Introduce Older Siblings To New Baby: Do's and Don'ts

Introducing a new sibling to the family can be an exciting time, but thinking of the "how" might have you stuck in a rut.

For us, we decided to announce using ultrasound photos with text saying "Hi Kyndall!" And "Hi Blair!"... We thought this would've been touching and exciting but instead, the girls thought they were looking at a monster who knew their name.

Best Ways To Announce Pregnancy To Kids

As hilarious of a fail our announcement was, we had an opportunity to think of all the ways that would've made for a better idea, so here's some of our top favorites:

• Write "We're having a baby" on a cake
• Give a gift that says "promoted to..." (big brother, big sister)
• Matching t-shirts that they can visibly read "Mom's pregnant"
• Show the kids a video of the baby inside moms stomach at the doctors. (This extra context helps put things together as opposed to a print out of the picture)
• Announce during a fun/silly game.
• Show the pregnancy test.
• Baby food testing game
• Bring home newborn clothes or bibs

There's many others that would be an excellent way to announce to family and friends, but we wanted to tell the kids first and then let them announce to everyone else.

Best Ways To Announce Pregnancy To Family And Friends

Letting the world in on your family's secret may So, things didn't go according to plan, but that's okay. There's still time to get everyone warmed up to the idea of a new sibling on the way.

• Social media announcement
• Picture of bun in the oven
• baby jumpsuit clothes line
• DIY pet announcement
• Let the kids make a video announcing
• Family photo with extra pair of shoes
• Pregnancy photoshoot
• Reaction video telling family in person then sharing online
• Funny home video

No matter how you decide to announce, the challenging part starts after....preparing for baby.

How to Make Sure Your Older Kids Don't Feel Forgotten About

Adding a new baby to the family can be an exciting thing, but you have to consider the big emotions and uncertainty that your children may have.

5 Tips To Introduce Your Older Kids To New Sibling

It's a great idea to do these 5 things to be sure the transition goes smoothly.

1. Let Them Decompress From "Baby Planning and Preparation."

You may not notice in the thick of baby planning and preparation, but all the attention that was once distributed between your now kids has been placed on the back burner to prepare for your new addition.

Between baby announcements, gender reveals and baby shower prep, your older children may start to feel lesser than and an easy way to overcome this is: letting them get a break from it all.

2. Plan a Family Outing Like "Old Times."

Good things don't have to come to an end, especially when it's family time. Carve out some time to go see a movie or have family fun date. This will give you and your household an opportunity to enjoy one another before the baby wrath.

Some safe ideas for outings with pregnant mama:

• Movie Night
• Trip To The Beach
• Staycation at a Nearby Hotel
• Shopping Day
• Lunch at a Upscale Restaurant or A Nice Place With a NEW Menu.
• Mini Putt Putt Golf
• Picnic In the Park
• Mini Vacation (Cruise, or other.)
• Trampoline Park (and let the kids run wild.)

3. Spend Quality Time With Your Kids Doing A Hobby They Love.

This is pretty self explanatory, but necessary. Take some time off from work. Fall back from baby talk and indulge in the activities your kids are familiar with and enjoy. Make memories.

4. Ask Questions About Their Feelings Surrounding The New Addition.

Allow your kids to process their feelings. Ask them their thoughts, concerns, plans, what they're excited about and what they're hoping for. Letting them express their feelings will give you some perspective on how to adjust to keep them comfortable and excited for the new addition.

The goal is to minimize feeling left out, forgotten about, or lesser than.

5. Include Them In Planning.

You may have a particular idea about decorating, themes, and baby names but allow your children to get involved as much as they'd like to and take their feedback into consideration.

This helps build a bond before baby arrives and keeps your older kids in the loop.

Things You Can Do Once Baby Is Here to Make The Transition Go Smoothly

Introducing your older children to their sibling for the first time can be a little nerve wrecking. Before this moment, try to prepare them to be gentle.

Keep in mind this moment can be scary for them too so even though you may want to intervene and teach them how to hold baby, talk to baby, etc... this added pressure could cause more anxiety and take away from a precious moment.

Aim to be more encouraging.

3 Top Tips For Adding A Newborn To Your Family

My family of 4 graduated to a family of 5 recently, and here are some things we found to be most helpful during this season of transition.

1. Keep Routines The Same

Less change to their everyday routine helped us as parents to maintain our current schedules and load and kept the children comfortable and less antsy.

2. Divide Attention, Don't Put Emphasis On Baby

We try to refrain from using the baby as a reason for needing change i.e. "be quiet because the baby is sleeping," "We can't because the baby xyz.."

Putting emphasis on the baby can result in resentment later on so instead, we form questions like "can we make it less noisy right now? or "We can try that at another time when I'm done doing xyz..."

3. Continue To Make Time For Older Kids And Their Hobbies

Do you have Ttiktokers in your house? For me, my girls love to make up routines and dance. I like to keep traditions going so they don't feel like their new sibling takes away from the attention and fun that they're used to.

Even with grandparents and visitors...

There's a sudden revolving door of visitors coming to see the new addition. Instead of making the older kids feel left out, our guests have continued to greet them first and spend time with them before giving the baby attention. Others also bring gifts or small treats to keep them encouraged.

3 Helpful Things For Mom To Use During Postpartum Recovery

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Other items that will be essential are breast feeding items such as pumps, storage bags, special nursing bras, and other key items. Those can be found here.