Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. How do you explain death to a 3 year old? - Mamas Uncut
You need to tell her the truth cause u don’t want someone else to tell her. I told my son when he was 4 that grandpa went to heaven and watching him from above and we took him to the funeral also
Just tell her the truth.
You have to be honest. It’s the best thing for you both. Explain to her that he has gone to heaven etc. Let her know why you are sad and that it’s ok for you and others around you to be upset. It’s a natural thing and I say honesty is the best policy.
My pap passed away and I had to explain that to my 5 years old, he understood but didn’t show to much emotion about it. He seemed more sad about me and my mom being upset about it. I told him it was okay to be sad or not sad
Why can’t you tell her he has passed? She knows something is going on. If all else fails use the butterfly analogy. Its almost always best to be honest with your kids.
Need to be honest with her just a gentle approach and let her know if she’s any queries to ask etc
Shes bit little to understand, but tell her about heaven and that she has somebody in the sky that will always be with her, its called an angel… And that he will always be there for her to talk to, but she just cant see him.
Explain and show her the life cycle of a butterfly. How one form can turn into another. Explain to her that energy NEVER dies. Maybe watch the movie Soul together.
Always be honest and age appropriate when talking with kids. Sadly death is a part of life we can’t protect or shield them from it
Mr Rogers Neighborhood. He did an episode about death. Or Daniel Tigers Neighborhood. They also touched on the subject. It may help you answer kiddos questions better.
There’s books on Amazon that help with this. There’s one called “Grandpa is now in Heaven” I’m pretty sure a child’s book will help with all the parts you can’t
Whatever you do don’t say he went to sleep and didn’t wake up. I can’t tell you how afraid I was of sleep after someone told me that.
Unfortunately death is a part of life. I believe honesty but simplicity is best. I would say something like: “Pap has passed away and we/I am sad about it. We/I will miss him. It is ok if you are sad and miss him to.” Then I would say do you have any questions? Then see what she needs clarity on. I find answering honestly is best. I know it’s hard and you want to protect your little. It is ok to cry together, it is ok to grieve together. 
Be honest. When my dad passed I told my son that grandpa was in heaven and wasn’t here on earth anymore. I cried and just told him I was sad and missed my dad but that was okay and normal.
It’s so hard but it’s better to be honest with them.
I say that they went to heaven with the stars so whenever they want to talk to them, pick a star and that’s where they will be.
Just be honest. When mine lost their grandfather. I was honest . They even attended the funeral. By the way I was really afraid of how they would react. But it went better than figured. I try tell mine that they aren’t hurting or in pain anymore. But mine are 7,11,15,&17. Best of luck momma.
Tell her that death is as natural as living. Tell her that Grandpa is only gone from earth & he is now alive, well & younger in eternity, spending time with others until the rest of the family is called by God to join him. Let her fully grieve & help her find special ways to honor him as she wants to, in order to help her understand that she will see him one day again & never have to say “goodnight” to him when that day comes. Until then she can live her life in ways to always make him proud of her.
When a friend of mine lost her husband she was told by a therapist to just tell their son (4 yrs old). Daddy is dead…dead means your body doesn’t work anymore. It’s OK to be sad because everyone is. He can’t come home.
Small kids don’t have the abstract thinking to understand heaven and Jesus. In their minds heaven is a place and either they can go there or the deceased can come back (and possibly get angry when they don’t). And they possibly get mad a Jesus who took the deceased away from them and they can’t come back
My dad passed last year and my grandpa and uncle I had a 3.5 year old two and I just told plainly the they died and went to heaven and we can’t see them anymore but that there love lives in our heart she’s totally understands the concept of death now and knows when she’s misses them that’s just her heart saying hi kids understand more than we think
Take her to his grave or let her help with ashes, or give her a necklace with some of his ashes so he could be close to her heart
My daughter was 3 when her grandfather passed away in our home under hospice care. I told her that papaw died and he was in heaven missing her a whole bunch. She’s a little older than 4 now and still looks at the sky and talks about how her papaw is up there and how they love eachother and miss eachother and she’llsee him again one day. So just be honest little ones grasp more than we even know
Tell her pawpaw is in heaven
Be honest with her. My dad passed away when my niece was around that age. I was 19. He had been sick for awhile and had lived with my sister for about 2yrs or so. He was really close with my niece. She would go to his room every morning and knock on his door to watch cartoons and play with him. My niece is older now and she still remembers the time she spent with him and completely understands what happened and where he is. Even when she was still little and he had just passed away she would say that he was with her. He always will be. I know it’s hard to talk about it in general right now because you’re hurting but you’ll feel a lot better after you tell her. There’s multiple stages of grief. It’ll always hurt and you’ll have times where you break down just from thinking about your memories but when you look at that little girl and what you have in your life you’ll feel better day by day. I’m sorry for your loss. 
