How and when did you start preparing your older DC for a new sibling?

[mistressploppy]

20mo DS1 will be 2.3yrs when DC2 arrives in Feb. Still early days but I was lifting him into his cot earlier and though maybe I should think about tweaking things a bit before I get huge and grappling a toddler gets harder

Other things have occurred to me too - DS doesn't watch tv ATM (not interested); should I introduce him to cBeebies now so as to buy myself some breastfeeding time later??

Is he too young for those nauseating 'Mommy's having a baby' books??

Advice gratefully received.

ds2 was 23 months when dd arrived, so a bit younger, but even so, i think at that age it's really hard for them to get the concept... by all means get the book if you want to but ds2 showed no sign of really understanding the reason why i had become so fat. when dd arrived he just acted as if she'd been there all along... he really barely even noticed her til she was a few months old.

My dd is 3.3 and ds will be here in two months. We've not used a book just talking about having a baby brother. She talks to him in my tummy. The families we hang out with have all had second/third babies in the last year do quite used to babies.

Thanks both. Did you change other things like ie get the older one into a proper bed before the new one arrived?

Between my first two there is only 16 months so there was no real way of explaining! I did, however, make sure DS saw plenty of babies and taught him to be gentle to my bump. When number 3 came along my first two were 5 and 4 so understood that there would be a baby.

I think as long as you involve him in things and talk about babies he will get the idea.

nope, i didn't really change anything like beds etc - depends on the child of course but ds2 really likes routine so i didn't want to start changing things which would have unsettled him before dd's arrival. i wanted to keep reminding myself that ds2 was still only really a baby himself so i didn't want to fall into the 'now you're a big boy' thing as i think it wouldn't have been fair on him to suddenly expect him to grow up quickly just because there was a new baby.

Dd ia already in a bed but I have done potty traing and working on sleep training.

19 months between mine, but got DS used to not being picked up all the time and more independent with play etc. Read him stories about new babies etc.

Hoping it'll be easier this time as my two are 3 and 5. We haven't told them, but will get them as involved as possible in getting ready for baby to arrive.

With my first 2 (2 year gap) moved dd into a bed as I needed a cot but did it early on so a new routine had been established. We talked about the baby in mummys tummy but that was about it. I dont think she really made any connection but was ok with ds arrival. She did go through a difficult patch when ds was about 6 weeks (and she realised he was staying) but soon got over it.

With ds2 I told the both early on and again the baby in my tummy just sort of became part of everyday conversation rather than any special time to talk about it.

I have done the same this time, I show them pics to show them what it looks like now, and just answer questions as they come up. My 2 like the topsy and tim book the new baby.

As for cbeebies, keep it as something special (no pun intended) or find a dvd they like. To be honest even when engrossed in something mine always wanted a drink snack or something the minute I sat down to feed.