How to best prepare my toddler for new arrival?

[kirstygem]

My DD will be 25months when I have DD2 in Sept. Just looking for advice or tips to help prepare her for the new arrival. Am very worried she going to feel totally left out. She goes fulltime to nursery at the moment but will only be going one day a week when baby arrives. So she will have more time at home with me but not necessarily time devoted to her,

[Umlellala]

We have been doing lots of (role)playing about babies - helping with dollys - feeding, changing bums, cuddling, rocking etc. And lots of her being a 'tiny baby' and lying in my arms and going 'wah wah wah' and then I have to give her milk or cuddles or help her go to sleep

Have also tried to talk to her lots about the new baby and we talk about him (we have named him already) as part of our family - which I think she gets. Am really exited about having two children now!

[claricebeansmum]

There is the brilliant "Pingu and the new baby" book.

Don't forget that the new baby should bring a present on its arrival.

Try to arrange for some one to help out so your DD and you can have some uniterrupted time together - just to read a book, play with dolls etc once the baby has arrived.

[Umlellala]

Ooh, didn't think of looking for the Pingu book - we have already chatted about the episode on telly - thanks!

Why should the baby bring a present btw? Isn't the BABY a fun present enough?

[Sunshinemummy]

We've also been talking about baby a lot and he knows there is a baby in my tum and kisses and says hello to it. I don't know if this translates into the fact that there will be a baby living with us from August.

We've also been reading Babette Cole's book 'Mummy Laid an Egg', which he likes, although I think it's slightly too old for him.

He'll be 2.6 when DC2 arrives in August.

[jkklpu]

It is so hard to know how they're going to react, isn't it? I was far more apprehensive about that than labour or anything else before my ds2 was born when ds1 was exactly 2yo. But he's been absolutely delightful with the baby from the start and now, 6 months on, loves being smiled at, giving him toys and getting the baby to try to copy him.

Before the baby arrived, we talked about it a lot though could have talked more about how it would be after. Still, I like to think that ds1 was so pleased that I was at home with him - I had been working full-time - that he didn't mind sharing me. Best advice from me: practise reading books upside-down! . Sounds crazy, but we spent hours, especially in the early weeks, with ds1 standing up leaning on my legs as I read to him while feeding the baby.

Oh yes, and our other big advantage was that we were staying at my Mum's - no way I was going to have a baby in London so went home to Scotland for both - so doting grandparents there to ensure ds1 was always being entertained. So that was great for us.

Good luck with it.

[BabiesEverywhere]

I talk to 21 month old DD about her new sibling. She'll sign baby and point to my tummy and verbally says 'Baby' with a strong northern accent which makes us laugh

She waves and kisses my stomach but like PP I don't think this means she understands.

I tell her that a baby will be coming to live with us in August and this baby will be mummy, daddy and DD's baby. I explained that this baby will need milk off mummy like her (she still nurses) and she threw away the baby doll and said No...LOL

She is so interested in other peoples babies, that I guess she will want to be quite involved with the new baby. She hugs and kisses (and pulls over) her little friend and spoon feeds her anything she can find if her friend wants it or not. So more a case of supervising her loving attention.

OMG this new baby will be weaned at 2 days on raisons won't it ?