You just found out you are pregnant and you are thrilled! But what about your other children? Are they going to accept another baby coming into the house? How can you tell your children that they are going to have a new baby sister or brother?

How to Tell Your Children about the New Baby

You need to carefully plan when and how you are going to tell them. You also need to plan how you can make this time as easy on them as possible, including your pregnancy and your delivery.

The fact is that bringing a new baby into the home, even though exciting, is also disruptive for everyone, parents and siblings.  Even teenagers find that a new baby can disrupt their nighttime sleep. They might also not like that mom is no longer available to take them to all of their extra events.

When to Tell Your Children about the New Baby

It depends on the age and development of your child as to when to tell them about the new baby.  Children between the age of 2 and 3 might have a hard time sharing you and sharing their possessions. Usually a good time to tell a child at this age is when you begin furnishing the nursery and buying baby clothes.

Any changes that you may be making to the youngster schedule such as potty training, sleeping schedules, crib to bed or starting nursery school should be done well before the baby is born.  If that’s not possible, wait until after the baby is born and the schedule at home is settled.

Keep in mind that toddlers depend greatly on their daily routine. Any time that routine is upset, such as the arrival of a new baby, you can expect that they won’t be able to handle the changes well.

For that reason, keep the schedule as unchanged as possible by introducing new things such as nursery school or potty training well before the baby comes or well after the baby comes.

If you have children who are 4 or 5 you can tell them about the new baby at the same time you are telling friends and relatives. It is better they hear it from you than from one of those friends or relatives.

When You go to the Hospital

If you think it is a good idea, plan ahead to have a gift for each child. Give the gifts when they come to visit you at the hospital.

If your children are not allowed to visit at the hospital, you might have a gift ready to give them when you return home. Take some video of you and the baby to show them while you are away from home.

While you are at the hospital be sure to telephone them often. Depending on the age of your children, this might be the first time they can remember not having you home with them at night. It could be traumatic. So reassure them by talking with them on the phone.

After you come back home, make sure you do not neglect your other children. Spend as much time with them as you can, and try to make the new baby’s arrival a happy experience for the whole family.