There is a lot more to getting baby number one ready for baby number two than just asking the child, "How would you like to have a baby brother or a sister?"

Many of the steps that parents take before the baby arrives can do a lot to help the child at home adjust well to a sibling, says Dr. Lois Dusdieker, associate professor of pediatrics in the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. The stress of becoming a sibling might be lessened by teaching children ways of dealing with the changes before the newborn arrives, Dusdieker notes.

Depending on the age of your child, the following pointers may be useful to implement months before the baby arrives, suggests Gail Herzog, lead nurse in the Family Care Center Pediatrics Clinic.

• Involve the father in the child's daily activities. Your child will then be able to better tolerate less motherly attention during and after the arrival of the new baby.
• In advance, introduce your child to the person who will be caring for him or her while you're at the hospital delivering the baby. This can help to lessen family confusion and avoid adding more stress at the time of labor.
• Try to visit a friend who has a baby in her home and encourage talk about that baby.
• If your child is still using a crib, switch the child to a regular youth or twin bed several months before the new baby arrives. Convey your happiness about the child being a big boy or girl and not needing a baby crib anymore.
• If your child is ready to begin toilet training a few months before the new baby arrives, feel free to start the process. But do not attempt to begin the training the day you bring the new baby home. You will need time to continue assisting the child with toilet training, and time may be at a premium with a new baby.
• Encourage your child to help select a name for the new baby.
• Help your child practice feeding, diapering, holding and burping with a doll.
• Discuss the possibility of sibling visitation with your physician. This contact with the mother is especially important for the older child.
• Let your child accompany the new baby home from the hospital.
• You might want to consider giving your child a gift upon homecoming. Also, pick out a few small gifts for your older child to be given when relatives and friends bring only baby gifts to the house.
• Encourage your child to talk to and tell stories to the baby.
• Teach your toddler to touch the baby lovingly and gently.
• Be sure to spend special time with your older child if signs of jealousy or regression surface. Hug and kiss the child to reassure that you still love him or her.