Announcing a pregnancy is a fun and exciting event, no matter how many times you have been pregnant. When you have an older child, your little helper can have fun and feel very special in helping to announce your news. Whether you actively involve your older child or not, here are some exciting and unique ideas on how to announce a second pregnancy.

• Involve your older child if you can! It will make him or her feel very special and important.

• If you don’t like any of the ideas listed here, you can always announce a second pregnancy as you would a first pregnancy—your family and friends are sure to be excited and happy for you regardless of how you break the news.

As with any pregnancy, you will want to consider the timing of your announcement. Unlike your first pregnancy, you will also want to consider your older child and most likely share the news with him or her before announcing your pregnancy to the rest of the world. Then you will want to consider whether your older-sibling-to-be will help in the announcement or not. Then just pick your favorite idea for sharing your big news and have fun with it!

When is the “right” time to announce a second pregnancy? Many couples choose to wait until after 8 weeks, the entire first trimester, or even longer in case of early complications or miscarriage. Others tell everyone they know right away, so they will have an informed support system if something does go wrong. http://www.wikihow.com/Announce-Your-Pregnancy Whenever you and your spouse are comfortable sharing your good news is the right time for you. However, one thing to consider is telling your oldest child first so he or she can get excited and ask any questions before your pregnancy becomes common knowledge.

Most people involve their older child when they announce a second pregnancy. This makes the announcement fun and special for the whole family. http://pregnancy.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Pregnancy_Announcement If, however, your older child is not able to talk yet, there are many cute ways for him or her to help. You will also want to consider your older child’s feelings, particularly if he or she is much older. They may be feeling left out, or feel like they are losing their special place in their parents’ hearts. Make sure to talk to your older child and calm any fears or concerns before you announce a second pregnancy.

Once you have talked with your oldest and decided on the right time frame, now comes the fun part! The following ideas are all cute ways to announce a second pregnancy to friends and family:

1. One of the most popular ways to announce a second pregnancy is with a t-shirt, especially if the first child cannot talk yet. Many children's stores carry shirts that say, “I’m the Big Brother” or “I’m the Big Sister.” There are also a number of websites which allow you to custom design a shirt, or you could purchase iron-on letters from a craft store and make it yourself. The shirt could have “I’m Going to be a Big Sister” or “Big Brother” on the front, and the month and year of the due date on the back. http://www.mamapedia.com/article/announcing-a-second-pregnancy You can let your child wear the shirt to a family event, or they could wear it under a nicer, long sleeved shirt. When it is time to eat, you can tell your child to take the shirt off so it doesn’t get messed up, then everyone will see the announcement.
2. Again, if your older child can’t talk yet, and is still in diapers, you can write in big letters on the front of her diaper “I’m going to be a BIG sister,” and then ask a friend or relative to change her diaper. http://www.mamapedia.com/article/announcing-a-second-pregnancy
3. If your older child is talking, wait until a special family gathering, then have your child go around and whisper a “special secret” to each person in the room. http://pregnancy.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Pregnancy_Announcement
4. If your oldest likes to draw pictures, have him or her draw a picture of the family, including the new baby, then explain the picture to grandparents, relatives and friends, explaining who everyone in the picture is. http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-life/emotions/best-ways-to-break-pregnancy-news
5. When you go to a family dinner or gathering, offer to bring the dessert. You can make a cake and have your older child help you, if possible. You can decorate the cake with a stork or baby theme and write “We’re Expecting” on it. Then keep the cake covered until dinner time, and uncover it when you want to make your big announcement. http://www.mamapedia.com/article/announcing-a-second-pregnancy
6. If your older child is having a birthday or a big holiday is coming up, take advantage of the occasion to announce a second pregnancy. When people ask what he wants for gifts, you could email a link to a book about becoming a big brother and say something like, “I think this would be a good present for Joey.”
7. Wait until after the first ultrasound so you have a picture to share. Then you can either show photos of your oldest child, or make a scrapbook. On the last page or toward the end of the pictures, you can include the ultrasound picture. This could also work if you take a picture of a positive pregnancy test.
8. For a grandmother, you could announce a second pregnancy with a special gift. Get a charm bracelet with a baby theme, with only two charms on it. She can open it in front of others who you want to share your news with. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=708211
9. Have parents, family, or friends over for tea. Announce the pregnancy by making cookies and spell out with the cookies “Baby on the way” or “We’re expecting.”
10. For people who live far away, you can create a puzzle out of a picture of the ultrasound or positive pregnancy test, or even out of a drawing your oldest child makes that shows a new baby. Then mail the puzzle and wait for them to figure it out!
11. Announce the news by sending out "announcements.” Buy party invitations that say “Come celebrate with us.” Fill in the blanks--"Where: Hospital," "When: Due date," "What: Our newest addition." Mail the cards on the same day so most people get them at the same time.
12. Announce a second pregnancy with a video. Much like the idea of sharing pictures of the older child, you could make a vacation video, and at the end attach your announcement. One family did this with a short and sweet video at the beach by drawing a picture in the sand of a little kid, a daddy and a mommy with a belly and a message that reads "Our little family. . . . is growing!"