We're having a baby
Duration/age
We're having a baby!
The announcement of a new baby is a very exciting time and will involve a lot of talking, planning and action for the whole family. Your child can also be involved in getting organised for the arrival of your newest family member.
Talk with your child about when the baby is expected to be born and what will happen to your body as the baby grows. You could mark important dates and milestones on the calendar and encourage your child to mark off each day as the milestones get closer.
The baby is going to be born in the summer. Summer is when the weather is hot.
There are lots of conversations your family can have when a new baby is coming. Will the baby be a boy or a girl? When the baby arrives how many people will be in your family? Where will the baby sleep? Will you need to buy new clothing and baby gear? Will you find out the gender of the baby before the big day?
The baby is going to be a girl. We only have boys in our family. She will be your little sister.
My tummy will grow so big that I'll need you to help me put my shoes on.
Alternative tools
- Calendar
Skills this activity improves
Why does this matter?
Including your child in conversations about the new baby helps them to develop language skills, ask questions and to explore the different ways we can use measurement.
When you talk to your child about the new baby and how they are growing you are helping your child to learn about measurement, size and the different ways we can compare measurements.
What does this lead to?
Exploring the different ways we can measure people or objects encourages children to problem-solve and to notice similarities and differences. When children can identify what is the same about someone or something they begin to generalise solutions and strategies from one event to another. This is the beginning of problem-solving.
Language to use
- Baby
- Growing, expanding
- Bigger, smaller
- Time, month, weeks, days, calendar, due date
- Gender, sex, boy, girl
- Measurement
- Family, brother, sister, mother, father
Questions to use
- Can you still see your feet if your tummy grows bigger?
- Do all families have more than one child?
Useful tips
- For more information about including a new baby in the family see Second baby from Child and Youth Health at www.parenting.sa.gov.au
- Child and Youth Health nurses can support you with different ways to include your child when the new baby arrives.
- Remember to talk to your child in your home language.
More ideas
- Use a calendar to set up a time line for the arrival of the baby.
- Show your child the photos from the ultrasounds. Use a ruler to work out how big the baby is.
Variation by age
Birth to two year olds
- Borrow books and stories about babies from the library.
- Encourage your child to wash and care for a toy doll.
Three to five year olds
- Ask your child to use a measuring tape to measure how big your tummy is growing.
- Make a book about getting ready for the new baby.
- Make a family tree with all the members of the family. Keep a spot free for the new baby.
- Make a list with your child of all the jobs they can help with to get ready for the arrival of the new baby.
