Bringing a baby into the family is a big change for anyone. If you think back to the time you brought your first child home you’ll remember the adjustments that you made as a couple to accommodate having a baby. Some people make the transition smoothly, for others it can be a little bumpy, but I think we can all agree it brings a change in dynamics.

Now you have a second child in the mix to prepare for this big change. It doesn’t matter how old that child is bringing home their younger sibling is going to be different for them. The more you can do to prepare your first born for the big event, the more smooth the process is going to go.

Jase is still very young so he doesn’t really understand the concept of having a younger brother or sister. One thing he does understand though is what a baby is. When he sees a baby he quickly shouts “baby!” We have used those with babies around us as an opportunity to teach Jase how to respond to babies. He knows how important it is to be gentle with a baby. He knows that they need to be fed, and they like to be rocked, and they like to be played with. When he sees a sleeping baby he knows that he is supposed to be quiet so that we don’t wake up the baby. We have done our best to use the times he has come in contact with a baby to teach him.

His grandma also brought over a baby doll for him and we have been teaching him little by little how to take care of the baby. The baby doll is left out in either the swing or bouncer where Jase is able to pick baby up whenever he wants. When I have time to work with him, I have taught him how to wrap baby in the blanket, how to rock the baby, and other ways to take care of the baby. Leaving the baby out has given him the opportunity to go back and interact with the baby like he has been shown by watching me. It really has been incredible to see how he uses what we have taught him in interacting with babies when he plays with this baby doll.

Now, the extent of his knowledge is probably just about that. He knows what a baby is, and he knows some basic things on taking care of the baby. He knows that mommy has a baby in her tummy, but he also thinks he has one in his. His mind may not fully understand everything that we have taught or told him, but when his little sister makes her grand entrance those little things will begin to form connections in his mind. Laying the framework to prepare the older sibling for this transition helps them to make the connections when the baby is brought home. Even if it seems like they don’t fully understand right now you’ll be surprised at just how smart they are when the change happens.

How did you prepare your older child to be a big brother or sister? Did you find letting them practice being a big sibling to help their transition?