There’s no right or wrong time to have another baby. The age gap you leave between children is a matter of personal preference. A gap of two or three years will give you a chance to recover physically and get into your stride with your first child. Having two children in quick succession can be very tiring unless you have a lot of support, although the early years of interrupted sleep will be over sooner than if you space your children out. There’s no evidence to suggest that children born closer together will necessarily get on better than those born, for example, five years apart. However, they may be able to play together earlier and share friends and interests.

Once you begin to obviously show, explain to your child in simple terms how a new baby is growing in your tummy and that it will be a brother or sister for him. Let your child feel the baby kicking inside you and encourage him to talk to your bump. Try to move your older child to his own bed well before the baby arrives so that he doesn’t feel resentful at having to give up his space. Make moving into his new room a really exciting occasion. Get him involved with choosing the decorations and accessories, such as duvets and pictures. However, don’t force the issue – move him only when he’s ready. Read a book together about how a new baby is born: it may help him understand what is going to happen. Go shopping together to pick some clothes for the newborn. Let him feel he is helping with the preparations. Make sure that when your older child comes to see you and the new baby in hospital your arms are empty and ready to give him a cuddle. When your baby is born, let your older child give him a ‘welcome to the family’ present; likewise your baby should ‘give’ the older child a present to say hello. Help your child to welcome his new sibling by getting him to paint a picture to put on the nursery wall.

Make sure your older child has his own bed well before the baby arrives so that he doesn’t feel resentful at having to giveup his space