How can I explain the death of a rabbit to my 3 years old girl??

Question

It's 3:20am in 3 hours my little daughter will wake up to play with her beloved "Snowball"......problem is I just went to get a glass of water and he´s dead. What do I tell her?? How do I explain death to her, she's only 3.

Also, any ideas how he could have died?? we bought him a week ago, he had been eating and drinking without problems.

Should I let her see his dead body?

Answer 1

My daughters hamster died and i told her that he was sleeping, and after i threw it away i told her that he ran away to hamster land to be with his family. Your rabbit most likely died from having a wet bottom, they pee all over and if you do not wipe them regularly and keep them dry they can develop infection very fast and die, it is common in these animals.

Answer 2

When she gets up sit her down and let her know. Tell her that snowball got sick and passed away during the night. Ask her if she would like to see it. Then have a little funeral for it. Let her help you dig a hole and bury it. Explain to her that these things happen and that it's not her fault and that she didn't do anything wrong. Let her know that when she is ready, you will take her out and get another pet. I have 2 kids, 9 and 5. We have had our share of pets dying. 1 cat, 3 turtles, a frog and fish. Just be honest.

Answer 3

At all ages, honesty is the best policy, says Marty Tously, a bereavement counselor. “That means using the words death and dying, and explaining the permanence of death. You do it gently but without confusing what dying actually means.”

Tously is a counselor with the Pet Grief Support Service. She says that a child’s ability to understand what death means depends on his/her emotional and cognitive development, but outlined the generally understood guideline of how children perceive death and dying:

Under 2: A child can feel and respond to a pet’s death, based on the reaction of those around him or her. A child picks up the stress felt by family members, no matter what the cause.

2 to 5: The child will miss the animal as a playmate, but not necessarily as a love object. They will see death as a temporary state – something like the way leaves fall off a tree in fall but grow back in the spring. As they perceive the trauma around them, however, they may regress in their behavior (e.g., thumb sucking).
Children often become intensely curious about death and what happens to the body. They may ask for details that you may find uncomfortable to explain. These are questions you should answer in a straightforward, gentle and careful manner.
Do’s and Don’ts

Tously explains that the worst course of action is to lie (to say the animal went away) or to use confusing euphemisms, such as the phrase “put to sleep.” Children will eventually learn the truth, and lying can breed resentment and destroy trust between parent and child. “Later in life, when the child learns the truth, they’ll wonder what else the parent lied about,” she says.

Likewise, euphemisms can cause anxiety or confusion because children take what you say literally. “If you say a pet is put to sleep, the child may suffer sleep anxiety,” says Tously. She recalls one child who was told his cocker spaniel just “went away.” He awaited his dog’s return, and upon learning the dog had been buried wanted to unearth the dog. “If you say ‘God has taken your pet because he was special,’ the child may resent God, and fear who might be next.”

# Make sure the child understands what “dying” means. Explain that the animal’s body stopped working. Depending on your religious beliefs and what the child can understand, you might explain the concept of a soul. However, it is important for the child to know that the pet has died and will not be coming back.

# Be available to let your child discuss his/her feelings about what happened. You may want to hold your own service to memorialize the pet and to say goodbye formally. Some people plant trees in a special spot in the yard
Show your own feelings. This tells the child that the pet was special and that they are not grieving alone.

“The last thing you want to do is convey the impression that the pet – a family member – is replaceable,” she says. Wait until the child expresses an interest in another pet.
From my own experience, I would think that seeing the body may cause nightmares, and fear of sleep..

Answer 4

He went to rabbit heaven and remember at three get her busy doing something else.Also let the people you bought him from know about his death,the breeder may have some problems.We had a little Pom and it made a horrible noise when it got excited all because its first owner had let a child carry it around by its neck.And we know of a four year old getting up out of the floor and putting his hand down on a kitten at the same time.It broke all of the kittens ribs and it died.Little ones don't realize how fragile animals are.

Answer 5

Death is not uncommon for children to see at an early age (snails, ants, bugs, etc...). I don't believe it could affect a child in a bad way as long as you explain what has happened. There is no one to blame it was just the bunnies time. If you are not going to be open with your child I'd say its worst cause it could cause some psychological damage. Especially if they find out you lied to them in the future. There are times when you shouldn't tell your kids certain things but this is an important part of growing up.

Answer 6

Just be honest with her, she may only be 3 but kids arent silly and shouldnt be treated like fools.

As someone else said, probably best not to let her see the body but put it in a sealed box and explain to her that sometimes these things happen and noone knows why.

Let her help you bury is and make a cross for it to help her understand, you will find that letting her in on it she will cope better and have a better understanding when it happens next time.

Answer 7

Please do not show the dead body of this rabbit to her. in personal I get nightmares If I happen to see it if I am three years old.
but of all mean, jus tell her that Snowball is gone to a better place and kindly ask her would she like another rabbit, and do anything that would cheer her up and do things that she like to make up the sadness she might have.. so she wouldnt continue asking you wheres snowball..

Answer 8

DO NOT LET HER SEE THE DEAD BODY. There is no reason for it. put it in a box and give it a funeral. tell her that the bunny was old and it was just his time. that bunnys age differently. and kids have a quick rebound time. wait like 2 weeks and then get another animal. trust me. you could even name it snowball 2,

Answer 9

Yes, let her see the body. You could tell her the truth that death happens to all of us or make up a tale. I told my nephew when his dog died that the dog heaven needed some help with a problem and only Ralph could solve it. He accepted it. I also told him the best way of letting Ralph know he was loved was by going to the animal shelter and rescuing another dog.

Answer 10

Snowball decided to hop away with a friendly bunny named Peter. They went down the bunny trail to have a happy life together!



And no, don't let her see the body.