What are you doing to prepare siblings? - Page 2 « Back to Group Discussions

[scruffy too]

Jordi - my DSS7 has decided he wants to name the baby "Larry" - we have no idea where that came from, but it's not gonna happen!!

We took him to the ultrasound this week.  He was good throughout (good = quiet.)  The baby wasn't in the best position, so there wasn't too much to see for him, but he liked seeing the spine and ribs (so did I!!!!!!!!!)

We have the book " What to Expect When the New Baby Comes Home" by Heidi Murkoff (co-author of "What to Expect When You're Expecting").  It's good for his age and maturity.  I found it was hard to get a book for age 7, seems like most are geared towards younger siblings.  My mom found 2 more books that look GREAT but they're not here yet.  I wasn't all for getting a book (nothing can replace old-fashioned communication) but it does serve as a starting point to further conversations.  And each page has little things to do to make it more real - like "ask mom or dad to show you the clothes you wore when you were a baby - aren't they small!" type thing.  So lots of talking about how he was when he was little (I don't know any of it, as I met him when he was 5) but his dad and him have really been bonding over it.

Spughy - his little world is going to change, too.  Only child of divorced parents who give him whatever he wants, whenever he wants.  His other aunts and uncles in town (both mine and his mom's siblings) don't have children.  He's not great at sharing the attention of anyone.

[firespiritmelody]

We've got several of the "What To Expect" kid's books and while I'm not a fan of the WTE pregnancy books, the kids books are pretty good. There are two baby ones - one for while mom is pregnant and the one for after the baby comes home. (There's also a preschool, doctor, dentist, play date and a few more). Nice graphics, easy to understand info, not overly mainstream (believe it or not lol)

[Bena]

Larry!!  That`s so funny!!!
 

[spughy]

So this morning DD and I were talking about names for the baby and I said that we would have two lists of names - one for a girl and one for a boy - and we would decide on a final name after the baby is born.  She wanted her submissions on the lists too.  "Twinkleberry Dewdrop" and "Cutie McWhiskers".

This is why we do not let siblings name babies.

(An aside story: when we used to go to our neighbourhood playgroup, there was a family there who had a 3-year-old who had just become a big sister.  She refused to accept that siblings do not get to choose names, and when people asked her what her new baby brother's name was, she told them it was Tico.  People bought it, because it doesn't sound that unusual and it's vaguely ethnic and the family was part Japanese and part something else, so it sort of fit.  The problem was that the baby's name wasn't actually Tico - it was something more boring like Robert.  Tico was the three-year-old's favourite character on Dora. But a lot of people went around calling the baby Tico until the mom was able to set them straight.)

[Chapsie]

My kids have a huge interest in anatomy and love looking at my "bone book" which is a textbook of mine from nursing school. They would rather me teach them about the human body through the "bone book" than read from a kids book.

Anyway, the last chapter of the text is about reproduction, so I showed them what a uterus with a baby inside looks like and explained birth in a very age appropriate way. I told them that when the baby gets big and strong enough, the mommy's tummy gives really big hugs to the baby and it squeezes the baby out the "gate" (cervix.). Then the baby comes out and cries. Sometimes it is uncomfortable for the mom to have all that squeezing going on, so she might roar like a dinosaur sometimes.

The kids thought this was hilarious and now my 2 year old walks around to random people and exclaims "mommies squeeze babies out their gates!" Hahahhaha!!!!

[akind1]

I am conflicted about taking my 3 year old - he is almost 3 - to the ultrasound. He did not do well at DD's a year and a half ago, and he is just as clingy now, but maybe he will get it? But part of me would like to not have to worry about it, and he can watch the DVD later.

[cabbitdancer]

lol Chapsie, that's great!