When the hubby and I found out that I was pregnant with baby number 2, we started worrying about how baby J would react when she found out about the new baby. So even when my tummy wasn't showing yet, I started telling her that Mommy has a baby in her tummy. Initially, it seemed like she didn't understand and didn't care.
As my tummy grew bigger, we then started telling her that Mommy cannot carry her anymore because Mommy has a baby in her tummy, that only Daddy can carry her. She protested about it for a few weeks, until one day, she just suddenly told me: " Mommy cannot carry J(referring to herself) because Mommy has a baby in her tummy. Only Daddy can carry J." From then on, I noticed that she never asked me to carry her anymore. Instead, she would always approach her dad and ask to be carried. She also started talking to my belly a lot. She would say: "Hi Baby! What are you doing? Are you awake?" She would also caress and kiss my tummy when she spoke to the baby.
As a mother who was worried how my only child would react to a sibling, it was quite a relief to see that my fears were unfounded (for the moment at least, since I am still to see how baby J would react when she finally sees the new baby). It is also truly amazing how much a two-year old can grasp information. Often times we underestimate toddlers thinking they are too young to understand many things so we don't bother explaining things to them. But I found out very early that no matter how young they are, they do understand the things we tell them. That is why I told her about her sibling very early.
Another thing we did is maintain everything we normally do with baby J. We still give her the same amount of hugs and kisses like before. We still give her our undivided attention. I think this also helps in making her feel secure that nothing will change when the new baby comes. I also always ask her if she will help Mommy take care of the new baby when he/she arrives.
I am still a bit worried how things will be when the baby finally arrives. But I am pretty confident that baby J would make a very good big sister. This thought is more than enough to sustain me.
As my tummy grew bigger, we then started telling her that Mommy cannot carry her anymore because Mommy has a baby in her tummy, that only Daddy can carry her. She protested about it for a few weeks, until one day, she just suddenly told me: " Mommy cannot carry J(referring to herself) because Mommy has a baby in her tummy. Only Daddy can carry J." From then on, I noticed that she never asked me to carry her anymore. Instead, she would always approach her dad and ask to be carried. She also started talking to my belly a lot. She would say: "Hi Baby! What are you doing? Are you awake?" She would also caress and kiss my tummy when she spoke to the baby.
As a mother who was worried how my only child would react to a sibling, it was quite a relief to see that my fears were unfounded (for the moment at least, since I am still to see how baby J would react when she finally sees the new baby). It is also truly amazing how much a two-year old can grasp information. Often times we underestimate toddlers thinking they are too young to understand many things so we don't bother explaining things to them. But I found out very early that no matter how young they are, they do understand the things we tell them. That is why I told her about her sibling very early.
Another thing we did is maintain everything we normally do with baby J. We still give her the same amount of hugs and kisses like before. We still give her our undivided attention. I think this also helps in making her feel secure that nothing will change when the new baby comes. I also always ask her if she will help Mommy take care of the new baby when he/she arrives.
I am still a bit worried how things will be when the baby finally arrives. But I am pretty confident that baby J would make a very good big sister. This thought is more than enough to sustain me.
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