MODERN MUM: How to prep your kid for prospect of sibling

I didn’t think this was applicable on my three-year-old son until he was much older, but I accidentally stumbled on the philosophy and I have been applying it ever since.

My paediatrician's building stands out in the town. It's right by the road, and it’s a brick-coloured building that is one of the oldest in town. As we drove past it one morning, my son pointed at it and said, “This is the doctor’s office.” I decided it was the moment to bring up something that had been causing me distress. I said “Yes, that is the doctor’s office. We are going to go next week and see the doctor.”

My son hates doctors. Since he was a baby, he would just panic during check-ups and flinch when he was touched. We had a big annual check-up coming up, and as the last one was a complete fiasco, the thought of going back made me a nervous wreck.

Since that day, I made sure to repeat the topic of the upcoming check-up with him almost daily, and to our wildest surprise, that was the easiest doctor’s visit we had in years.

It was an eye-opening moment for me. I understood that even though my kid is young and he would act like he didn’t understand me at times, he actually did process more information than we gave him credit for. I learnt that if I keep bringing up certain topics with him, he will internalise the information and eventually understand it. 

As a result, I find myself bringing up topics that would normally be ‘heavy to understand’ for small kids by simplifying them and repeating them as often as I feel necessary.

The idea of having a sibling is strange to most children. One day they are home alone, the next day there is a wailing baby in the house that cannot be returned.

Ever since we found out we are expecting a sibling for my son (I know, right), we shared the news with the nonchalant big brother. I found that repeating the idea of having a baby in the house for many months has finally made my son understand the concept of having a younger sibling in the house. How he will react to it in person remains a mystery, but I can’t say he will be surprised.

Lately I have been reiterating the fact that mummy will be gone for a few days to fetch the baby from the hospital in an attempt to ready him for my absence when hospitalised after childbirth.

Although I understand that it might be difficult for him to accept the reality at the time, I believe he will find solace in knowing that he heard about mummy’s absence for a while. A sort of preparedness, if you will.