A talk on preparing for new baby... Ideas?

[Babybeesmama]

Hi all. DD's nursery have asked me to go in & talk to the children (aged 3-5) about having a new baby (I have DS 7 months), its generally about what things babies need, what its like etc etc.

I thought id talk about things you need like Moses basket, bottles (not sure whether mentioning bf a good idea?) then what babies are like, crying etc, show some pictures of my 2 and finish with a story about a new baby...

What do you think? Xx any suggestions welcome!

How far off is your talk? I would run your ideas past the class teacher as she will be the best guide to what is appropriate. A story is a good idea - perhaps one about welcoming a new sibling as that would be the most typical experience for the children you will talk to. I am a teacher, although, secondary, and I think the biggest bit of advice I can give is to be prepared to go with the flow. Yes - have a plan but be prepared to abandon it and follow their lead of curiosity if needs be. The story is a good finisher and their are tons of books out there about new babies coming into the family. The main thing to think about is to just enjoy the experience and not get hung up on delivering a ' perfect' lecture. Lots of props go down well - get them to have a go at changing a nappy on a doll, my little girl uses her Gruffalo to do,this!!! Have some colouring sheets to give out if you need a minute to re-group or you dry up. Good luck - I bet you have a fab time!

If my child was told that you need bottles to feed a baby I'd be well pissed off, I'm talking complaining loudly pissed off. What everyone else does is upto them.

I'd do it more of a handy hints talk. Like if baby not settling going for a walk as prams often settle off to sleep. How to deal with visitors in the first few weeks. That you are allowed to ask for help. Things like that.

I second what jjj said. I would just refer to 'milk' but not the delivery method.

What JJJ said. Mentioning bottles but avoiding mentioning BF sows seeds to normalise one but not the other.

Just say they need milk.

I too would be seriously annoyed at mention of bottles but not bfing. I also don't see a problem with saying the milk can come from mama.

Worth saying saying babies take a lot of time bc they can't do much for themselves like big boys and girls can. Or something.

I'd say that babies are not much fun at first and can't play with their brothers &sisters,that all they do is sleep,cry ,poo & drink milk.And that they are very delicate and need to be stroked gently.But as they get bigger they like being talked to and start smiling and laughing back.I've told my 3year old that babies don't eat food until they are 1 so he doesn't try and feed his baby brother.

Ok, thanks for all the suggestions. I wasn't making a point of not mentioning bf - I just wasn't sure whether it was appropriate - I'm more than happy for my dd to know about it (which she does after seeing me feed DS & she pretends to feed her baby annabel!) I just didn't know whether other parents would feel ok with it.

Ill maybe just say babies drink milk and leave it at that so I don't upset anyone .

Thanks for suggestions x

Yeah, I think just saying "babies need milk" is the safest way to approach the topic :P

Why don't you talk about some of the other stuff babies need, and maybe the ways you can safely interact with babies while they're still delicate?

Maybe talk about setting up a nursery?

I think it would be fun if you "built" your dream nursery online and then brought in pictures of all the stuff you would need to put it together.

You can try looking around on a few of these sites if you need inspiration:

Here's a good list for nursery essentials on What To Expect:
www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/photo-gallery/nursery-essentials.aspx

I like Bambi Baby for furniture:
www.bambibaby.com/baby-furniture/nursery-sets

and most anything else you could track down on amazon or pinterest:
www.amazon.com/baby-nursery-decor-mobile-pillow/b?ie=UTF8&node=166875011

You're talking to very young children. As an early years teacher I'm sure the children will be very interested and curious and that this should be a fun experience for you all.

First, speak to the teacher. They may have some specific ideas that they'd like included.

Secondly, you might find it helpful to group your thinking around themes, such as

'Things Babies Need' - food (you can talk about breast and bottle feeding) warmth, a nice quiet place to sleep!

'How to play with a baby' - ask the children for their ideas. Use humour - 'would a baby like to ride a bike?' Little children respond well when you dont take yourself too seriously.

'Giving baby a bath' (this could be modelled and they could participate).

'How to hold a baby' - practicing gental hands

A story is a great idea and will help link their understanding.