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In Chinese, there is a popular saying regarding children which is 孩子是祖国的未来 (hái zǐ shì zǔ guó de wèi lái) meaning that “Children are the future of our country”.Children require delicate care, let alone babies. Here we are to learn some useful Chinese vocabulary related to babies.
Pregnancy and Medical
This section introduces pregnancy and birth vocabulary. For questions about medicines, symptoms or medical procedures during pregnancy, consult a qualified clinician rather than treating a vocabulary article as care instructions.
| 孕检 | yùnjiǎn | prenatal checkup |
| 怀孕 | huáiyùn | to be pregnant; pregnancy |
| 预产期 | yù chǎn qī | Due date |
| 胎儿 | tāi’ér | fetus |
| 胎动 | tāi dòng | Fetal movement |
| 顺产 | shùn chǎn | Natural labour |
| 剖腹产 | pōufùchǎn | cesarean delivery |
| 新生儿 | xīn sheng ér | Newborn (Up to 28 days) |
| 婴儿 | yīng’ér | infant; baby |
| 幼儿 | yòu’ér | young child; toddler (age boundaries vary by context) |
| 婴幼儿 | yīngyòu’ér | infants and young children |
| 儿童 | értóng | child; children |
| 宝宝 | bǎo bǎo | Baby/Darling |
via Pixabay
From this list, we can see that in Chinese, different terms are used to express babies of different ages. Whereas in English “infant/baby” would cover a quite large age range. 宝宝 is special in a way that there is no specific age range, this is a very cordial expression which indicates “darling baby/child”, and it could even be used among couples.
As babies normally require special care and treatment, when health problems occur, parents would need to take them to special departments such as 儿科 (ér kē) “Pediatrics”.
Relevant vocabulary includes:
| 儿科疾病 | ér kē jí bìng | Pediatric diseases |
| 儿科门诊 | ér kē mén zhěn | Pediatric clinic/department |
| 儿科医院 | ér kē yī yuàn | Pediatric hospital |
| 儿科医生 | ér kē yī shēng | Pediatrician |
| 儿科专家 | ér kē zhuān jiā | Paediatrician (specialists) |
Did you know?
婴幼儿用品 means products for infants and young children. The term alone does not mean a product is a medical device or guarantee its safety; applicable age ranges and requirements depend on the product.
Feeding and Food
The following words name feeding equipment. They describe items you may encounter, rather than a list of products every baby needs.
| 奶嘴 | nǎi zuǐ | Pacifier |
| 奶瓶 | nǎi píng | Baby bottle/feeder |
| 吸奶器 | xī nǎi qì | Breast pump |
| 牙胶 | yájiāo | teether |
| 勺子 | sháo zi | Spoon |
| 筷子 | kuài zi | Chopsticks |
| 水杯 | shuǐ bēi | Water glass |
| 水壶 | shuǐ hú | Water bottle |
| 喂食碗 | wèi shí wǎn | Feeding bowl |
| 喂食器 | wèishíqì | baby food feeder |
| 加热器 | jiā rè qì | Heater |
| 食物研磨器 | shí wù yán mó qì | Food grinder |
| 牙刷 | yá shuā | Toothbrush |
辅食 (fǔshí) means complementary food, not a dietary supplement pill. CDC guidance recommends introducing foods other than breast milk or infant formula at about six months, when a baby is developmentally ready. Discuss individual feeding needs with your pediatrician. See CDC guidance on introducing solid foods.
| 牛奶 | niú nǎi | Cow’s Milk |
| 奶粉 | nǎi fěn | Milk powder |
| 配方奶粉 | pèi fāng nǎi fěn | Formula milk powder |
| 菜泥 | cài ní | Vegetable puree |
| 果泥 | guǒ ní | Fruit puree |
| 鱼泥 | yú ní | Fish puree |
| 肉泥 | ròu ní | Meat puree |
| 鸡蛋 | jī dàn | Egg |
| 蛋黄 | dàn huáng | Egg yolk |
| 蛋白 | dàn bái | Egg white |
| 谷类婴儿食品 | gǔ lèi yīng ér shí pǐn | Baby Cereal |
| 米糊 | mǐhú | rice cereal/paste |
| 米粉 | mǐfěn | rice powder; infant rice cereal in this context (also rice noodles) |
| 米粥 | mǐ zhōu | Rice porridge |
| 麦粉 | mài fěn | Flour |
| 面条 | miàn tiáo | Noodles |
| 磨牙棒 | móyábàng | teething stick |
| 磨牙饼干 | móyábǐnggān | teething biscuits |
via Pixabay
Materials and Measurements
Parents should choose manufacturers or distributors with product warranties and good after-sales services, also checking their product quality reports and company qualifications. The ingested food amount should also be measured and closely watched.
