As parents, bringing our newborn baby home
from the hospital can be really, really exciting.
But what if we also have a toddler at home too?
What might they be feeling?
Today I'm going to be answering your question:
How can I help my older child prepare for a new baby
joining our family?
In this short video, I'm going to go through a few things
that we can try with our toddlers
to help ease them into the idea
of having a new little sibling.
Hi, my name's Josephine Cavallo
and I'm the sleep expert at Little Ones.
I'm a mother to two little toddlers
and I've also got a little baby on the way.
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We have a new article on how you can help
your toddler adjust to a new little baby
coming into the family.
So please check that out today.
We want to hear from you.
So tell us in the comment box, are you pregnant?
Is this baby number two?
And give us some tips on how you've been helping
your toddler adjust to the idea of a new baby coming.
So when we bring this beautiful little bundle of joy home,
it can be a really nerve wracking time for us as parents.
But imagine what it's like for our toddlers.
Their whole routine has changed.
There's a new little baby in this world
and it seems like everything is revolving around it.
It cries all the time.
It wants to feed all the time.
Our parents are a little bit more tired than usual.
So, yes, lots and lots of changes for our toddler.
During this time our toddlers can feel
a little bit left out.
They can feel a bit jealous.
They can feel like their whole world has just changed.
So we can often notice that
when we bring a new sibling home,
our toddler's sleep can regress,
their toilet training can regress.
You may notice a shift in their behavior.
This is all due to the fact
that they're trying to figure out this new pattern,
this new life and this new routine.
But what if I told you
that we can help our toddlers immensely
just by preparing before the baby comes.
So, depending on the age of your toddler
and their comprehension, we can communicate to them.
Tell them what to expect.
This baby may cry a lot.
They may feed a lot.
We may need to change their nappy a lot.
We might need to pop the dummy in.
We may need to feed them a bottle.
So, we talk to them, we tell them what to expect.
Because our toddlers do have
really, really good comprehension.
They have good memory.
So if we talk to them about it prior,
when they're going through it, they can be like,
hang on, Mom told me about this, I know that this is normal.
So that's my tip number one.
Communicate with them, tell them what to expect.
Talk them through the process
of what's going to be happening.
The next thing that we can do is get them involved.
So with my toddlers, I've got them involved
in setting up the nursery.
We've recently shifted the bassinet in.
We've got them involved in the shopping.
So we've bought some new nappies for the baby,
some new dummies.
We've bought some little outfits for the baby too.
So this has gotten my four and a half year old
really, really, really excited.
So she's even said, "Mom, can I put the dummy in?"
Or, "Can I feed the baby the bottle?"
Or, "Can I have a go at swaddling when the baby's here?"
So I find getting her involved in purchasing some baby items
has got her really, really keen for the baby to come.
So if you're getting that hospital bag ready,
or if you're coming close to the pointy end
and you are starting to buy some baby stuff,
get your toddler involved.
You can even get them to buy a special little gift
just from their sibling.
So a special little gift that you can wrap up,
that your toddler or your older child
can give to the baby when they come home.
There's some great picture books that you can read
to your toddler too,
that explain the process of having a new baby.
And you can read these stories to them every night,
just to get their little brains thinking
and knowing what to expect.
Now, with my little girls, we have a plan in place.
So we've gotten my toddler involved
in what's going to happen when mom's in the hospital.
So she's already picked where she's gonna have a sleepover,
or who's gonna come to her house when mom's in hospital.
Because, if you think about it,
having mom go away for a few days,
it can be really daunting for our toddlers,
especially if mom's a primary caregiver.
So having your toddler involved in that planning
can really, really help and it can be really exciting.
How many times my toddler has said to me,
"Yes, Mom, when you're in the hospital
"I'm going to get my auntie to look after me
"and I'm going to pack this in my bag
"and I'm gonna bring my teddy
"and I'm going to bring my pillow."
So she's really, really, really keen.
Now I will add as a side note,
if you are planning on making any massive changes
to your toddler's sleep environment,
such as shifting them into a different room,
or taking them out of the cot, or anything like that,
we would suggest to do this long before the baby's here.
So a good six to eight weeks before the baby's due.
That's when I would start to make these changes,
that way you and your toddler have a chance
to adjust to any changes.
And if there is a slight regression in their sleep,
you can overcome that hurdle before your newborn arrives.
But I will say just as a little word of advice
from a mum of two little toddlers,
if you can keep that cot around for your toddler,
and if they're sleeping really, really well in their cot,
keep that around.
When I had my baby number two,
my toddler was only two years old and I did get the advice,
get your little one out of the cot
before your newborn baby comes.
But I really didn't feel comfortable with that.
My toddler slept so well in her cot,
I didn't want to make any massive changes.
So instead I used a cradle for the first, say,
four or five months, and then I borrowed a cot.
So I borrowed a cot from a family member,
this way my baby number two could go in the cot
and my first child could stay in the cot.
So it worked really, really well for us,
because my toddler continued to sleep well in her cot
even though I had a newborn around.
And when she was around three years old,
that's when we took the cot away.
And it was so much more easier
when she was that older toddler age.
She could understand a lot more,
and the transition to cot to bed
was actually a really, really easy one.
I put that down to her age.
So that would be my tip.
Just a little word of advice,
if you have a younger toddler,
that's, say, under two years old,
I wouldn't rush that cot away,
and see if you can borrow a bassinet or a cradle or a cot.
When I had my baby number two,
I personally found that my toddler responded
really, really well to one-on-one time in the evenings.
So I know it was a bit tricky in the beginning,
but I would try to settle my youngest down for bed first.
I would try to get her down by around 6:30
and then I would have a good half an hour, 45 minutes
one-on-one time with my toddler.
I found she really needed that attention.
She loved having that one-on-one time with mom
and this helped her settle really well in the evenings.
And it helped get that attention tank full.
So that's another little tip of mine,
just to help in the beginning,
is just to give your toddler that one part of the day
where they know that mom gives them
that one-on-one connection and time.
I really hope that you enjoyed this video.
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where you can find an article
on how you can help your toddler adjust to having a sibling.
There's plenty more information in the article.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
Bye!