German Babies & Children Vocabulary
This set covers the words you need to talk about babies, young kids, and raising them, from das Baby and das Kleinkind to the everyday task of eine Windel zu wechseln. One trap for English speakers: das M\u00e4dchen (girl) is neuter, not feminine, because any noun ending in -chen takes das automatically.
Learn these 21 words
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All 21 words
plural: die Babys
baby
Mein Kind ist noch ein Baby. — My child is still a baby.
plural: die Jungen
boy
Ich habe zwei Kinder. Einen Jungen und ein Mädchen. — I have two children. A boy and a girl.
plural: die Kinder
child
Wie viele Kinder haben Sie? — How many children do you have?
plural: die Mädchen
girl
Familie Kurz bekommt ein Baby. – Junge oder Mädchen? — The Kurz family is having a baby. – Boy or girl?
plural: die Babysitter
babysitter
Meine Tochter arbeitet als Babysitter bei einer Familie mit vier Kindern. — My daughter works as a babysitter for a family with four children.
plural: die Kinderwagen
stroller
Sie schiebt den Kinderwagen durch den Park. — She pushes the stroller through the park.
plural: die Kleinkinder
toddler
Das Kleinkind lernt gerade laufen. — The toddler is currently learning to walk.
plural: die Schnuller
pacifier
Das Baby schläft mit seinem Schnuller ein. — The baby falls asleep with its pacifier.
plural: die Betreuer
caregiver, supervisor (m)
Die Betreuerin der Kinder ist sehr nett. — The caregiver of the children is very nice.
plural: die Betreuerinnen
caregiver, supervisor (f)
Die Betreuerin der Kinder ist sehr nett. — The caregiver of the children is very nice.
plural: die Buben
boy
In der Schulklasse sind 15 Buben und 10 Mädchen. — In the school class there are 15 boys and 10 girls.
upbringing
Gute Erziehung braucht viel Geduld und Liebe. — Good upbringing requires a lot of patience and love.
plural: die Geburten
birth
Wir gratulieren zur Geburt eures Kindes! — We congratulate you on the birth of your child!
to raise / rear / bring up (e.g., kids)
Meine Eltern haben mich gut aufgezogen. — My parents raised me well.
plural: die Babys
baby
Das Baby schläft friedlich im Kinderbett. — The baby sleeps peacefully in the crib.
to change a diaper
Die Mutter muss dem Baby eine Windel wechseln. — The mother has to change a diaper for the baby.
plural: die Einzelkinder
the only child
Sie ist ein Einzelkind und hat keine Geschwister. — She is an only child and has no siblings.
plural: die Gören
a brat / kid
Das Gör benimmt sich unartig. — The brat is misbehaving.
childcare
Die Kinderbetreuung ist für berufstätige Eltern wichtig. — Childcare is important for working parents.
plural: die Mädchen
girl
Das Mädchen trägt ein rotes Kleid zur Schule. — The girl wears a red dress to school.
plural: die Ammen
nurse / wet nurse / foster-mother
Die Amme kümmerte sich liebevoll um das Kind. — The wet nurse cared lovingly for the child.
How to learn this set
Group the -chen words together: das M\u00e4dchen and das Kleinkind both get das purely from that suffix, not from meaning, so don't try to guess gender from the person being described. Notice the der Betreuer / die Betreuerin pair: this is the standard male/female agent-noun pattern, and it also shows up outside this list, so learning it here pays off elsewhere. For aufziehen (aufgezogen), drill it in a full sentence like "Sie haben drei Kinder aufgezogen" since separable-prefix verbs are easier to remember attached to an object than as a bare infinitive.
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Frequently asked questions
Why is das Mädchen neuter if a girl is female?
Because the -chen ending is a diminutive suffix, and all nouns ending in -chen are neuter in German, regardless of the person's actual gender. The same rule makes das Mädchen and das Kleinkind neuter even though they refer to female or mixed-gender people.
What is the difference between der Bub and der Junge?
Both mean boy, but der Junge is standard German used everywhere, while der Bub is regional, common in Bavaria, Austria, and Switzerland. Stick with der Junge if you're not sure which German-speaking region you're talking to.
What's the difference between der Betreuer and der Babysitter?
Ein Babysitter watches kids informally, often for a few hours in the evening. Ein Betreuer (or die Betreuerin) is a broader term for anyone professionally supervising children, such as at a kindergarten, school trip, or summer camp.
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