Today my daughter is going to become a big sister.
How amazing is that? AHHHH-MAZING!
Well, for the past couple of weeks I have been stressing out soooo much on how to prepare an 18 month old little girl for this. How do I explain this to her? Does she understand? Does she realize the growing belly she has been fascinated with the past 9 months is going to just disappear over this next week or two? Does she know that "brother" is another breathing, crying human being? I'm not sure, but I have been trying every day to show and tell her these things.
So I have asked veteran moms of multiple kids how they prepared their babes for their younger siblings. I read the blogs. I scoured pinterest. I did it all.
Here are the ways that I put Opal through a "big-sister-training".
- Baby Doll training- We bought her baby doll a crib, diaper bag set, and every single day (multiple times a day) we changed her diaper, fed her, burped her, and then put her to sleep. We practiced "shhhhh"-ing and staying quiet because "baby was napping".
- Introduced the new baby's gear around the house. We set up the crib when we first moved into this apartment. We put a bassinet in our room. We put a rock and play in the living room. We bought a double stroller and used it before he arrived. We also added his clothes and shoes to her closet.
- Talked about baby- We have talked all about brother and how cute he is going to be. We let her answer questions about what big sisters do to help.
- Set up activities that are all about her. Every day I sit down and watch a movie with her. We play with her toys. We clean up together. We read books. These are all things that I can still do while nursing her brother, and I explain that to her.
- Taught her independence. We have one of those harnesses for our walks that she loves to use. This helps me because I can still keep her in arms reach while we are out, and she doesn't demand I carry her. This is great because not all situations call for a stroller. I can carry her brother in a carrier and she can walk herself.
I hope that these tips help you with your expanding family!
xoxo, Chels.
