Finding out that you are expecting baby number two is a truly joyful occasion. This is familiar territory and while it still feels daunting there is a certain element of confidence because you have done this before. Aside from the initial pregnancy reaction the next thought for a lot of parents tends to be concerned with how this experience will affect their first child. Until now they have been the centre of your universe. You can’t help but feel like you are changing the world as they know it and with that comes a strange sense of guilt. You know you are giving them the gift of a sibling and a friend for life but there is a huge amount of anxiety associated with how much upheaval the new arrival will bring to their little world. 

There are some things that you can do to help your child feel special when the new baby comes along. There are gestures and ideas that will help them associate this time with happiness. A couple of them require a bit of planning so we would love for you to share them with your pregnant friends, sisters and work colleagues. Making this feel like a positive time for all family members is really important for the overall harmony that we all strive for. 

Even though your child is very young it could be sweet to let them play an important part in some of the decisions that you make during pregnancy and beyond. Asking their opinion on names, travel systems and nursery colours is a great way to make them feel like their thoughts play an important role in the family. They will never forget the feeling of being trusted and needed in the lead up to the baby arriving. 

Offering your first born a gift from the new baby is a really lovely idea. Let’s face it – children love presents and to associate that surprise with the new baby is a really powerful way of kickstarting that initial bond. Keeping it as a surprise is a nice touch also as if they know it’s coming they are likely to ask about it thirty times a day. Imagine a four-year-old asking you daily if the baby is coming today with their present? 

We also love the idea of flipping the gift idea on it’s head and encouraging your first born to give the baby a gift when they arrive. Is there a teddy or book that could be placed in the baby’s nursery as a little home-coming gift? Talking about how happy the baby will be to have this special gift from their older sibling will make them feel special. Believe it or not you will already be manifesting that sibling love and care that will come to be something you are most proud of. 

When the baby arrives a lot of parents like to ensure that the first person who meets the baby is their older sibling. Every time that you look back on those photographs of that precious first meeting it will be a reminder of a really special experience. It will serve as a reminder that from day one your firstborn was a really important piece of the puzzle and their baby sibling could not wait to meet them.