Helping Your Toddler Adjust to a New Baby

Welcoming a second baby? This guide will help you prepare your toddler emotionally for the arrival of a new sibling with practical tips, honest advice, and gentle strategies that work.

Bringing a new baby into the family is a joyful time but for toddlers, it can also be confusing, emotional, and even scary. Helping them feel secure and included is one of the most powerful gifts you can offer during this transition.

Start Before the Baby Arrives:

• Talk about the baby in age-appropriate ways

• Read picture books about siblings

• Let them feel the baby kick or help pack the hospital bag

• Reassure them of your love with words and rituals

  
  

The Early Weeks – What Helps:

• Keep routines as consistent as possible

• Have one-on-one time daily (even 10 minutes matters)

• Ask for their help — bringing wipes, holding the nappy bin lid, or singing to the baby

• Acknowledge their feelings: “It’s hard to share mummy sometimes, isn’t it?”

  
  

Common Reactions and How to Support:

• Regression: Potty training setbacks, clinginess or night waking are normal. Meet them with calm.

• Jealousy or anger: Avoid shaming. Say: “You’re allowed to feel that way. Mummy still loves you just the same.”

• Acting out: Offer positive outlets for big feelings (art, movement, books)

  
  

Fostering Sibling Connection:

• Let your toddler “introduce” the baby to visitors

• Encourage soft touch and supervised cuddles

• Talk about “our family”, keep the language inclusive

  
  

Transitions are hard for little ones, but love, attention and patience go a long way. This season is tender, but it's also the beginning of a beautiful bond.

References:

• The Lullaby Trust: Sibling Adjustment After Baby

• Zero to Three: Preparing Your Toddler for a New Baby

• NHS: Parenting and Child Mental Health