• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
    • Meet Tara
    • Contact
    • Disclosure
    • Family Photography
    • PR & Advertising
    • Privacy Policy
  • CRAFT
    • Edible Food Crafts
    • Fabric Crafts
    • Home Decor
    • Kids
    • Papercrafts
    • Party DIY
    • Printables
    • SVG Cut Files
    • Wearables
  • PARTY
    • Baby
    • Birthday
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Father’s Day
    • Halloween / Fall
    • Mother’s Day
    • Patriotic / Summer
    • School / Grad
    • Sports
    • St Patricks Day
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine’s Day
    • Wedding
  • Home
    • Basement / Garage
    • Bathroom
    • Bedroom
    • Entryway
    • Kitchen
    • Living Room
    • Office
    • Outdoors
  • LIFE
    • Blog Life
    • Favorite Products
    • Organization
    • Parenting
    • Travel
Spot of Tea Designs

Spot of Tea Designs

How We Prepared Our Toddler For A New Baby

in Lifestyle, Parenting

DISCLOSURE: Some of the links in this post contain affiliate links. Know that I only promote products I personally use and stand behind. To learn more about my affiliates, please review my disclosure policy here.

We found out we were expecting a new bundle when my first daughter was about 15 months old. In those next 9 months she had a lot of growth as an individual, but I did not expect her to understand or become totally prepared for what a new baby in HER life actually meant. During those 9 months, we subtly spend time trying to prepare our toddler for a new sibling.

How we prepared our #toddler for a #newborn sibling. #baby | spotofteadesigns.com

Here are a few things we did before she arrived and upon her initial meeting to help acclimate our girls as siblings.

During Pregnancy

Handmade baby burp cloths as demonstrated by toddler baby doll play | spotofteadesigns.com

  • Bought a baby doll and encouraged real baby scenarios – When we found out we were having a girl, I got her a You and Me brand girl doll with eyes that opened when sitting up and closed when laying down. It made sucking motions when drinking from the attached a bottle, burped, cried, cooed, said mama and laughed. Brielle was in love since the car ride home appropriately naming her “baby”. She continued to practice taking care of baby by using a burp cloth (as seen when practicing with Elizabeth’s beautifully handmade ones), feeding her, reading to her and pushing her in the toy shopping cart! I made sure to practice lots of real life situations so she’d understand that a baby may do these actions in real life and it wasn’t such a surprise.
  • Read Big Sister books. She loves books as we’ve made reading part of our nighttime routine before bed. She always seems to have some favorites and wants at least one in bed at night so she can sit up and read it to her plush Elmo toy.  I bought her a few big sister/new baby books that we mixed into the routine of her other favorites.

How to prepare a toddler for a new baby | spotofteadesigns.com

  • Pointed out and interacted with babies we were around. There were babies at our music class, little ones she saw in other classrooms at school and ones always being walked at the mall or at the park with older siblings. Every baby was subject to a “hi baby” interaction with a little wave. Finally when we were around my newest nephew, she was able to touch and interact with one of these little beings, learning what “gentle” meant and how to cater to his immediate needs (which she always felt was a clean mouth and pacifier in).

How to prepare a toddler for a new baby - let them be in the weekly photos | spotofteadesigns.com

  • Let her be involved in the weekly photos. As you know, I’m really into before and after photos and love to see progression. I LOVE that I have a weekly documentation of my growing belly when pregnant with Brielle and have done my best to capture as many weekly photos during this pregnancy as we can. (ok so it was more like every other week as our weeks seemed so much more busy!) When we brought the camera out, she knew exactly where we planned to stand and was usually interested in being captured in this weekly milestone. My favorites are the ones where she’s interacting with my growing belly, which she always pointed to and say “baby!”

Under the Sea #Nursery | spotofteadesigns.com

  • Allowed her in the baby’s room and to see/touch the baby’s stuff. Like any nesting mom, I’ve been working to get the nursery and prepping baby materials to get ready for her arrival for months. We didn’t put this space off limits to Brielle but instead allowed her to come in and explore the nursery to see all the new items bring brought out of storage. (UPDATE: you can see the Under the Sea baby nursery here!)

At The Hospital

Meet Baby Hailey, the newest contributor for Spotofteadesigns.com

  • Don’t have mom or dad hold the baby when the toddler arrives but instead of her resting in the hospital crib for that first glimpse.
  • Use the phrase “your baby” telling the toddler the baby is theirs and claim ownership of their new sibling.
  • Have a gift ready for baby to give to the big sibling so they feel welcomed.

Need some advice on surviving the first few weeks with a new baby and a toddler? I have some tips!

