes theirs, boobies but recently when they touch them (their own that is) I refer to them as Tetas which is the spanish word for nipples. I think it sounds cute. I don't know why but I just hate the sound of the word nipples.

 

Welllll, when they first noticed mine, I told them they were boobs. Then we were in the grocery store one day and Casey reached over to touched mine and YELLED "Mama's boobs!" I could have DIED. LOL! Now I say "chest".

 

I called them "boobies" when they point at them. Ainsley likes to pull my shirt down and pull at my bra and seems fascinated with them. I didn't BF, so maybe just because she hasn't really seen them before.

 

Nipples and breasts. Heh, Christopher told me tonight he has nipples.

 

It's just a chest around here, and bras are "girl underwear." No offense, but I cannot STAND the word "boobies," especially coming out of a child's mouth. Just my own hang-up, I guess.

 

Mine aren't girls but after reading other posts I decided to use the correct names for penis and nipples. But everytime I say penis for some reason I laugh, my DH said "I'm sure you're meant to use the correct words so they don't think it's embarrassing or a joke". I know but I can't help it, penis is such a funny liitle word.

 

We went with "boobs". It was just what I called them when I started breastfeeding Dax and the "boobs" became very apparent in our daily lives.

 

Our intention is to use correct terms with our kids. We use "penis" for DS, but I'm really not sure what word to use with our DD. "Vagina" doesn't really cover it all - there are more parts and she is more interested in. Would "vulva" be the best all around term?

We use "breasts" and "nipples" and "chest" just depending upon the situaiton and what they are referring too. I don't really have a problem with them blurting it out in public. We just don't make a big deal about it and they seem to stop soon after. DD is famous for going around loudly asking me if certain people have "penis" and "nauhicules" (his version of testicles). :FIFblush:

 

I call them nip nips...don't even know where i got that from, but i like it

 

We use correct words in our house - a penis is a penis, breasts are breasts, nipples are nipples and so on.

Quite honestly in the 12 years we have had kids around, there have only been a couple of times where they have said one of those words where I would have rather they hadn't.

 

We call them "boobs". In fact my 17 month old ds said "boobs" when he was tickling my tummy the other day. Not exactly what you want him to yell out in church but dad sure thought it was funny! :blush:

Tiffaney

 

We use boobies too, and girls have a who-who (lol, she came up with that one) and boys have a pee-pee. they understand what they're talking about, and if they use who who in front of people who haven't heard it before, they either dismiss it or laugh.