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Expecting a new baby is both exciting and terrifying! Especially when you have another child at home already. How will they react to the new baby. Here are some simple tips on how to help your child accept a new baby.

When I found out I was pregnant with Little Miss, one of my first worries was how Bugs would adjust. I wanted to aid him in accepting this new baby as much as possible.

As soon as we found out she was a girl and picked her name, we immediately started telling Bugs about her. We’d let him kiss my belly and tell him about his sister.

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I’d read somewhere about bringing a gift to the new baby and having a gift from the baby to your older child. This was supposed to help your child accept a new baby.

I knew I wanted to get Little Miss Violet from Bugs. Bugs has Scout, a gift from my sister, that he absolutely loves. I thought it would be sweet to get Scout’s sister for his new sister.

We went to the store together to pick her out and picked a bow together. He was so excited to bring it to the hospital with him.

How to Help your Child Accept a New Baby

But I had a hard time deciding what gift to get for Bugs. I had wanted it to be something he could treasure for a long time. So I asked in a local Facebook group what they had done. Here are some replies:

• ‘When I went to the hospital to have my second son, I gave my four year old a backpack to take to his grandparents house with a new ‘big brother’ shirt, a book, stickers, snacks and a stuffed animal’
• ‘My oldest picked out a little blanket for the baby and we got a babydoll with a bunch of accessories as a gift from the baby’
• ‘A big sister shirt, and a book titled “I’m the Big Sister”.’
• ‘Jammies that say big sister’
• ‘Art supplies, stacking blocks, and other busy item gifts. I wrapped them all and only brought one to the hospital. The rest I would give when guests came over. If they brought a gift for the baby, my oldest would get a gift from my stash to not feel left out’
• ‘A big red fire truck that he had wanted. He was so excited that his brother gave it to him.’
• ‘A Thomas and Friends Train’
• ‘Cake and sang happy birthday to the new baby’
• ‘Build a bear with a recordable voice from mom and dad saying we loved him’

So many people had gotten Big Sibling shirts. He already had 3, and a backpack from Christmas. So we stuffed two of his big brother shirts, Violet, and all his overnight stuff in his backpack. He got to pick which shirt to wear to the hospital when he met her.

While we wanted to get something really special he’d be able to keep forever, we ultimately decided to get him some Cars 3 cars. He’s been really in to Cars 3, so we bought Cruz, Sterling, and Storm for him. We wrapped it up all cute, in dinosaur wrapping paper, and brought it to the hospital.

He showed up all excited to meet his new sister. He brought us all cupcakes and a big happy birthday balloon. We all sang her Happy Birthday together.

He’s been in love with the Happy Birthday song. He sings it all the time and pretends to blow out candles. So he loved singing her happy birthday.

Then we gave him his gift. We made a big deal about it and told him his sister picked it out special for him. As soon as he opened it he was so excited. He made us take the cars out immediately and was soon playing with them all over the room.

While it wasn’t a ‘keepsake’ gift, I have no doubt that it left an impression on him. It’s been 5 months and he still tells people his sister got him those cars. He sleeps with them mosts nights too. He really loves them.

I think doing these things made the transition a little easier. He has such a big heart, and he really loves his baby sister. He’s always trying to give her hugs and kisses.

So my recommendation is to get a gift from the new sibling to the older sibling and visa versa. Make the older sibling feel included. And make sure to tell them you still love them with all your heart every chance you get!