Clothing materials vary. 纯棉 means pure cotton and 纱布 means gauze. A fabric label does not guarantee that a material will prevent allergies; choose products suited to the child and follow care instructions.
| 纯棉 | chún mián | Pure cotton |
| 纱布 | shā bù | Gauze |
| 亲肤 | qīn fū | Skin-friendly |
| 陶瓷 | táo cí | Ceramics |
| 玻璃 | bō li | Glass |
| 塑料 | sù liào | Plastic |
| 硅胶 | guījiāo | silicone (for baby-product materials) |
| 不锈钢 | bùxiùgāng | stainless steel |
| 容量 | róng liàng | Volume/Capacity |
| 毫升 | háoshēng | milliliter |
| 口径 | kǒu jìng | opening diameter |
| 重量 | zhòng liàng | Weight |
| 产地 | chǎn dì | Place of production |
Clothing
连体衣 is a one-piece garment. 和尚服, literally “monk clothing”, can describe a front-opening wrap-style baby garment. This vocabulary is descriptive, rather than an age-specific clothing recommendation.
| 尺码 | chǐ mǎ | Size |
| 宝宝帽/宝宝帽子 | bǎo bǎo mào/bǎo bǎo mào zǐ | Baby hat/cap |
| 口水巾/围兜 | kǒu shuǐ jīn /wéi dōu | Bib |
| 宝宝内衣 | bǎo bǎo nèi yī | Baby underwear |
| 宝宝外衣 | bǎo bǎo wài yī | Baby overcoat |
| 连体衣/连体服 | lián tǐ yī/lián tǐ fú | Jumpsuit |
| 罩衣 | zhào yī | Smock/apron |
| 婴儿袜 | yīng ér wà | Booties/Baby socks |
| 背带/学步带 | bēidài/xuébùdài | baby carrier straps / walking harness |
| 尿布/尿片 | niào bù /niào piàn | Diaper |
| 一次性尿布 | yī cì xìng niào bù | Disposable diaper |
| 尿不湿 | niào bú shī | Baby diaper |
| 隔尿垫 | gé niào diàn | Urine pad |
via Pixabay
Beddings
For safe infant sleep, use a separate, firm, flat sleep surface designed for babies, with the baby placed on their back. Sharing the parents’ room is different from sharing their bed; keep loose blankets and soft toys out of the sleep area. The vocabulary below includes items such as blankets, but is not a recommendation to put them in a crib. See NICHD Safe to Sleep guidance.
| 毯子 | tǎnzi | Blanket |
| 被子 | bèizi | Quilt/Blanket |
| 抱被 | bào bèi | Infant wrap/Baby blanket |
| 婴儿睡袋 | yīng ér shuì dài | Baby sleeping bag |
| 婴儿摇篮 | yīng ér yáo lán | Cradle |
| 婴儿床 | yīng ér chuáng | Crib |
Daily Supplies
These are product names you may see while shopping. They are not all essential or recommended. In particular, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises against mobile baby walkers (学步车) because of injury risks; see its baby-walker guidance.
| 水温计 | shuǐ wēn jì | Water thermometer |
| 体温计 | tǐ wēn jì | Thermometer |
| 婴儿湿巾 | yīng ér shī jīn | Baby wipes |
| 婴儿洗衣皂 | yīng ér xǐ yī zào | Baby laundry soap |
| 婴儿洗发水 | yīng ér xǐ fà shuǐ | Baby shampoo |
| 婴儿沐浴露 | yīng ér mù yù lù | Baby shower gel |
| 润肤产品 | rùn fū chǎn pǐn | Skincare products |
| 爽身粉 | shuǎng shēn fěn | Talcum Powder/Baby Powder |
| 护臀霜 | hù tún shuāng | Diaper rash cream |
| 婴儿浴盆 | yīng ér yù pén | Baby bath |
| 儿童浴缸 | ér tóng yù gāng | Children’s bathtub |
| 儿童椅/餐椅 | ér tóng yǐ /cān yǐ | High chair/Feeding chair |
| 儿童安全座椅 | ér tóng ān quán zuò yǐ | Baby Car Seat |
| 学步车/学行车 | xué bù chē/xué xíng chē | Baby walker |
| 婴儿手推车/婴儿车 | yīng ér shǒu tuī chē /yīng ér chē | Stroller |
Toys
Baby toys could exercise muscles, promote hand-eye coordination and develop causality or spatial concepts. Parents should choose toys for their babies based on their specific age; safety should always be the first concern.
| 吊铃 | diào líng | Hanging rattle toy |
| 手摇铃/摇铃 | shǒu yáo líng/yáo líng | Handbell |
| 拨浪鼓 | bō lang gǔ | Rattle-drum |
| 布袋手偶 | bù dài shǒu ǒu | Hand puppet |
| 积木 | jī mù | Toy Blocks |
| 泰迪熊 | tàidíxióng | teddy bear |
| 毛绒玩具 | máo róng wán jù | Stuffed toys |
| 布书 | bù shū | Cloth book |
| 摇摆木马 | yáo bǎi mù mǎ | Rocking horse |
| 游戏垫 | yóu xì diàn | Baby game mat |
| 游戏围栏 | yóu xì wéi lán | Playpen |
via Pixabay
Practice matching these product names with their pinyin and meanings. For practical baby-care decisions, consult a pediatrician and current product-safety guidance.
