How to Prepare Your Child to Attend a New Baby's Birth

Preparing Children to Be Present at the Birth of a Sibling

With family-oriented births becoming a priority for more and more women, the number of older siblings attending the birth of their new baby brothers or sisters is increasing. It can be a wonderful experience to participate in the arrival of a new sibling but children who will be present at a birth should have some preparation ahead of time. Here are midwife, doctor, and family approved tips for how to prepare your older children to be present at the birth of a new sibling.

Look through some graphic pregnancy books with your children.

You want to look through some anatomy pregnancy books with your child - books with detailed pictures or drawings in them as opposed to pregnancy books with just a bunch of words. Show them where the baby is and what will happen for the baby to come out. If you do not prepare the child for the birthing process and what it entails the surprise might upset them. With this little bit of visual preparation however most children have a very favorable response to being present at their sibling's births.

Take your children to a gym or weight-lifting club.

Let them watch some of the hard-core body builders. What do you notice about the weight lifters? Sweat on their faces. Grimaces and "funny" facial expressions. Grunts and groans and other vocalizations. Explain to your children that the body builder is working very hard to lift that large weight and it makes him feel better to make those noises. Then explain to them that when the baby is born you will be working very hard too and might make similar loud noises and funny expressions. Later, when you are in labor and are "working very hard", they will understand better and not be surprised.

Push the couch across the floor.