You just found out the exciting news. The positive sign on the pregnancy test is proof of the new addition to your family. Since this isn’t your first pregnancy, you can focus more on your expanding family.

How will your family adjust to the news? How will you tell them? Will they be happy or upset? These may be just some of the questions on your mind. With the proper preparation, your family will start to have fun with the idea of a new baby. 

When is a good time to tell your children? This depends on their ages. Children, age ten or older, are usually excited about bringing a new baby into the family. They understand the pregnancy will take nine months for the baby to develop and grow.

Children between the ages of five and nine will have a harder time comprehending that the pregnancy will take nine months. They will recognize that your body is changing and usually have many questions.

Children under the age of five usually aren’t capable of understanding that it takes nine months for the baby to arrive. You may want to wait until the second trimester to tell your children, especially very young children. This makes the waiting time a little shorter for them and gives you time to prepare for any questions they may come up with.

Regardless of the ages of your children, always be sensitive to their questions. Spend time together as a family to talk about their new sibling. Explain how you will be going through changes (both physically and emotionally) so they are not scared or worried if you experience morning sickness or other pregnancy symptoms.

Talking about feelings is very important. Ask your children how they feel about having a new sibling. Discuss with them that it’s all right if they feel scared or jealous. Try to find out why they feel this way and ease their concerns. Maybe they’re scared the baby will get all their toys. When you explain that the baby will have his or her own toys, your child’s fear should subside. It may also help to take your child shopping to help pick out new toys for the baby.

Go through pictures with your children when they were newborns. Explain the time and attention a baby requires. If your children show interest in helping you when the baby arrives, let them. It depends on their age to what they’re capable of doing but even a preschooler can get things for you such as diapers or help find a lost pacifier.

Getting the children involved with the pregnancy will help them to accept the arrival of the baby. Let them help pick out clothes, bedding and toys for the baby. Ask their opinions about themes, designs and colors for the nursery.

As your due date arrives, prepare the children for your hospital stay. Explain to them why you need to go to the hospital for the delivery. Tell them that you will be home in a couple of days and until then they can visit. When you pack your hospital overnight bag, pack their bags as well if they are staying at a relatives or a close friend’s house. Allow each child to select a small inexpensive gift for the baby such as socks or bibs. Give them paper to wrap the gift themselves to bring to the baby when they visit you in the hospital. You may also want to buy inexpensive gifts for each of the children from the new baby.

With a little preparation, your children will accept the new addition to your family with open arms.

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Your Independent Baby and Toddler guide.

From birth to one year your baby will go from crying to cooing to talking. Those are amazing milestones for your baby to accomplishment in such a short period of time as he develops his speech and language skills.

Keep in mind that these stages of your baby’s development are broad and that no baby will fall exactly within the timeframe of these expected milestones.

One month: Your baby will understand speech long before he begins to speak. From birth he will look at your face and listen to your voice. He will make a small range of noises that will start to mean something to you, such as his way of exhibiting hunger or pain. These noises will include crying and certain sounds that your baby makes while he is breathing. When your baby is feeding he will make sucking noises and sound of contentment.

Your baby’s cry is an important way for him to communicate. Crying lays the foundation for speech as your baby learns to control the air that comes from his lungs and learns how to use his vocal cords. Crying is your baby’s way of telling you that he is hungry, upset, or cold. By listening carefully to your baby and responding to his cries you are letting him know that he is important. This is how your baby first learns to communicate with you.

Two months: Your two-month old baby is starting to pay more and more attention to his world. He will be fascinated by the sound of your voice and will follow it around the room with great concentration. The different tones of you voice will keep him interested for short periods of time.

Your baby will respond with a variety of cooing sounds, vowel-like sounds, and sometimes some consonant sounds such as a “k”. You will find that your baby has quite a collection of cooing sounds that she uses to communicate with you as well as discover how to use the sound of her own voice.

Talk to your baby as much as possible to encourage her cooing response. Look directly into your baby’s eyes to show that you are listening. This helps to establish signals of communication between the two of you.

Three months: Your baby will recognize your voice and will turn towards you when he hears you talking. He will be starting to laugh out loud and will often startle himself until he learns that he is the one making the sound. Your baby will be making sounds such as “ahhhh gooo”. He will squeal when he is happy and content, again often startling himself as he learns his own abilities.

Continue to talk to your baby as much as possible, as well as sing to him and read him stories. The more you communicate with him and let him know that you are listening the more he will attempt to communicate with you.

Four months: Your baby is learning more and more ways to communicate with you. He will be smiling spontaneously at everything around him. His soft babbling will have an almost singsong sound to it, often ranging into a high pitch that delights him as he learns to like the sound of his own voice. There will be lots of repetition to the sounds that your baby makes.

Make sure that you respond to your baby’s “oohs” and “ahhs” with your own voice tones. This is your “chat time” with your baby and you should take advantage of these chatty times as he learns what conversation is all about. Your baby may also be starting to let you know when he’s not in the mood for talking with you. He will turn his head in the other direction and may put his arm over his face. He may be showing signs of anger or frustration by crying out, especially if something is taken away from him.

Five months: Your baby is becoming better at communicating. He may start to mimic sounds and gestures which allows him to express his needs. He’ll be able to let you know if he’s happy or sad. When your baby wants attention he’ll start to babble until you respond to him. If you respond to his cooing, laughing sounds he’ll repeat his noises often because he knows that he can get your attention this way.

Your baby will now be watching your mouth when you talk. If you talk to him from across the room he’ll be able to locate you easily. He is learning to control his vocal sounds as watches your response to his sounds.

Six months: Your baby is now using consonant-vowel combinations. He has discovered his image in the mirror and is probably having conversations with his new “playmate”. Your baby’s language is becoming much more precise. There are several ways that you can help him to continue to develop his language skills by:

• Speaking clearly, slowly, and accurately.�
   
• Identify objects as you say their names.�
   
• Use short sentences.�
   
• Use repetition when singing songs and nursery rhymes; the repetition will help him to learn.
• Read as often as you can to your baby, asking questions about the pictures in the books so that your baby is interacting with you.�
   
• Never talk “at” your baby, let him respond in his own way.

Seven months: Your baby continues to learn how to use his language skills. He has learned how to wave goodbye and may accompany his wave with babbling sounds. He can say “mama” or “dada”.

Eight months: Your baby is playing games such as pat a cake and peek-a-boo. Even though he can’t speak the words that belong to these games, he can babble and talk to himself. Your baby understands the word “no” means, even though he doesn’t like hearing them?

Nine months: Continue to play lots of games with your baby, especially those games that involve singing. Your baby is responding to small sentences, such as “Take mommy’s hand.”

Ten months: Your baby’s language skills continue to develop. He is using his own gibberish language to interact with you and have a conversation.

Eleven months: Your baby can now say short, one syllable words such as “bye” and continues to talk in his conversational gibberish language. There are several ways that you can help your baby as he learns and practices his language skills:

• Talk often to your baby using simple words to identify objects in his life. Name trees, numbers, colors, and animals as you take your baby for a walk. Use your baby’s name as often as you can so he starts to recognize it.
• Be patient and listen when your baby talks to you. Respond to his talk in a positive way, often repeating one or two of the words he has used correctly.�
   
• Introduce concepts to your baby, such as the “big” dog or the “little” mouse.�
   
• Give your baby time to get his words out; don’t be tempted to complete sentences for him.�
   
• Continue to read to your baby as much as possible. Reading should be part of your daily routine.

Twelve months: At the one year mark your baby’s language skills are continuing to progress as he discovers more and more about the world around him. Before you know it your baby will be talking non-stop as he masters his language and vocal skills.

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