Expecting baby number two is so exciting, and I’m sure you are already dreaming of soft baby skin and sibling interaction so sweet, it will make your heart bust. While you have all those special moments to look forward to, transitioning from having one child to two needing your attention doesn’t come without challenges. Your firstborn has had lots of quality time with Mom and Dad and may not want to give up any of that special attention to their new noisy roommate. We have some suggestions below to make the transition as smooth and easy as possible.
1. Take Them To One Of Your Prenatal Visits
We did this with our toddler just recently, and after she got over the fact the doctor was not there for her, she got really into seeing the baby on the screen and walked out with the ultrasound picture of “my baby” in her hands. While it depends on the ages of your firstborn, many children will really enjoy being involved in the process, even if the don’t fully understand what is going on.
2.Transition To A Toddler Bed
If you have yet to transition your toddler out of the crib, now is the perfect time to do it. You want to do it early on in your pregnancy so they don’t feel like they are being kicked out with the arrival of the new baby. I also wouldn’t tell them they need to out as “the baby in Mommy’s belly needs it,” as this will most likely cause the same bad feelings towards their new siblings. Instead, make it into something fun and new, because they are a “big girl/boy” now and they get their own very special bed to sleep in.
3. Involve Them In Decisions
When you are out shopping, have your oldest kiddo help pick out something for the new baby. Even though you may feel like the days sometimes blur together in one endless list of demands and needs, with a little encouragement you might be surprised what they will love to do for you and their new baby sib on the way. Whether it is helping decorate the nursery or choosing baby clothes, ask them how they would like to help getting ready for the baby.
4. Let Them Feel The Baby Move
While I know it can be tricky to alway catch the perfect timing, whenever you can, see if your kiddo would like to feel the baby move in your belly. They will either be totally into it, or mildly freaked out. But, you wont know until you try. Any belly interaction at all is good, whether its kisses and hugs or feeling little baby kicks and jabs. My sweet daughter is already ask for the baby to come out so she can hold it. Heart swoon. And we still have quite a while to go.
5. Spend Time Around Friends And Family Members Who Have Babies
If your little one hasn’t spent much time around babies, you may want to arrange some play dates and time with friends or family members that have a baby. This will give them time to interact and adjust to what it is like when there is a baby around. It will be good for them to see you can hold a baby and still interact with them as well.
6. Hospital Gift
I’ve always loved this idea and will definitely planning on addicting it to my hospital bag check list. Pack a gift to give your firstborn from the new baby when they come to the hospital to visit, or if you are waiting until you get home to introduce them you can do it then. It will make them feel special on a day when so much change is happening.
7. Talk To Them About The Changes Coming
During your whole pregnancy it’s important to communicate about the changes that are going to take place when the new baby arrives. While it depends on your child’s age how much they will be understand, you can still try to explain how having a baby around will make things different. Make sure you use upbeat tones and tell them how great of a big sister or brother they are going to be. They will be so excited about their new role, they wont be able to wait for their new baby sib to arrive.