We told DS (26 months) last night that there was a baby in my belly and he didn't seem too interested. We told him during a bath, which was probably a mistake b/c he's super preoccupied in there. Since then I've asked if he wants to say "hello" or "good morning" to the baby in my belly. He says something nice and pats my stomach, and carries on. I thought of telling him the baby was responsible for my morning sickness, but I didn't want to assign the baby a negative connotation. (DS often sits next to me in the bathroom when I'm getting sick - he'll pat my head and ask "mama okay?" (heart) ). DS loves babies and sometimes pretends to be a baby, so I'm guessing he'll get more interested as I expand and we feel outside kicks.
I think DH was expecting a big reveal. Fortunately, I had measured expectations - heck, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny took a few stories and discussions for him to embrace them.
Post by karinothing on Apr 1, 2016 12:14:52 GMT -5
We told DS at 3.5. He got it then and pretty much just started laughing and jumping up and down. Then proceeded to talk about the baby for the next 6 months. One of my favorite memories is every night he would come and lay his head on my stomach and "listen" to the baby and tell him how much he loved him.
I think it has to do with age of your older kid. I think at 26 months it is a pretty abstract concept.
DD was almost 18 months old when we had DS, when she was like 15 months we would ask her where her brother was and she would kiss my belly or say hi to it but I don't know that she really GOT it until he was here. We are excpeting again and she's almost 2 1/2, she gets it now, she says the baby is a girl and named the baby Bella (we don't know what we are having yet but she doesn't care.) Today she told me how she wants to buy the new baby a toy like Doc McStuffins bought a new toy for her sister. Her brother just turned 1 and is clueless.
We did like Vicmo. Watched Daniel tiger. Got a book on being a big sister. Now that baby is here I think she gets the concept that mommy had a big belly and then baby sister was born. But then last night she told us she was in daddy's belly. We tried to explain only mommy has babies but I don't think she gets it.
She does however understand that baby sister is ours and isn't going anywhere. So I guess that's good.
We told him shortly after he turned 3, and it seemed like he got it. I was disappointed that he wasn't more excited when we found out it was a girl - but he said he was having a baby sister from the second we told him, so...
He will ask me at least 1x per day "is it July yet?" because he knows the baby is coming in July.
Post by crispnclean on Apr 1, 2016 12:48:42 GMT -5
DS is 2.5 and either still doesn't get it, or is just in denial. No matter how many times I tell him there's a baby in my belly and he's going to have a little sister, he tells me that no, it's a _______ (dog, truck, train). We watch TV shows where the character gets a baby sister or brother and read books about it and I try to discuss it with him. I'll say, "You're going to have a little sister just like Daniel Tiger!" and he basically just ignores me. So I'm thinking he isn't going to get it until the baby is born and then he'll be in for a rude awakening. haha
After we watched a couple Daniel Tiger episodes DD seemed to get it. She was about 26 months. Now she's 28 months and she told me the other day that my belly is fat because of thr baby in there.
DD is two and doesn't get it. Like, she points to my stomach and says baby but then points to her stomach and h's stomach and says baby too. We have been reading some big sister books this week and she does love babies so I'm hoping she puts two and two together.
She has been rummaging around the baby clothes and putting her dollies in the swing that I set up for a while now.
Mine was 3. For a long time he thought the baby was in *his* belly. Now he knows it's in mine but he's never tried to talk to him or anything. He just asks when the baby will get here.
We watched the Bubble Guppies baby episode last night and so now he's obsessed with Mommy going to the hospital. I heard him talking about it over the monitor last night after we put him to bed.
DS will be three in 3 months and it seems like he gets it. Something that I think helped him - I showed him the picture of me on the way to the hospital so he could see what my belly will look like before the baby comes, and then showed him pictures of himself as a newborn so he could hopefully make a connection. I think it helps that I'm pretty visibly showing right now and he can see that my belly is already bigger. He keeps saying things like "baby's growing and then baby will come out" so I think it clicked?
Not until I was really showing, close to age 3. And even then he didn't ever show excitement or anything- I don't think he fully understood that a new person was going to live with us.
And baby is almost 4 months old and most of the time he doesn't really care, unless I am feeding him and he himself wants something. Then he wants me to put him down.
