Dylan Dreyer and her husband, Brian Fichera, announced on Wednesday that they're expecting their second child next January — and the TODAY team has tips on how to make the transition as smooth as possible for their growing family and especially for their 2-year-old son, Calvin.
TODAY co-anchor Carson Daly revealed, "A little tip — what we did when we had Etta, our second child, to ease the thing for Jackson (Daly's firstborn son) or Calvin ... it would be like new baby would give Calvin little gifts every now and again and the gifts wouldn't be from mom and dad but from baby brother or sister. By the time the baby comes out,the kid thinks you're giving birth to Santa Claus."
According to TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, “Even Steven is the best policy” when it comes to keeping the peace between siblings. “It doesn’t have to be 100 percent of the time,” Guthrie told Dreyer on the 3rd hour of TODAY. “But it just makes life easier.”
Sunday TODAY host Willie Geist shared a story that resembled Daly's advice. It's a tried-and-true trick that worked when his daughter, Lucy, who is now 12, became a big sister to George, 10, in 2009. “George … was apparently online shopping for Lucy and got her a gift,” Geist said. “So, immediately she was in with him.”
Jenna Bush Hager, who co-hosts TODAY with Hoda & Jenna, also offered a tip for making Calvin feel special during the hospital introduction. “I put a picture of Mila on Poppy’s bassinet,” she revealed, encouraging Dreyer to do the same with Calvin’s photo.
Fellow 3rd hour of TODAY co-host Craig Melvin said he carves out alone time with each of his children, while Al Roker, who joined the roundtable chat remotely, raved that the second time around is far less stressful. “You won’t be worried making sure the bottle is clean and the baby is germ-free,” the meteorologist explained. “You just relax and you enjoy.” (Roker also gifted Dreyer an adorable 3rd hour of TODAY onesie.)
Daly joked that Melvin's advice to Dreyer said “drink bourbon” instead but also promised that when the kids are older, “It’s like a play date all the time.”
As for 3rd hour of TODAY's Sheinelle Jones, she knew exactly what Dreyer needed to hear. “You think you couldn’t possibly love anyone more,” she said, referring to Calvin. “Then, another baby comes around and your heart expands once again.”