well prepareing for a baby on my own was hard yet scary.but when the day came to have him Iwas releaved just to get it over with.and somehow when I knew I got preggo i somehow knew I would have to go threw it alone.
I just wanted to thank everyone for their advice. We are down to the wire as we are expecting our 3rd child in a few weeks. My kids are excited, my daughter knows whats happening and is already a big sister. My son who is 20 months will be interesting to see. He happens to love babies which is a good thing.
When preparing my daughter, for my son's arrival, we took her to my daughter's appointments and we took her with us when we had the sonogram. We also let her help decorate the babies room. We made her feel like she was a part of the process. She was allowed to ask questions to the doctor and was allowed to voice her concerns.
She adjusted very easily when he arrived.
one thing that's important is to let the other children be involved with the new baby and help you with getting ready for the new baby to come home they love helping so they don't feel left out, sometimes they get a little jealous of the baby if there involved it helps so that doesn't happen.
I think the best thing is to take an inventory of what you have, compare it to what you need then sign up for what you don't have at the local walmart or kmart or whatever store you can so everyone around you knows what you need. I did this with everyone of my children and I have five. If you already have children, you might want to start including them in the babies life even before it is born. This will give them security that you will still love them too. I honestly don't know what to tell you about preparing for the grandparents. What's sad, is I am fixin' to be a grandmother in just a couple of months. Crazy huh. Well good luck. I hope I was able to help.
I took my children to as many doctor appointments as I could. I gave them the ultrasound pictures to put in their photo album. I gave them $10 to buy a PRESENT for the baby. I bought a pack of diapers every week to be prepared. I also bought bottles, wipes, powder, etc. I spread it out over the weeks. It helped with managing money that way. I have 3 wonderful kids. It worked for me.
To prepare your kids with the arrival of a new baby, there are books out there you can get like " I'm a big sister" I'm a big brother" by Joanna Cole. Also "My New Baby" by Annie Kubler
You can get your kids involved too by helping decorate the baby nursery.
I agree with everyone else, I have five kids which include a set of twins and each birth was different and each home experience was different. The most important part is to include the other kids as much as possible. There are always surprises or adventures even if you do all the preparing in the world.
If it's your first baby, YOU need the preparation. If it's your second or more, your child needs some prep too. Make a big deal out of the older child being a new big brother/sister. You don't want the older child/ren to feel left out or cast aside. Have a 'Big Brother/Sister' shower, just like you had a baby shower. There are a million ways to make the older sibling feel involved, depending on their age/abilities. It's obvious you've given this some thought and it shows you care. That really is all that ultimately matters.
Different angles to address - Prepare you and your spouse, your house, your other kids. And of course, different answers to each. From which angle are you asking?
In preparation of my first child, i did extensive research online about what i needed to bring to the hospital and then a few weeks before I prepared my hospital bag. That helped ALOT on the day of labor. IPOD was the life saver as it took my mind away from the painful contractions. Also photos of loved ones helped too as a great distraction and pain reliever.
Other helpful preparations included cooking lots of meals and freezing them in advance. Stuff that froze and reheated well like macaroni cheese, lasagna, soups.
Okay, I have had 7 kids. I don't think you can really prepare. The thing with kids is that all are so different, from the way they are birthed to the way they are as individuals. Loving your other kids is the best thing-besides that you can only wait and see. The best made plans may or may not pan out. So don't worry about it. Enjoy life today. The fact that you are seeking answers shows you must really love your kids. And truly that is ALL they need and you to be prepared.
It is the same as you experience for the first child if you had 1st or 2nd child. I have 3 grown children and I have experience little bit differently from each child.
