If you don’t know, I’m pregnant with a baby boy due in January. J is an only child at this point and I’m pretty sure that the new baby is going to rock his world a bit. We’ve talked a bit about baby brother, but not much.
A new sibling is really difficult to explain to a toddler. It’s such a huge concept that’s really hard to understand until it happens. However, there are some things you can do to help ease the transition and prepare a young child for a new sibling. I’ve come up with some ways to begin the discussion of a younger sibling, and I’ve put together a series of posts about how to prepare for a new baby.
My first idea to introduce J to the concept of a new baby was to go buy a baby doll just for him. I know many of you, especially if you have little girls, already have baby dolls in your home, but we didn’t. So, I took him to the store and let him pick out any baby that he wanted.
We took the baby home and J spent most of the day taking care of it. It was great to see how nurturing he was towards the baby without any guidance from me.
He immediately got the baby undressed,
gave it a bath in his kitchen sink,
and changed it’s diaper.
We talked about how baby brother was going to need to be changed, bathed, and have his diaper changed.
The doll is now in J’s playroom and he can play with it whenever he wants to. I suggest now and again that J play with his baby. He still really likes it and does play with it every once in a while.
I think that the doll will really help when the baby is here too. Children process big changes and stresses through their play. It helps them make sense of the things happening in their world. Adult talk things through…children play them out. I hope that having his own baby doll will help him deal with the big changes a new sibling will cause in his life.
So you tell me….how have you helped your children prepare for a new sibling?
Amanda
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Anonymous says
October 8, 2012 at 12:47 pmi have a 2yo and a newborn due in jan. i wish i knew!
Amanda says
October 8, 2012 at 5:06 pmLooks like you and I are both prepping for a little one at the same time. Thanks for reading, I hope you continue to follow along.
Mariel says
October 8, 2012 at 4:49 pmhiii I´m new to your blog! found it through pinterest! I have a 4yo and a 1-8months little devil… and we are expecting a baby girl for february! We are all super excited. Specially the older one… since is a sister and not an annoying little brother as the one he already has! LoL… My mother in law is a psicologist and she used the doll too! At the beginning it was a shock for my husband to see the boys play with dolls… but it really helps! I´m guessing the arrival of the baby is gonna be huge… for the time being we are talking about her and preparing eveything to bring her home. Wish me luck!!!
Amanda says
October 8, 2012 at 5:08 pmHi Mariel, so very glad you found me! Good luck on your new little one! I hope that the baby doll will help when the time comes. Good luck on your pregnancy, I hope you follow along to see a few more of my tips!
Vicky @ Mess For Less says
October 8, 2012 at 6:31 pmI have a lot of friends in this situation and this is a fun way to get kids excite about a new arrival. Pinning this.
Amanda says
October 8, 2012 at 6:50 pmThanks for sharing!
Miss Courtney says
October 8, 2012 at 9:53 pmI remember getting a baby doll when my little brother was born. At the hospital, I told my mom that little brother was MY baby. I’ve always loved babies, even from a young age. I hope J is that way, too!
Amanda says
October 8, 2012 at 11:59 pmI hope that J has positive memories like that when baby brother gets here. Thanks for sharing!
Monica says
October 9, 2012 at 6:39 amI am expecting my little guy anytime and my kids are super excited! We’ve tried so far to just include the kids with shopping for baby, talking about everything, getting his clothes ready, etc. They are 5&6 and their excitement has been one of the best parts of my pregnancy! 🙂 Good luck to you with your little one! xx
Angie says
October 9, 2012 at 9:06 pmWe’re expecting #2 in November (next month). A few months ago we started including my daughter’s baby book in with nightly bedtime stories. We talk through the pictures and what they mean. (“Here you are when you were still in Mama’s tummy. And here you are in the hospital with mommy and daddy. Baby sister will be born in a hospital just like you were…..”) My daughter (now 2.5) LOVED going through her baby book and seeing herself as a little baby. The novelty has worn off a bit so it doesn’t get pulled off the shelf as much but she still chooses it for bedtime reading once in awhile. She now can tell you a lot about babies (they cry a lot, sleep a lot, like to be held a lot, only drink milk, have to get “big enough” to play with her, etc.). I’m hoping we’ll have a little less jealousy because she knows that she once was coddled just as much. Of course, it’s all speculation at this point 🙂
Darby says
October 10, 2012 at 2:14 amThis comment has been removed by the author.
Darby says
October 10, 2012 at 2:14 amMy 3 year old is so excited for her baby sister to get here in February! She has been doing a lot of play/”practice” with her baby and we talk about all of the fun ways she can help and play with her sister once she gets here. A week or so before my due date we are going to have a girls day and go to Build a Bear so she can make a bear for her sister to bring to the hospital, and we will have a “big sister bag” waiting for her when she gets there with a Big Sister shirt, a cute personalized Big Sister necklace we found on Etsy, and a few other things. 🙂
foursawtelles.blogspot.com
April says
October 15, 2012 at 5:34 pmI like the idea of the big sister bag. My daughter will be 4 next month, and I am having a boy in January. She is so excited though, and has been praying for a baby for a year now. I know she will be a big help and love baby so much, but I know it is going to be hard on her when I have to give my attention to the baby. Defiantly need to have the mommy daughter date before and after baby comes.
Michelle says
November 29, 2012 at 2:51 amMy little boy is 16 months and we are expecting baby 2 in May so I’m glad I came across your blog! I had been showing my son his baby pictures and pointing out any baby I see to him but I really like the doll idea.
Gloria@RebornSiliconeBabies.com says
October 26, 2016 at 4:10 pmI suggest reborn baby dolls which is much more realistic and intersting to play with)
just my 5cents)