Be honest. My 4 year old lost her grandfather to cancer. She witnessed the whole process and saw it all. We told her that Pops body stopped working. We say that he is in the stars and she can talk to him whenever she wants and that he’s always in her heart. You would be surprised at how much our little can handle and understand.
My gpa passed last Dec my daughter was 25 months. We are religious and I explained that he was dealt with something that earth side we could not fix and he went to be with Jesus. The first weeks months were hard bc she was constant repeat of asking about him, I let her see me cry and told her I was sad and missed him but know he isn’t hurting anymore and for that I was thankful. I don’t shy away from talking about him and yesterday had a said moment and while she started to imitate me crying again just reminded her I was missing him. She has handled everything very well
My husband passed away in February. My grandkids were 2 & 5 and missed him right away.
I was honest. I told them grandpa was old and had been sick a very long time He was so sick his body couldn’t stay with us but his spirit was in the stars watching over them to make sure they were safe. That he loved them lots but had to go and now he was free and no longer in any pain . They were sad obviously but happy grandpa was no longer scared or in pain .
My son was 4 when my mom passed away. She was on hospice. My son was counseled through our pastor & friend for awhile before she died. Pastor came over shortly after. I was wreck so he took over. The hospice nurse told him that Memaw was sleeping. Pastor jumped up & corrected her immediately. He explained that God needed Memaw in heaven & she was with Papa. Hospice put us grievance groups. I did not find them helpful. Almost wrecked the car on the way home first night because they caused more hurt than help. My son was then put into play therapy through an organization that helps children grieving.
I was 3 when my great grandfather passed. He was my best friend and my family decided to tell me after I kept looking for him and upset I couldn’t find him. They said after they told me he went to heaven with angels I was upset but not as much as I was when I was looking and couldn’t find him.
First I’ll say, my boyfriend (daughter’s dad) and I are not religious in any way! My daughter has lost both of her grandpas, she is 4. We have just decided to tell her, they aren’t coming back because they went to heaven! At this point she doesn’t ask for my information about it. When she brings up seeing her grandpas, we say “sorry honey, we can’t, remember?” She says “oh yeah, they are in heaven!”
My 5 year old asked me about dying and if I was going to die… I said yes we die people die every day I told her one day I’d die and she would die and it is a big part of life. To not be afraid and that it’s OK to be sad and cry when someone you love does die. They will always be living in your heart. And any time you think of them or talk to them you bring their memory to life again. She understands alot better having one of our beloved pets pass away. That we can miss the people or things that pass on in our lives but make the most of ours. Most Importantly life goes on. That is the hardest lesson to teach so if anyone has any idea on that one let me know…sometimes when someone u love passes they take something special with them and you can’t keep doing those things without them. So moving on is essential
My mom passed away when my daughter was 3. Tell her the truth. Please don’t be the parent that hides everything from kids.
I just tell my daughter the truth she is 3 and understands when you die you are gone forever she doesn’t asks questions
Be honest. Its a lesson she will eventually have to learn as well as learning about grief which she will with you telling her about it. We lost my husband when my son was 3 and daughter was 10. Its tough but yall will get through it. Kids are resilient
Maria Shriver wrote a book called What’s Heaven , it’s very well written for children between ages 4-8, I highly recommend this book.
The truth. Death is a reality we all have to cope with and the truth is best.
Look up a children’s book about loosing a loved one or grandpa on YouTube listen to it first and then if it’s right for you have her listen to it remember death is a part of life and it’s better to be honest kids also need to mourn
My mil passed in Dec. And we went outside and did night prayers to the sky and I told my kiddo that the stars were heavens lights and my mil was up in heaven dancing. Also associated Cardinal bird with mamaw so she could visually see when mamaw visited us. Christmas, my birthday, and a few other occasions this year we’ve had cardinals everywhere. Sometimes when I was about to break down and cry due to the weight of life, my kid would yell “look it’s mamaw mommy!” And sure enough a cardinal in the tree or bush and it would take every single fiber of my being to hold myself together cuz she was always our go-to when we needed extra TLC day or night.
I told my 4 year old that her great grandma went to heaven and that she was the angels. She asked questions about angels so I showed her pictures on Google. And told her that grandma was now an Angel and has her wings.