• About me
  • Pregnancy
  • Birth
  • Postpartum
  • Baby
  • Breastfeeding
  • Motherhood
  • Disclosure

With Coffee and Chaos

10 Ways to Prepare Older Siblings for a New Baby

June 13, 2019

Expecting a new baby is such an exciting time but can be as equally stressful. You may feel guilty for focusing on taking care of yourself and preparing your home for the new arrival.

Maybe you have toddlers or preschoolers that don’t understand what all the fuss it about and want all of your time and attention to still be on them. You might have older children that are nervous about the changes to come.

If you are a second or third time mom preparing for the birth of her next child or even preparing for the adoption of a child, this post is for you!

Here are 10 things you can do to prepare older siblings for the birth of their new brother or sister!!

Preparing Older Siblings for a New Baby.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link.


1. Have a FUN pregnancy announcement!

As soon as my husband and I were ready to announce our pregnancy we created really fun ways to involve our kids in the process. The first time we played a game of hangman with them both and the phrase we included was  that we were having a baby! The second time they were a bit older and we “slimed” them (think Nickelodeon slime) with the color of the gender! They were so excited.

2. Talk openly about the baby.

This will definitely be easier with older children but you can still do this with your littles as well. Talk about what might change in your family? Will your kids have to share a room? Will you have to move a child out of your room to make way for the new baby? Talk about how your routine as a family might change.

3. Take them to the Doctor/Midwife for appointments.

Sometimes it can be hard to understand something you can’t see/hear or feel. As often as possible, bring them to the doctor with you so they can hear the heartbeat or see the ultrasound and it may help them to understand the process a little better.

4. Read them books about new siblings.

One way to help prepare them is to introduce books that talk about the birth of a new baby. Some great recommendations for little ones are :

Other books for bigger siblings include:

5. Show them your growing belly.

You could involve your children by measuring your belly growth each week with a tape measure or taking weekly pictures together with your baby bump! This is sure to make them feel involved with the growing baby and belly!

6. Help them feel the baby move.

Once baby is moving around help them to feel their new brother or sister to foster that connection. * Smaller tots may not like this, they may not understand what is going on inside of your belly and it could scare them.  Don’t make them touch your belly if they do not desire.*

7. Follow a weekly app together.

My children have loved following along with my pregnancy app on my phone and waiting each week for new updates to hear what is going on with their brother/sister. Bonus if the app has a video of weekly progress to play along with it!

8. Let them pick out a special gift for the baby.

Have each child pick out an item for the baby such as an outfit, toy or book. When the baby arrives they can each present the new baby with their special gifts.

9. Intentional Time together.

Before baby arrives make sure to carve out time for one on one time with each child and special moments together as a family. This will communicate to each child how loved and special they are and how much you enjoy spending time with just them. Reassure them that although things may change when the baby arrives it will never change your love for them. When you carve out special time together as a family before the baby’s arrival, let them know how much you love spending time together as a family now, and express how much you are looking forward to watching your family grow more!

10. Talk about what will happen when the baby is born.

Tell them exactly what the plans are so there are NO surprises and they know what to expect. Who will care for them. Where they will stay? Will the routine stay the same? Will they stay in school or be allowed to be out? How long you expect to be gone? Obviously you can’t plan for every detail, but having a plan in place that they are familiar with is crucial! Their world is about to get turned upside down the next few weeks and months so make as many things as predictable as possible!


Accepting a new sibling in the home is hard. Bringing your new baby home is hard. Expect the unexpected.

Toddlers and preschoolers will get jealous. They will want to help WAY too much. Their  routine and sense of normalcy will be thrown off. They may start acting out or show signs of regression.

Older children may start having unexpected attitudes. They may start arguing with other siblings for NO reason. They suddenly become forgetful or start getting in trouble at school.

Preparing Older Siblings for a New baby.

All of this is SO normal. As much as we try to prepare ourselves and our children for the changes new life brings, truth is, we never will 100%. Why?

WE are HUMAN . . . little or big! Give yourself and everyone else LOTS of GRACE. Remember it is a period of adjustment.

Gerber® Toddler Pouch Bundle

Let me know how these tips have helped you prepare your children for the birth of a sibling! Comment below!

Categories: Motherhood, Pregnancy

Related Posts

have a baby on a budget9 Ways to Save Money When You Have a New Baby.
freezer meals for new moms21 Easy & Healthy Pre-Made Freezer Meals for New Moms.
keeping toddlers busy13 Easy Ways to Keep Your Toddler Busy While Breastfeeding.
Previous:
What to Pack in a Hospital Bag: 18 Hospital Bag Essentials From a Postpartum RN!
Next:
Affordable Must Have Amazon Maternity Items for Summer!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recent Posts

  • How to Make Your Own Baby Food (for beginners)
  • 9 Ways to Save Money When You Have a New Baby.
  • How to Successfully Return to Work When You are Breastfeeding.
  • 7 Moves to Strengthen Your Abs After Baby. (no crunches needed)
  • Top Swaddles You Need to Know About to Get More Sleep.

Categories

  • Baby
  • Birth
  • Breastfeeding
  • Motherhood
  • Postpartum
  • Pregnancy

OH HEY MAMA !

Sign up now for the latest information to help guide you on your journey through motherhood.

Ain't no hood like motherhood

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

Tubby Todd
About Me

Welcome

I'm a postpartum RN, wife and mama of four. I want to provide support to new moms where ever they are in their journey. We are not meant to mom alone! We can do this together. The mission of motherhood matters and it is important. I hope you are encouraged and inspired while you are here.

Please follow & like us :)

Facebook
fb-share-icon
Pinterest
Pinterest
fb-share-icon

How to Make Your Own Baby Food (for beginners)

9 Ways to Save Money When You Have a New Baby.

How to Successfully Return to Work When You are Breastfeeding.

Theme by SkyandStars.co
Back Top

Copyright © 2021| Written by Heather Langley |

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

Facebook
fb-share-icon
Pinterest
Pinterest
fb-share-icon