The best advice I was given for preparing my toddler for the arrival of her baby sister is to not talk about it straight for nine months. Of course, she saw my growing belly, but we really focused on enjoying having our toddler as an only child for a while and spending time with her. When it got closer to my due date, about a month out, we started reading a great book for toddlers called, "Waiting for Baby." We read that every night. Another great piece of advice I got was to make her feel proud and give her a sense of ownership for her role as the big sister. We got a present from the baby sister to the big sister to give to her in the hospital. We had the big sister pick out a present for the little sister at the same time. It's also really important to recognize that there will be moments of jealousy and there will be tears. It's okay to let your toddler know that this is the new reality.