Welcoming home a new baby is a thrilling experience for parents and siblings. However, siblings can start to feel left out when they see how much attention gets lavished on the new baby. Following is some useful information that will help avoid sibling rivalry.
During the pregnancy include the older children in making the necessary preparations for the new baby. Allow them to voice their opinions on things such as nursery décor or baby names. Encouraging their input makes them feel involved and important.
Take advantage of sibling preparation classes offered at some hospitals.
Let siblings know what to expect. Having Mom away in a hospital for two or three days can be scary for some children if they don’t expect it.
Talk with them about their role as a big sister or big brother. Refer to the new baby as “our baby”. Let them know how lucky the new baby is to have them as a brother or sister.
Tell them the new baby won’t be able to do much at first; so they won’t be expecting a playmate right away.
Take out the older child’s baby book and baby photos. Have the whole family spend some time reminiscing about their baby years. This will help to create a bond with the new baby because they will feel they have something in common.
Sometimes older children appear to regress when a new baby arrives. This childish behavior may be the result of feeling stress. Don’t shame them for this behavior. Be sure and praise their milestones such as learning to tie shoes or mastering a new lesson at school.
Having a new baby in the house usually creates a certain amount of stress for everyone. Mom and Dad can be very serious simply because they are losing precious sleep. Try and lighten the overall mood by being silly, telling jokes, or watching a funny movie. Laughter goes a long way toward making everyone feel better. Show your love for them too.
Enlist the help of grandparents. Grandparents are the perfect people to give extra attention to the older children when Mom and Dad are busy with the new baby. Grandparents can take the older children on special outings to movies, playgrounds, etc. Grandparents are generally glad to baby sit with the new baby while Mom, Dad and the older children have a much needed night out.
No matter how hectic things get, both Mom and Dad should set aside some one-on-one time for each older child.
Let the older child be involved in the new baby’s care as much as possible. Depending on their age they can assist with things like baths and dressing the baby. Let them pick out the outfit the new baby will wear to come home from the hospital.
The most important thing to remember is everyone especially older children need time to adjust to a new baby. A little patience and understanding is usually all it takes to help a sibling adjust to sharing Mom and Dad’s attention. For more things you should know about adding a new baby to your family click here.
During the pregnancy include the older children in making the necessary preparations for the new baby. Allow them to voice their opinions on things such as nursery décor or baby names. Encouraging their input makes them feel involved and important.
Take advantage of sibling preparation classes offered at some hospitals.
Let siblings know what to expect. Having Mom away in a hospital for two or three days can be scary for some children if they don’t expect it.
Talk with them about their role as a big sister or big brother. Refer to the new baby as “our baby”. Let them know how lucky the new baby is to have them as a brother or sister.
Tell them the new baby won’t be able to do much at first; so they won’t be expecting a playmate right away.
Take out the older child’s baby book and baby photos. Have the whole family spend some time reminiscing about their baby years. This will help to create a bond with the new baby because they will feel they have something in common.
Sometimes older children appear to regress when a new baby arrives. This childish behavior may be the result of feeling stress. Don’t shame them for this behavior. Be sure and praise their milestones such as learning to tie shoes or mastering a new lesson at school.
Having a new baby in the house usually creates a certain amount of stress for everyone. Mom and Dad can be very serious simply because they are losing precious sleep. Try and lighten the overall mood by being silly, telling jokes, or watching a funny movie. Laughter goes a long way toward making everyone feel better. Show your love for them too.
Enlist the help of grandparents. Grandparents are the perfect people to give extra attention to the older children when Mom and Dad are busy with the new baby. Grandparents can take the older children on special outings to movies, playgrounds, etc. Grandparents are generally glad to baby sit with the new baby while Mom, Dad and the older children have a much needed night out.
No matter how hectic things get, both Mom and Dad should set aside some one-on-one time for each older child.
Let the older child be involved in the new baby’s care as much as possible. Depending on their age they can assist with things like baths and dressing the baby. Let them pick out the outfit the new baby will wear to come home from the hospital.
The most important thing to remember is everyone especially older children need time to adjust to a new baby. A little patience and understanding is usually all it takes to help a sibling adjust to sharing Mom and Dad’s attention. For more things you should know about adding a new baby to your family click here.
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