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Welcome, Babies!

Preparing Siblings for the Arrival of Twins

By Amy Carey

y important job of being a big brother and taking him to doctor appointments so he could hear the heartbeat," she says. "When we found out about having twins, we told him he was really lucky because most kids only get one new baby and he was getting two."

To make sure her son was adjusting to the idea of having two baby brothers, Kesselring bought three dolls: a larger one to represent Austin and two smaller "babies" to represent the twins. "We used the dolls to help Austin understand how small the new babies would be and how we would get the babies dressed, changed and fed," she says.

Elizabeth Lyons, an author who writes about parenting and twins, also bought a pair of baby dolls for her daughter, who was younger than 2 years old when her twin siblings were born. "I think the way in which you prepare a child for the birth of twin siblings depends on the older child's age and interest," Lyons says. "The parents can best gauge the child's enthusiasm for, or apprehension about, new babies and respond the best way they can through talking, sibling classes and getting the older child involved by letting him or her pick out clothes [or other items] for the babies."

If your child is old enough to attend appointments with your doctor, particularly appointments where you will receive a sonogram, actually seeing the babies "in person" can help him grasp the concept of twins. Remember to bring home a picture from the sonogram for younger children to see. Then add a few twin-oriented books to your reading material, such as Twin to Twin

Want to see more?

• One After Two: Getting Your Twins Ready for the New Baby
• Help Is on the Way: Getting the Support You Need to Raise Twins
• Two at Once: Becoming a Parent of Twins
• Talk about it!