Telling 3 year old

[Bellabutterfly2016]

So my dd is 3 in 4 weeks and new baby due in January.

I need some advice! When do people tell toddlers about siblings, how do they tell them? Any recommendations of books etc etc...... how have people announced this??

My mum says not to tell her yet she'll be asking me every day!!!! My best friend things I should prepare her!!

We were in the best to prepare camp. We told DD at about 10 weeks. Friends had just had a second child so it was a good example to use to say that just like them, you would be getting a new brother or sister. We bought a few books, one called Pirate Pete I'm a big brother and one called there's a house inside my mummy. I think she gets it, she hasn't asked every day when the baby will arrive, we've told her it will be just before Christmas and she seems happy with that. I don't know I would hide it now tbh, I've had a sizeable bump since around 16 weeks so even if she didn't know, I'm sure she would be questioning if I did have a baby in there.

I told my son, at 3, that there might have been a baby in mummy's tummy.
Once I had my scan I showed him the pictures immediately before any of the rest of my family.
He was very excited! I had to tell him to be honest because, mummy had to stop picking him up and I couldn't be jumped all over when we played together. Plus I was sick a lot so it was best he understood why.

Now I'm full term and he adores my belly. O also made a point of putting her cot and crib up when I knew the anomoly scan went well.. so he had time to adjust to 'her things' rather than his.
It's up to you but I feel if you just rock up with a baby that needs lots of attention your child may feel quite put out.
I would say prepare them so they know mummy will be very busy, tired, unable to do everything immediately. My son has gravitated towards OH because I'm not that fun anymore. Which is fine because it means I'll have a bit of space when baby is here x

Yes, this is a really good point, DD has a tendency to climb all over me and use me as a trampoline, so I wanted to let her know she couldn't but wanted her to have a reason. I definitely feel telling her early was better than springing it on her later on.

I understand not wanting to tell them too early, but if you are going to be talking about the pregnancy with others then I feel it is important to tell her. I told both of my 3 years olds fairly early on.

I was going to post the same question! My daughter is three and a half. I'd like to wait to tell her at 20 weeks but I worry that someone else will say something before then. I feel like she has no real concept of time and it might be confusing telling her too soon....

I got 'what's in your tummy mummy?' For my 2yo. It introduced it well now we just talk about baby in mummy's tummy. But I'd tell your lo before someone else does 😬.

O won't be telling mine until after the 20 week scan. 30 weeks is plenty of time to prepare them and a lot of time for them to wait!

We told our DS the day after we found out - before we told anyone else and he was so excited that he blurted it out to everyone 🙈😂

He was 3.5 when we found out.

We just told him I had a baby in my tummy but it would take a long time for the baby to grow and come out.

(He has baby cousins though so he understood a bit more)

A count down chart is a good way for them to comprehend how long it is.

I'm off to the bookshop tomorrow! Thanks for all the ideas x

Zaza's Baby Brother (book) was a big hit with DS1. It's told from the elder sibling's point of view and DS1 could really relate to it.

I got this book recently for DD who is 2 and we’ve read it a few times. I’m 23 weeks so have only really started talking about a baby in mummy’s belly in the last week or so. I def wouldn’t have done it before 20 week scan and I could have waited until I was about 30 wks or so.

With my 3 year old, I waited until after the anomaly scan. I’d had a MMC discovered at a dating scan before so preferred to wait. DD had been talking about siblings for months. When I went to tell her she just didn’t want to know. However next day I told her in the morning on the way to nursery, she was grumpy and not happy. When I picked her up that afternoon I was told she’d stood up at show and tell to tell everyone she had big news and would be a big sister! All excited about “her baby” arriving since and doesn’t ask when it’s coming every day.