Making The Transition From Only Child To Older Sibling + A Giveaway

This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of OshKosh B’gosh; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

It is getting to be back to school time and I am loving all the cute new kid styles that are hitting the shelves at OshKosh B’Gosh. Obviously Zoey isn’t heading to school anytime soon, but she has some big changes coming up. With this baby due in just six weeks I have a feeling her entire world is going to be shaken up in a way she can’t really comprehend. She has been excited about ‘baby brother’ from day one. She eagerly anticipates every ultrasound and has been there to hear the heartbeat at every appointment. She brings up baby brother and how much she loves him in her prayers before bed. She even thinks she is pregnant too and will complain of morning sickness and having to pee because “baby brother is kicking her”. She can’t wait to meet him.

At the same time with each new thing we bring home for the baby I can see her getting a little more protective of what is hers. She tries to fit herself into his bouncer and bassinet and even his clothes. The idea of anything belonging to him is hard for her to accept. With so many things being focused on him right now, I have been trying to do little things to make her feel special. These are a few things I have come up with to help make this transition from being an only child to an older sibling easier for her.

Talk, Talk, Talk

I have heard so many people say that you shouldn’t talk to your toddler about the new baby too much until it gets close to the date. It is hard for a young child to comprehend time, especially something so far away. I TOTALLY disagree with this! Zoey was the first one I told that I was pregnant and she immediately seemed to grasp the concept in a way I didn’t expect.

We have had so many conversations over the past few months about what it will be like when I have to nurse, or what baby brother will and won’t be able to do when he is born. We involved her in the process of choosing out his name, she helps me pick out clothes for him. I think this has really helped her feel a part of the process and get excited about the prospect of having another family member.

One thing Kris and I have both done is told her a simplified version of her own birth story. We tell her about how we felt like something was missing so we decided to have a baby. We tell her about how she grew in my stomach just like ‘baby brother’. She loves it when we tell her how tiny she was at first and compare it to something she understands, like an ant. And then we always tell her how much better are lives were after she was born and how important she is to us. I think talking is SO important in getting your child ready for the transition from only child to older sibling.

Buy Your Toddler Some New Things Too

For a toddler everything new is exciting. Zoey will drop all of her toys in favor of whatever is in my shopping bag. If it is new it is automatically more interesting. It is the same with the new clothes and gear you are bringing home for the babe. Zoey isn’t old enough to recognize that she already has ten times as much stuff as baby brother. All she sees is that he is getting new things and she is not.

Zoey had a huge melt down the other day when she couldn’t get her legs to fit into his newborn sized snowsuit. After that I decided to bring her out on a special shopping date and let her choose out some new things just for her. I went in with a $50 budget so that I knew there was a limit, but I also wanted her to feel like she had something comparable to the new dresser full of clothes for baby brother. We went into OshKosh B’Gosh and since it is back to school season they had tons of cute new styles.

Zoey especially chose out the most darling pair of “kitty-cat boots“. The rest of the things we picked were outfits I knew would match the boots. We ended up getting three complete outfits plus the boots to go with all of them all for $55 thanks to a 25% off coupon. You can use it too from now till September 31, 2016. Online use the code: OKBG3136 and in store use the code: O35822 or print this coupon.

Choosing out some new things for Zoey wasn’t a big deal for us, but it made a huge difference for Zoey. She loves what she calls her ‘Christmas shirt‘ and we made sure to tell her the outfits were special just for her and not for baby brother. I think it is really important for her to feel like she has some things that are just hers to help give some stability and security with the big changes coming up. I think this is especially important if you are getting ready to have a baby during other big life changes like back to school time.

Include Them In Your Birth Plan

Making a birth plan for your second child is a whole different ball game than with the first. You have to think about one other person other than yourself and the new babe. Obviously you will want to have someone you can call when you head to the hospital, hopefully someone your toddler is comfortable with and knows well. Other than that we have done a few things to include Zoey in our birth plan.

First of all we have explained to her how the day will go. We told her there will be a special day where mommy and daddy will go to the hospital and she will stay at home with her friend. We also told her that we might be at the hospital for awhile, but she will be able to have a fun party at home to celebrate the fact that baby brother is coming. We are going to get some treats and let her pick out some movies and crafts for the occasion. We also told her that when she comes to the hospital baby brother won’t be in my tummy anymore. We go over this plan with her at least once a week so it is something she is getting used to.

In the hospital we plan to have her come in to the room first and then have the nurses bring in the baby after we have had a chance to talk to her for a minute. We are going to have him come with a special gift for her, I still haven’t decided what this will be, but I would love it to be a unique bracelet or necklace, or even a cozy blanket that will feel extra special.

So obviously I haven’t had a second child yet, so I have no idea if all these things will really work or not. Pregnancy itself has been a transition for our family simply because of how sick I have been and doing little things like I mentioned above have made a world of difference for Zoey, so I am hoping it will help with the one to two child transition as well. For not even being three years old she seems to really understand the concept of having a sibling well and seems excited about the idea of having a baby brother. I will update you all on how the transition goes after he is born!

Are you getting ready to have baby number two? What did you do to help your child get ready to be an older sibling? Did you try anything I mentioned? What worked and what didn’t? I look forward to hearing from you guys!

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Outfit One: Top | Jeans | Boots | Outfit Two: Top | Jeans | Boots | Outfit Three: Dress | Boots | My Top: Pink Blush Maternity | My Jeans: AE | My Boots: Last Season (similar here, here, here)