Post by teatimefor2 on Apr 1, 2016 13:12:46 GMT -5
Congratulations! I missed your announcement! How far along are you? I'm thrilled for you. My son was just two when DS2 was born, but we didn't really start discussing with him until I was bigger; maybe 20 weeks. He was about 20 months and it took a little while for him to get it. I don't think he fully got it until DS2 was actually here.
We told DD1 at 2.5 and she DGAF. Around 2.75 (third tri) we really played it up and she got into it. She loves her role as big sister.
This legit made me LOL at work. I love all these stories, so cute and interesting. I need to buy a book and watch a video or two.
We got some books but a key has been her looking through her baby album. She is obsessed and wants to look at it every single day, multiple times. She doesn't actually get that the baby in the photos is her.
DD3 is 23 months and she says "Baby" and "I see belly?" And she will kiss my belly. She notices more now that I am showing and she loves the US pictures we have on the fridge. The tech gave her two of her own yesterday and she carried them around. I don't think she will really understand until her sister is born. DD2 was 19 months when DD3 was born and had no clue, she was more obsessed with my big water cup at the hospital than her baby sister.
DS is 21 months and has no freaking idea. Sometimes we'll ask where baby sister is and he'll hug my belly. Other times he points to my boob. And still other times he lifts up my H's shirt to look for her.
We watch the Daniel Tiger baby episodes occasionally and he has a big brother book. But I don't anticipate him understanding any of this for a while.
Post by winemaker06 on Apr 1, 2016 21:17:05 GMT -5
At first he had no clue. Then you'd ask him about the baby, and he said there was a baby in HIS belly, or daddy's belly too. Would even lift his shirt and all to show the baby.
Then he has been saying the baby is my boobs, which is really random. He used to kiss my belly occasionally. Then started pointing to my boobs, saying that's where the baby is, and trying to kiss them too. Weird, but pretty funny!
Now just this week, at 25 weeks, DS has finally started pointing out my belly and saying, my baby sister! When he's not pointing at my boobs ;-) and he's started laying on my belly and saying 'night night' so I guess it's a good pillow now
I think J understands there's a baby growing in my uterus. She tells people she's going to be a big sister. She has talked to/sang to the baby. She'll be 3 next month.
DD was just shy of 2 when we told her and was 2.5 when DS was born. Over the course of the pregnancy, she started to get it. She would talk to my belly and put a doll in her shirt and tell me she had a baby in her belly like Mommy. By the time he was due, she was practicing meeting him in the hospital and introducing herself (...my favorite video I've ever taken of her).
Like everything, this is so child specific. DS is the age now that DD was when I was pregnant with him, and if I told him the same things I told her, he would have absolutely no clue what I was talking about.
I got pregnant when DS was 15 months and he was the first one to know lol. Probably around 17 months/10 weeks pregnant he started spontaneously kissing my belly whenever he saw it. If you ask him where the baby is he points to my belly. When we found out it was a girl, we told him her name was Caroline and within a week if you asked him where Caroline was he would point to my belly. Now, at 22 months and I am almost 33 weeks he will hug and kiss my belly. If I tell him something is his sister's he will lift up my shirt and try to show her through my belly button lol. He will also push on my belly and go "Caroline!, Caroline!" to try and maker her move.
That being said, I am 95% certain that he has no clue that there is an actual baby in there. He points out babies wherever we go and I have tried to tell him that his sister will be a baby like that when she is born but I am pretty sure he has no clue what is coming.
She actually "knew" about it pretty early. She asked me one day if there was a baby in my belly totally unprompted.
Now, I'm 35 weeks and she's 3.5 years old. She's very concious of her baby brother, his room, how he's using her old crib, etc. yesterday she hauled a bunch of books into his room so that he'd have books.
DD knows there's a baby in my tummy and that she will have a baby brother, but I'm not sure that she's "getting it" completely (or that she ever will, until he's here). She likes to give him hugs by hugging my belly and talks about how she will change his diaper and "make him go night night" when he's here. She also has opinions on his name (she thinks he should be called Tiger and insists that "it's not a weird name"). It took a month or two of talking about it a lot before she got that far though.