How to prepare 3yo expectations for new baby

[SylvesterTheCat]

New baby due in a couple of months and although my 3yo knows there's a 'baby in my tummy' it would be nice to help her understand what it's really going to be like when baby arrives - at the moment I think she thinks she's going to be able to just wrap it in blankets and give it bottle!

Book recommendations perhaps?

If you are open to mix/bottle feeding, then your 3yo giving a bottle is actually a lovely way for them to bond. With help, my eldest gave her baby sibling a bottle, and she wasn't even 2 at the time.

I have this book for my 3yo. I don't read the sentences exactly but we use the pictures as prompts to talk about different things the baby will need/do.

We bought him a baby doll to show him what we do with babies, which he seems to like although isn't that interested in to be honest.

We have a name for the baby and we are calling him "Baby " or just by his name, rather than just saying "the baby" which is a bit abstract for him. Also we talk about "our new baby" or "your baby brother".

We also bring it up while doing everyday things like changing and dressing and bathing him and DH suggests things he could help with, like bringing a nappy, helping to bath the baby, giving the baby a cuddle or a tickle or a toy etc.

It's tricky due to COVID but does she have any friends perhaps at nursery with younger siblings? That can be a good way to introduce the idea of a baby brother/sister.

Also TV - we have been watching the Peppa Pig episodes about Baby Alexander and the one with the Rabbit twins.

There's a house inside my mummy
Topsy and Tim new baby
We have another one I can't remember also.. The books where they hide a little yellow duck on each page is it usborne books?

Like @BertieBotts we change the baby name to the name we have chosen and change the gender to what we know we are having also.

Ds knows there's a baby but I'm not sure he understands the reality though. He's certainly enjoying playing with all his old baby toys though and bathing his teddy in the baby bath

His nursery were also really good and have made sure to talk to him about being a big brother and added babies to the role play /house corner etc

We just used to talk about how boring babies were, that they can be noisy and how they don't do anything for a long time! We talked about what you can do with a baby - cuddles, show them a rattle, sing songs to them but that they can't play cars or in the sandpit. Basically very low expectations, all fine so far (8 months in) - eldest often says they are best friends ♥️