How to prepare 1 yr old for new baby?

Question

I will have a 14 month old when our new baby comes. 
He is turning 1 this week, he is very baby. He doesn’t say any words yet, maybe understands 20 words (but that is being generous). He crawls fast and cruises. He is pretty “destructive” but with good intentions- he is absurdly strong and breaks everything. We try to practice “soft pats” but he is 1 so he doesn’t know his own strength. 
I was wondering if there is anything I could do to help prepare him for the new baby. I was thinking about using a baby doll to help him practice being gentle and putting out her pack n play early so he can learn to not cruise on it. Any other ideas?

Answer

Baby doll is a good idea. 
He is going to hit the new baby. Don’t freak out and punish him. It’s all confusing for him. Mama of 7 here. I’ve had all my kids 12-15 months apart.

Answer

My kids have the same age difference. I made a mistake of listening to others' advice and made a big deal about it. Showed him lots of books, talked about it a lot, made a big deal about him being a big brother etc. It backfired. I think it just put more pressure on the situation. For my next 2 pregnancies I pretty much didnt discuss it much. I let them know the basics that a baby was coming and explained that babies cry etc but reassured them of all the things that would stay the same and otherwise just carried on. If they saw baby supplies or the crib I would just say 'yup this is for the baby just like you had' and moved on. They adjusted much better.

Answer

A baby doll is a good idea. Model of to interact with baby. Maybe a couple books about babies. But honestly he’s still a baby and there’s not much you can really do. He is still going to be a rough and tumble toddler.

How to prepare 1 yr old for new baby?

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