Help Your Toddler Get Ready For A New Sibling
After nine long months, your new arrival is here, shaking up everyone else in your growing family. Here’s some advice to make the inevitable changes a positive experience for everyone.
1. You must consider timing when deciding when to break the news to your other children. It’s also important to take each child’s age into consideration. Telling your two year old that you are going to have a baby before you are showing is too soon. At two, nine months is almost half his lifetime. Once you are about five months along, he can really see where the baby is in your belly and that’s a perfect amount of time to digest the news of a new sibling.
2. Make sure that you include other siblings in your pregnancy. When the baby kicks, let your children feel it. This will point out that a real person is growing inside you. Encourage your kids to be involved in setting up the nursery and thinking up baby names. It’s vital that they feel part of the process.
3. Find ways to make your other kids feel important. Choose times to spend with each child individually before the baby arrives, to let each one know he is special. Be sure the older sibling understands how much you will rely on his help when the baby is born. The little baby will need to learn so much from his big brother and you know that he will be a caring, loving older brother.
4. When it’s time to hand things down from an older sibling to the new baby, be sure to ask the older child’s permission. Let’s start with his crib. Talk to your toddler about how excited you are that he is now old enough to leave the crib for a new big boy bed. Encourage him to take ownership of his new bed, by helping you choose sheets, pillows and blankets. He should be out of the crib at least a full month before the baby arrives. By then, when he’s used to his new bed, you can ask him if the new baby can now sleep in his old crib. It’s important that you make him feel important and special to be sharing his bed with his new sibling.
5. Be sure to give your other children plenty of attention after the baby is born. The focus will naturally be on the new arrival, so it’s even more important for you to let the siblings know how much you appreciate their help now. Visitors may come with gifts for the new baby and the other kids. If they only bring something for the baby, it’s often a good idea to have a small stash of things at hand. Once the company leaves, you can give your other kids a puzzle, coloring book, or similar item as a thanks you for being such a great big brother. Find time, maybe when the baby is sleeping, to have quality time with your other children.
6. Be sure to encourage all of your kids to enjoy and appreciate one another. The more your family grows, the more important it will be that they all get along and truly love one another. Sibling rivalry will happen, but encourage the kids to work as a team, instead of feeling like they must complete for your time and attention.
Your new baby is here – congratulations! You will surely be exhausted and your entire household will be off kilter. Preparing as much as possible ahead of time will make the changes easier on the whole family.
Terri Akman is a freelance writer and preschool teacher. Get more tips on preschool development at her website at http://www.preschoolteach.blogspot.com
Related posts:
- Getting Your Child Ready For a New Sibling Preparing for a new baby takes a lot of work,...
- Dealing with Teen Sibling Conflicts Raising a teenager is difficult enough, but how about when...
- Homes For Sale Juegos Trabajo | Discipline Vs Punishment – Baby And Toddler homes for sale It is your job as a parent...
- Your Child and the Baby | Parents Lead While you don’t have to tell them all the details...
- Where Can I Get A Good Toddler Bed? Ready for your toddler to move to their own bed?...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Tagged as: New Baby · new baby sibling · New Sibling · preschool development