For expectant moms, figuring out how to reveal a pregnancy to her loved ones has become something of a DIY project unto itself. Of course, a mom wants the way she delivers the news to be both creative and memorable. But sometimes — especially when she's making the big reveal to her children — things don't play out quite as she has expected. Hey, there's only so many things a mama can control!
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Breaking the news of a new baby can be hard. One would think that older kids would be thrilled to know that they are about to have a new little brother or sister … but no, they often get a little bit jealous. Which is why it's sometimes helpful to do something a little special to announce that a new baby is on the way, so that the day seems special and fun, and not like the beginning of the end. We found some mothers who were willing to share with us the interesting ways that they revealed to their kids that a new baby was coming. Some of their answers are pretty hilarious.
Here, 8 moms share how it all went down when they spilled to their older kids that a little baby brother or sister was on the way.
What's the best way to tell a child that they have a new brother or sister on the way?
Stork Visit
"My whole family — two sons, two stepsons, husband, and I — were all sitting down to dinner, and I brought out the dessert. It was a cake … and on the cake was a plastic stork, and the cake said, 'Surprise!' The boys said, 'What is this?!' But they quickly figured out what the stork meant … Our family was growing!"
New Year's Surprise
"It was New Year's Day when I found out, and I gave my partner a two-page note on how a great father he was and, at the end, it said, 'By the way, you're gonna be a daddy again … Happy New Year's!' I caught the whole thing on video, and after my partner read it out loud, it was quiet until our 5-month-old son said, 'Uh-oh!' He had never said it before so the timing was just perfect!"
The Big Hunt
"We did a special scavenger hunt for the gender reveal for the kids. They were so excited running all over the house to find the last card that would tell us if it was a boy or a girl!"
One Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words
"We took our daughters to an OB appointment, and this was our big 'reveal'!"
Let Me Tell You a Story ...
"My daughter was only 2. I told her by reading her books like There's a House Inside My Mummy by Giles Andreae and I'm a Big Sister by Joanna Cole."
The Box of Balloons
"It was a bit of surprise when I found out I was pregnant for the fourth time, but with three girls under 6, it was even more of a surprise when I found out I was having a little boy! I revealed the news by having my daughters all open a box filled with blue balloons!"
The Anticlimactic Reveal
"Ours was SO anticlimactic. We'd tried for almost five years to have another baby and thought it would never happen. Our son — who was then 5 — had asked a million times when he'd get a baby brother or sister, so when we finally knew we were going to give him one, we could NOT wait to tell him. When we did, he kind of smiled, said great, and then asked if he could go play. NOT the jumping, shouting, cheering we were expecting. I think it took a while to sink in."
Even Better Than Puppy Love
"My daughter was 6 at the time and had been begging for a puppy. When we found out, I set her down and gave her the bad news that she could not get a puppy. When she asked, 'Why not?' I told her that I was giving her a baby brother/sister instead! And she loves him so much more than a puppy!"
