How do I explain to my twin girls that there is a baby on the way?

Question

My partner and I are expecting a baby girl in January 09, but we are unsure on how to prepare our 19 month old twins for the new arrival.

Siena and Kiah are mummy's and daddy's princesses and I am a little apprehensive on how they will accept the new baby (another girl) who is due in january.

What can I do to get them used to a baby being in the house?

Has anyone experienced this situation before?

Thanks in advance for your help.

=]

Answer 1

whats the problem ? just tell them

Answer 2

Get them each their own baby doll to take care of.  Involve them in getting ready for the baby - like helping pick a color for the baby's room or choose toys for the baby.  When the baby arrives, have them help out (and lots of praise when they do!) - ask them to go get a clean diaper, show baby how to play with a toy, etc.  Also if possible, let them visit you & the baby in the hospital.  When you come home, bring them each a small gift from the new baby.  Also have patince with them if they are resistant to the new baby, since there will be a time where everyone in the family needs to adjust to the new routine with the baby  :)

Answer 3

Shoshanna's answer was EXACTLY on the mark!  Follow all of that and your twins (and you too) will be fine.  I wish I found this exact answer when I was pregnant with my 2nd.

I'll also add that your twins might have guessed by now anyhow if you're showing, or if your belly feels different to them when they cuddle up next to you.  Kids can be intuitive too - when we told ours when I was 4 months, he wasn't surprised, he knew and was only wondering why we were treating it as if it was a big announcement.  And no, he wasn't all excited about it either, like we thought he'd be - that was kind of a letdown for us!  He got into the baby idea when he saw baby clothes here + there, and I talked to him often about how he was as a baby, and after the baby was born it took him a few weeks to be into him, tho he did embrace the role of helping out right away.

Answer 4

It can be tricky letting your kids know that there's a new baby coming.  There are a few things that we tried to keep in mind each time we were expecting.  The younger your children, the more difficult it is for them to understand time periods.  So we tended to wait until I was well showing to start talking about the new baby. Once you tell your girls, they could possibly ask you every day when their sister is coming! A calender can help if that becomes an issue.

There are lots of great books for little ones about new babies, and toddlers love cuddling up with mommy or daddy and looking through picture books.

When you do tell the girls-just tell them.  Don't make a big deal, or tell them their new sister is going to be wonderful or a playmate or anything like that.  The fact is a new baby will get a lot of attention.  She'll cry, she'll make messes and she won't be a great playmate until she's older. And the twins will still be too young to really take care of her. It's great to find ways to help them feel involved (because they are).

As January approaches, let your girls help you fold nappies or put them in drawers.  Let them help get clothes ready or choose a few toys, etc.  With our youngest, we knew the s*x and named him, so the whole family talked about "When Daniel gets here"  or "That's Daniel's bed, chair or whatever".  He was part of the family before he was born, which was terrific.

Accepting a new baby is not always easy and I think it's wonderful that you and your partner are looking at this and really wanting to do it the best way you can.  I'm sure that you'll do really well telling the girls and getting them involved with the new baby!

God bless you!

Answer 5

They are 19 mos.  Not only will they not understand what you are telling them, they won't care.  They are already competitive and trying to one up the other right now.  It will just be more of the same when the other baby is old enough to play with them too.  Just wait till the baby is born and slowly introduce her into their daily routines always with your strict supervision.  They will love being mommy's little helpers and never let them forget they are all your princesses.  I have 3 girls myself and I let them know daily they will always be my princesses.

Answer 6

Buy them some baby dolls, you know the ones that pee and eat fake food and burp and such, then tell them that you have a real one in your tummy, see how they like deing with their baby dolls and how they react when the baby doll cries and such!