Gupshup with Laddoo PODCAST | Ep. 3 – Preparing Laddoo for the arrival of her sibling

Our lives are going to change in the next couple of weeks. Even though Laddoo has been aware of this since the very beginning, the idea of having a baby in the house is vastly different than actually having one. And while nothing can really prepare her (or us) for the actual change in our lives, the best we can do is mentally prepare her for this, in as much detail as possible.

So around 10 days ago, I sat her down and had a detailed conversation with her about:
▪️ How I will be away from the house for a few days and that I will come back
▪️ How we’re going to make sure she’s happy when I’m not around
▪️ Her role as a big sister
▪️ That the new baby will be tiny and delicate
▪️ Dos and Don’ts with the new baby (don’t want the over-enthusiastic, well-meaning big sister to accidentally feed the baby something they’re not supposed to have)
▪️ Letting her know that she’s going to be an amazing big sister and that the baby is lucky to have her.

Of course the conversation gets derailed multiple times. Things like her stuffed toy – Zoey, the cat – needing to go to the vet because her stuffing is starting to come out, or that she needs to do her HOMEWORK of all things, are also a part of the conversation. I did not discourage that because I really wanted her to be interested in what I wanted to talk about. Instead, I kept bringing the conversation back to the intended topic.

But she also said sweet things like she’s going to rock the baby to sleep, feed the baby milk in a bottle, sing to the baby (she’s going to make the songs ‘softer’ for the baby – you have to hear it to know what she means), and tell the baby lots of stories!!

Suffice to say she’s taken it well, and seems to be prepared – as prepared as a four and a half year old can be. At this juncture, I can rest assured that there’s one less thing for me to worry about. But we’ll see when the baby’s actually here. I might have to have more conversations with her about this, and I really don’t mind because if nothing else, it’s fodder for Gupshup with Laddoo, LOL!