How to Announce a Pregnancy to Older Kids

When you first get those positive test results, it may be exciting to anticipate your new family member. How and when you announce the impending arrival depends on the age of your older children. Months and months of pregnancy stretching out from the announcement may be difficult for young children to understand, so they might fare better if you put off sharing the news. Make the announcement memorable to share the joy with your family.

Instructions

    • 1

      Gather the kids around when the whole family has some time to spend together without distractions or time constraints.

    • 2

      Smile and tell the children in a warm and confident voice that in a few months, you'll be adding a new baby to your family. Very young kids might need a little further explanation, such as, ̶0;Mommy has the new baby in her tummy.̶1;

    • 3

      Allow your kids to react to the news in their own fashion. Some children might feel eager and excited, but others might not respond with such enthusiasm, cautions Phyllis J. McCarthy, author of ̶0;What to Expect During Pregnancy.̶1; Try not to take a negative reaction personally and give your children time to accept the idea of a new baby entering the picture.

    • 4

      Answer questions, if your kids ask. It̵7;s common for a child to approach this type of event with concerns about how it will impact her directly. You might hear questions about where the baby will sleep, who will drive the older children to school and if the baby will play with big-kid toys.

    • 5

      Share details of your anticipation so that each of your older children can understand what a special time pregnancy is for a family. Talk about special memories you have as a family and encourage your kids become excited about the new arrival, explaining that you will continue to make these memories as a family -- with one new member.

    2. Previous:

    Next:

    • Support Teams for New Parents
        A strong support network is important for new parents. Heres some advice to help ensure youre surrounded by a supportive team to help you become the parent you want to be. For many parents, the primary source of support is their partner.
    • Eating Together?
      My son is just a few weeks old now. Before his birth, it was difficult to imagine life as a new parent. Three weeks in, I can say parenthood is humbling. Despite the prenatal classes and advice of friends, family and complete strangers, I feel very
    • Options for Gay & Lesbian Couples to Have Children
      Many people long to raise children, and gay and lesbian couples are no exception. According to a 2007 Urban Institute study, 52 percent of gay men and 41 percent of lesbians want to have children. Unfortunately, biology prevents gay and lesbian coupl