Are you worried about how your toddler will react to having a new baby added to the family? Here’s how to prepare your older child for a new baby sibling.

When we first found out that we were expecting our second child, we knew that our daughter would love to have a sibling, but what we were not sure of was how she would first react to a new baby being added to her family of three.

Aubrey, like many three-year-old little girls, was in love with babies that she would see out in public or at our church. However, the difference between those babies and a new sibling is that this baby would be taking some time up with mommy and daddy.

So when we finally found out that our second baby was going to be a little boy, we started preparing Aubrey to meet her new baby brother and also made sure that it was exciting for her.

Here are 8 pro mom tips for preparing your toddler for a new baby.

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1. Keep Toddler Involved In Your Pregnancy

It’s important to remember that before a second baby was even a daydream, your toddler was the one and only baby in the family. So learning that there will be a new little person taking up some of their mommy’s and daddy’s personal time and space may be a little intimidating and even confusing for toddlers. d

One thing we did that worked amazingly was keeping our daughter involved with the pregnancy every step of the way to make her feel very connected to the baby. She enjoyed looking at the ultrasound pictures, feeling her baby brother kick in my belly, and even talking to him about her day.

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2. Preparing Space For Baby

Many toddlers are not that great with changes and mine was certainly no different.

But when we started making space and choosing different furniture for our new baby, we made sure to ask our toddler to help with picking out some of the items. This not only kept her involved in making decisions for the new baby but also helped her to be excited about the new things coming into our home.

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3. Visit Friends And Family Who Have A Baby

If your toddler is not really familiar or sure about having a baby around, try to take them around other family members or friends that have a baby so they can see what babies are all about.

Just letting them see that babies are not a bad thing and are actually very cute and exciting can make a huge difference in your toddlers’ perception of having a new baby at home.

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4. Make Special Time For Your Toddler

When you become a mom of two, suddenly your time is divided in half between your children. And much of the time may be spent caring for your newborn baby for the first few months.

One important way of ensuring you are still spending enough time with your older child is to set aside certain times each day to do something special alone together. Even just taking the time to read a bedtime story without the new baby for a few minutes goes a long way.

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5. Give Toddler A Baby Doll To Take Care Of

Toddlers love to help and be needed so giving them a baby doll to take care of is a good way to help them practice for when their new sibling is here. You can show them how to properly rock a baby to sleep or even play with the baby doll gently.

Practicing the idea of being gentle early on will save you a ton of time later on once your new baby is here.

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6. Discuss Ways Your Toddler Can Help With New Baby

And since toddlers are such great helpers, discussing all of the ways that they are going to be able to help you with their new baby sibling is tons of fun. I recommend getting a big brother or big sister book to read and learn about everything they can do to help mom and dad with a new baby. Like this one.

Seriously, my daughter helped with getting diapers, wipes, blankets, or even throwing dirty diapers away and putting dirty clothes in the hamper. She also loved to sing to her baby brother to help him calm down when he was fussy.

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7. Bringing Toddler to Hospital To Meet Baby

The first introduction between siblings is so exciting and very beautiful to watch. It was hard at first to explain that Aubrey’s little brother came out of my tummy and is here now. After months of her feeling him moving and kicking from in my belly, it was a bit difficult for her to completely understand.

But as soon as she met her baby brother she was attached. She has always been so loving and adored her little brother.

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8. Gifts For Older Sibling When Baby is Born

For some older siblings having a small gift at the hospital can make the transition to meeting a new baby sibling a bit easier. Or even saying that the gift is from the new baby and that it’s their way of saying “I Love You!”

It doesn’t have to be anything huge or expensive just something to make them feel special on that special day when everyone is sure to be holding the new baby.

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Don’t Forget to Grab Your Bump Box

How did you prepare your toddler for a new baby sibling?