5 Ways to Help Your Kids Get Used to the New Baby Idea

If you’re a parent, you know that it’s not always easy when a new baby is on the way. Maybe you have just one kid so far, or perhaps you have more than one. Either way, when the new child arrives, things will change, and telling your kids otherwise is not productive.

Still, even though things will be different, you need to emphasize to your kids that this is not a negative thing. You need to find some ways to make them enthusiastic about the new arrival rather than resentful.

Here are some ways to get your kids ready before the birth.

They Can Help You to Prepare the Car and House

One thing that you can do is to get the car seat ready for the new baby. You might have one from previous pregnancies that you know works well. If you no longer have a suitable one, you can go shopping for a new one.

You can talk to your kids about how the car seat can protect the baby from vehicle accidents. You can also show them how pregnant moms still need to wear seat belts to protect the fetus.

You can allow them to help you decorate the house as well. You might get some new blankets, a new crib, diapers, and so forth. If you let them see that you’re excited and happy about the new arrival, they will often pick up on that and start to feel the same way.  

You Can Read Lots of Baby Books with Them

You can get some books about babies to read with your kids. If they are still young, you can get age-appropriate options. There are several good ones that talk about adjusting to a new baby in the family, and those are probably going to do the best in changing the children’s attitudes.

You might get a classic like “The Berenstain Bears’ New Baby.” It’s by Stan and Jan Berenstain, and it has lots of great pictures that should keep your younger child’s attention.

You might also go with “Charlie and the New Baby” by Ree Drummond or “The New Baby” by Mercer Mayer. Each of these deals with the angst a young child might feel when a new family addition is on the way.

You Can Play a New Baby Game

You might also invent a game where you take a doll or a stuffed animal, and it can be the new baby. You can show your kids how to hold the new baby, protecting its head. You can practice speaking softly when they’re around the baby so as not to wake it up.

You might have little toys or treats that you can give your kids to show them that they’re doing well if they can follow the game’s rules. You might give them healthy snacks or whatever other small items you feel are appropriate.

You can also emphasize that they should never drop the baby or do anything else inappropriate with it. You can talk to them about how fragile babies are and how you’ll need their help taking care of the latest family addition.

You Can Show Them Pictures of Themselves When They Were Babies

Another thing that it’s helpful to do is to show the kids pictures of themselves as babies. This is one way for them to understand that they were once that age themselves. They’ll see that everyone goes through the baby stage, and it’s not a bad thing.

At the same time, the expectant mother might allow the children to touch her belly, especially if the baby is moving around. They can practice talking softly to the fetus.

Spend Time with Other Newborns

If at all possible, you can try to arrange a time for your kids to be around newborns or very young children. Maybe you have a family friend who gave birth recently. If so, it helps for a child to spend some time around infants that age.

You can even go to a hospital to see the new infants, or you can head to a zoo if you know there are some new baby animals there. The more time your kids can spend around infants, the better it will be.

Hopefully, by the time the new baby shows up, your kids will be eager to meet them. You can let them be your little helpers while you all adjust to the new situation.