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How to tell a 3 year old about new baby?

robleselizabethrobleselizabeth member
in 1st Trimester
My daughter loves babies and plays well with them and wants to help with them. I’m not sure how to tell her that she will have a new sibling! I remember I was so jealous of my little brother and we were the same age gap as my DD will with baby. 

What do you suggest to promote excitement but also know we will love her just as much as our newborn? Thank you!
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Re: How to tell a 3 year old about new baby?

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    themadcamelthemadcamel member
    @daffodil_shoe omg what an adorable reaction 😍!
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    meggymemeggyme member
    We did a lot of books about being a big sister and how she’s such a big girl and would have to be a big helper. We also watched the Daniel Tiger episodes where he gets a sister a lot.

    Otherwise I don’t think you have to worry too much about it. Tell them plainly and then answer any questions that come up. Work on being gentle with things. Hopefully they will be excited. My oldest absolutely loves her big sister and even when she was acting out when we first brought baby home, it was directed at mom and dad, not her sister.
    DD1: June '16 DD2: March ‘19 :::: Married since 2011 :::: USN Wife ::::
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    lelkcotlelkcot member
    I think a book on the subject can help. We started adding in a few books about adding a baby to the family once we started trying for a second. Once we were ready to share the news with our eldest (3 at the time), he was excited. Plus, you have a while to get them to warm up to the idea of a sibling, even if they don't react well initially. I think you approaching it with excitement will go a long way. 
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    WishilivedinfloridaWishilivedinflorida member
    Definitely don’t tell until you are ready to be public on the pregnancy, though!  ;)

    My son was younger but we basically said there was a baby in my belly but that the baby would be outside soon and really small. We explained once she was here that she was little and we stressed being gentle. As she has grown, he has done really well. Luckily, he wasn’t talking yet when I got pregnant. I technically “told” him I was pregnant before my husband. 
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    itsbrevitsbrev member
    My son is 3 and doesn't  really care for babies. A few friends have had babies and when we visit them, he’s very unimpressed. I ask If we wants a baby, his answer is always No.  :/
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    saladflambesaladflambe member
    Does she like Daniel Tiger? Whenever/if we are able to get pregnant with #2, we will be watching those episodes and reading those stories about "there's time for you and baby too" and all that...on repeat
    ~~Signature Trigger Warning~~

    Me: 32; Him: 36
    Married: Oct 20, 2013
    BFP 1: Aug 31, 2015
    EDD 1: May 12, 2016
    DD1 Emma born May 12, 2016
    An Honest Account of New Motherhood (with Postpartum Anxiety, Depression, and OCD)

    BFP 2: October 07, 2019
    EDD 2: June 20, 2020


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