Where Do Babies Come From: human anatomy and development

Everywhere, it seems, friends and family are having babies.  Pumpkin and Little Dude are visiting a brand new cousin in Denver, Colorado this week.  We've been so eagerly waiting for this little guy!

  As it should, seeing pregnant women and brand new babies have inspired many questions about human development.  I had to get prepared!  This is one of those topics that parents shy away from and I've had many parents ask how to begin the conversation.  

 In my view, human development and anatomy should be approached in a matter-of-fact way using the real names of parts.  Luckily, there are so many great resources out there to help!



Here are a few that I've found very helpful.



 One of the best resources out there is a book called Amazing You! by Dr. Gail Saltz.  It is a cheerful, well-written book for ages 3-6 that illustrates the anatomical differences between boys and girls and and explains pre-natal growth and birth.  It answers all of the questions of this age group honestly and in an appropriate way.  You can find this book at Montessori Services here.


These wonderful three-part-cards come from Little Schoolhouse in the Suburbs.  Click on the picture for the link to the Little Schoolhouse blog entry.  These were great for teaching anatomy and there is a printable that kids can color in to make their own set of cards.

My kids love to sequence the Prenatal development cards from Montessori Services.  Each month of my sister's pregnancy we would re-visit the cards and talk about how a baby grows inside a human.  What I especially liked about these cards was that it was appropriate for both my 6 and 4 year old.  Both could easily sequence the cards and found them interesting.  You can find the cards for sale by clicking  here  or on the picture below.