Preparing a Toddler for the Arrival of a New Sibling

I currently have two young daughters at home. I have a three year old (Meagan) and a brand new infant (Isabella). I became pregnant with Isabella when Meagan was a little over two years old. My biggest worry was how to prepare Meagan for becoming a big sister and not feeling left out. Meagan didn't understand at first about "mommy being pregnant." Once I started showing, I had to let her know that I couldn't carry her anymore because I was growing a baby in my tummy. Meagan only thought it was funny because my stomach was getting bigger. However, there are certain things that you can do to prepare a toddler to be ready to be a big brother\sister.

1. The most important thing to me was keeping Meagan involved. I took Meagan to all my appointments. This way she could hear the heartbeat and understand that I had something growing in my belly. I especially made it a point to take her to my ultrasound so that she could see a picture of the new baby. I even let her guess what I was going to have. Meagan said that she wanted a little girl and that is what the ultrasound revealed.

2. I used to let Meagan put her hand on my tummy when the baby was moving. She used to get excited when she could feel the baby moving. You should have seen the look on her face when she could feel something in my tummy kicking her hand away.

3. I let my daughter Meagan help me pick out clothes for the baby. I would ask her what she would like for her little sister and she would help me pick out outfits for her. She would feel like such a big sister because she had the responsibility of picking out clothes for her baby sister.

4. My husband believed in having special days for Meagan so that she wouldn't feel like it was all about the baby. Every Sunday morning, my husband and I would take Meagan to the local burger king for breakfast. We would order her favorite breakfast of French toast sticks, hash browns, and orange juice. After Meagan ate her breakfast, she would be allowed to play on the indoor playscape. She enjoyed climbing up and down the playscape and playing with my husband. After breakfast at Burger King, we would take Meagan to the local park where they had a model train that would give rides around the park. We would let Meagan ride the train twice and then we would go home.

5. After Isabella was born, my husband and I let Meagan get a diaper or the baby powder so that she was still involved in everything that we were doing for the baby. Meagan would run and grab a diaper for her baby sister with such pride.

6. My husband and I showed Meagan how to hold Isabella in her lap. You should have seen Meagan's face every time she got the chance to hold her little sister. Meagan would be smiling ear to ear and would like she won the race.

7. Most importantly, I make sure that I spend quality time with Meagan. I have enrolled Meagan in ballet and tumbling classes at the local gym. I take her to her practice on Wednesday night and I participate with her. On Saturday mornings, Meagan has tumbling class. I get to participate with her in that class also. This way I get to spend some big girl time with Meagan without her little sister being around. Believe me, this special time makes a big difference in Meagan's attitude and how she treats her family.

Hopefully this article has given you some ideas on how to prepare a toddler sibling for the arrival of a new baby boy\girl. Every child craves attention from their mom and dad and it is definitely hard for them to understand that they aren't the "baby" anymore. But I guarantee if you pay special attention to your toddler then things will work out just fine.