The answers below are written to support a conversation with your daughter. Of course, boys can ask this question too – you can adapt what is here to give boys information. (There is one important point for boys at the end of the answers given).
When you are chatting, your child might ask more about puberty. You can look at our response to other questions: What is puberty? and also: What are hormones? You can also go to our Talking About section and find more about talking and learning together about puberty and lots more, depending on your child’s age.
3, 4 and 5-year-olds
We offer this suggestion for the very young child with questions. In your response you can choose to add a few words to support understanding, such as ‘just like mum’ or ‘just like your big sister’.
When a girl grows up, she will have breasts.
You might want to say something about feeding a baby, this may be the reason why the question has been asked.
When a woman has a baby, the woman can feed her baby with milk. After a mummy has her baby, she makes milk in her breasts. The baby suckles on the mummy’s nipple, and the milk comes out. The milk is the baby’s food.
6, 7 and 8-year-olds
When a girl goes through puberty (that’s when a girl’s body is changing as she grows up) one of the changes that will happen is that she will develop breasts.
When a woman has a baby, she can feed her baby with the milk that will develop in her breasts.
9 and 10 year-olds
11 and 12 year-olds
When a girl goes through puberty one of the changes that will happen is that she will develop breasts. The hormone called oestrogen makes the breasts develop. The first thing to notice is that your nipples will grow bigger. Then your breasts will get bigger.
One breast can grow a bit more than the other, then the other one will grow too. This is normal. Breasts are always a bit different from each other.
There is no way to know how big your breasts will be, every woman is different, and you will see in time. When you are ready, we can also talk about bras and what will work best for you so that you feel comfortable.
The main reason a woman has breasts is so that she can breast feed a baby if she decides to have one.
13, 14 and 15 year-olds
16, 17 and 18 year-olds
When a girl goes through puberty one of the changes that will happen is that she will develop breasts. The hormone called oestrogen makes the breasts develop. The first thing to notice is that your nipples will grow bigger. Then your breasts will get bigger.
One breast can grow a bit more than the other, then the other one will grow too. This is normal. Breasts are always a bit different from each other. Your breasts can sometimes be a bit tender or sore as you grow.
There is no way to know how big your breasts will be, every woman is different, and you will see in time. We can also talk about bras and what will work best for you so that you feel comfortable.
The main reason a woman has breasts is so that she can breast feed a baby if she decides to have one. Breasts are also something that a partner can find attractive. They are sensitive to touch, especially the nipples, and can be part of the intimate sexual activity that a woman has with a partner
One thing for boys:
While breast development is something that we associate with girls it is also the case that some boys can develop a swelling in their breast area. This is normal and will stop when the boy’s hormones adapt as he grows up. If your son is at all concerned about this, you should go along to your GP and have a chat for information and reassurance.
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