Tips to surviving the first few weeks with a new #baby and #toddler. #parenting advice | spotofteadesigns.com

Save

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit

Related

in Lifestyle, Parenting # second time mom

Spotofteadesigns.com Signature Design showing ways to socially follow this DIY/Parenting blogSpotofteadesigns.com Signature showing how to follow on twitter. Username: spotofteadesignSOTD2019SignatureFollow4FacebookSpotofteadesigns.com Signature showing how to follow on pinterest. Username: spotofteadesignSpotofteadesigns.com Signature showing how to follow on instagram. Username: spotofteadesignsSpotofteadesigns.com Signature

Reader Interactions

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Meet Tara

You can probably find me in my craft room, in front of a computer or behind the camera lens.
LEARN MORE

EMAIL NEWSLETTER SIGN UP

Sign up and be the first to know about new posts filled with printables, svg cut file designs and gift ideas!

Privacy Policy

HALLOWEEN

DIY Rain Cloud Costume using Poly-Fil from @FairfieldWorld | spotofteadesigns.com
Goonies Halloween Party - Unique Dessert Table that features movie Easter Eggs | spotofteadesigns.com
Spooktacular Teacher Halloween Thank You Tag and Gift Idea | Spotofteadesigns.com
Broom Hair Don't Care Halloween T-shirt using SVG and Siser's Vernice HTV | spotofteadesigns.com
Group Halloween Costume - Prison Inmates and Prison Guards | spotofteadesigns.com
Shop the Spot of Tea Designs Amazon Store front | spotofteadesigns.com

Amazon Associates Disclosure

Tara Nehil is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

LATEST GRAMS

POV: You grew gourds in your garden all summer so POV: You grew gourds in your garden all summer so you can say you spent $0 on your front porch decor. 
.
.
.
#spotofteadesigns #vegetablegarden #homeground #backyardgarden #hellofall #frontporch #porchdecor #falldecor #gourds #pumpkins
Homemade Zombie Party Treats: 💀 Brain cupcakes Homemade Zombie Party Treats:
💀 Brain cupcakes (just use a small piping tip to draw the pattern)
💀 Forked Eyeballs (donuts, chocolate candy and red icing)
💀 Mini Graveyard (Oreo cookie and chocolate pudding dirt cake with cookie gravestone)
💀 Cup of Eyes (red jello with plastic ball accessory)
💀 Bonus: Turn a thrifted doll toy into a unique candy bowl. (Scroll to see what it was before!).
.
.
.
#spotofteadesigns #zombieparty #halloweenparty #halloweentreat #halloweendessert #trickortreat #sugarhigh #desserttable #makersgonnamake #craftersgonnacraft #thrifted
Do you have someone in their field hockey era in y Do you have someone in their field hockey era in your house, too? Her first game is tomorrow, so it's the perfect time to bring back this svg cut file design. Grab it in my etsy shop and craft one up on a t-shirt or long sleeve with any @sisernorthamerica heat transfer vinyl!
.
.
.
#spotofteadesigns #sotdsvg #fieldhockey #svgcutfile #cricutcreated #cricutcrafted #heattransfervinyl #siserna #craftersgonnacraft #makersgonnamake
Part 3: Update on the harmless prank of hiding 100 Part 3: Update on the harmless prank of hiding 100 tiny plastic frogs in my parent's house: They have found 73 at our last count. 
.
Note: no small kids or pets live or visit this home!
.
Comment FROG if you want a link to do this with your family or friends! 
.
.
.
#spotofteadesigns #prank #favoritethings #hiding #parents #jokes #houseguest
My blog turns 15 next month and I have lots of yea My blog turns 15 next month and I have lots of years sharing past homemade Halloween costumes, including all the ones we've done for the softball teams! 
.
Here are a few, which I either step out or provide free svg cut files to recreated them over on my blog.
.
Leave a comment if you need a direct link to one of the tutorials of the costumes shared!
.
.
.
#spotofteadesigns #sotdsvg #svgcutfile #handmadehalloween #cricutmade #cricutcreated #vinylallthethings #halloweencostume #softballlife #softballmom #craftersgonnacraft #makersgonnamake
If you can knot friendship bracelets, you can do m If you can knot friendship bracelets, you can do macrame. 
.
Find all the details for these particular knots and this frame project over on the @custompictureframes blog!
.
.
.
#spotofteadesigns #getcustomframed #diyframe #walldecor #weddinganniversary #macrame #craftersgonnacraft #makersgonnamake
Follow on Instagram
2025 © Spot of Tea Designs
made by soulmuse