Preparing your child for a new sibling

Having another child is such an exciting thing for a toddler, but it is also extremely stressful. Preparing them for their new sibling is important so that they know what to expect and also so that they can do more things by themselves, giving you an extra 5 minutes to sit down. I have done a lot of reading about preparing a toddler for a new baby and have selected a few things that I think are the most important.

• Explaining the pregnancy to them - Talk to them about their new brother or sister and explain that you have a baby inside your tummy. One thing that I get a lot from Amelia is 'is my baby brother out your tummy yet?' 9 months is a long time to a toddler, but let them know that once baby has grown big enough he/she will be born and will come and live with you.
• Let them know that babies can't play - I often tell Amelia that she won't be able to play with Ezra, and I think this is really important. You have to keep the excitement of them having a new sibling, but you also need to inform that they all babies really do is cry, sleep and need lots of cuddles. To keep the excitement there you can tell your toddler that they will be able to help out with dressing and changing the baby, they can cuddle and kiss the baby, help mummy out around the house. Although these things don't sound very fun, your toddler will be more then happy to help out when baby comes.
• Allow your toddler to be more independent - I've been trying to teach Amelia to do a few things by herself such as getting dressed and washing her hands. She will still ask me for help and occasionally do it wrong but when baby comes it will be super handy if Amelia can do these things. When getting ready to go out it will be a lot easier for me if Amelia is able to half dress herself while I am sorting Ezra out. Your toddler may feel really left out when your new baby comes, so try and get them involved as much as you can. When baby is sleeping, do an activity with your toddler and show them that even though you have a new baby to look after, you still love and want them just as much!
• Let your toddler help sort out babys stuff - When I put a new item into my hospital bag I always let Amelia help me, also when I put Ezra's pushchair together Amelia was with me and was super excited about it! She knows that Ezra's bed is next to mine and she knows what's his and what isn't. Let your child choose what you get for baby - Amelia has chosen a teddy for Ezra which she will take with her to my mums when I'm at the hospital having him, and when she visits us once he is born, she will give the teddy to him as a gift from his big sister.
• Show them their sibling, and other babies - Consider taking your toddler to your scans or if you would rather not, show them a photo of your scan when you get back. Show them pictures of them then they were a baby or pictures of when you were pregnant with them and tell them 'this is when you were in my mummy's tummy.' Let them hear their new siblings heartbeat and feel them kicking, these are all ways for your toddler to know that there is actually a baby there even though they can't see him/her.