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Preparing Older Kids For A New Baby On The Way

By Autumn Lockwood

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 04Dec2011
Word count: 1887
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Although many family photo albums are filled with happy photos of the new baby and older siblings, this is not always how it begins. Family dynamics are often drastically changed with the arrival of a new baby. There is quite a bit of preparation that must take place before the birth of a baby. After arrival, the baby will require and need a great deal of attention. All of this attention that is focused solely on the baby may result in older siblings becoming jealous and acting out as a means of getting attention. To make this an easier transition, there are certain things that a parent can do during the introduction period to make older siblings feel more at ease and less frustrated and confused.

During the Pregnancy

Before telling your other children that they are going to have a baby brother or sister, you need to consider your child's maturity level. You must be comfortable with the stability of the pregnancy as well. Very young children are less likely to understand if you tell them too early. Their sense of time is not well developed at this age. Parents should try telling young children what season the new baby will arrive in. For example, if your baby is due in December, you would tell the children that the baby will be arriving around Christmas. Parents should always answer their children's questions honestly. For those parents who are uncomfortable with discussing where babies come from with their children, there are books that are age appropriate that they can read with the children.

Meeting the New Baby

When parents introduce the baby to older siblings for the first time, they should have someone else there to hold the new infant. All siblings should be allowed to hold the infant. Parents can get some amazing first photos for the family photo albums during this time while at the same time making siblings feel as if they are a greater part of the event. If a sibling is too young to hold the new baby, an adult should sit with the sibling and help them to support the baby. This allows parents to introduce the baby with free hands. Both parents need to make time to give each older sibling some one-on-one time. As little as ten or fifteen minutes will improve the behavior of your child. During this one-on-one time, parents need to let the sibling pick something to do. Allow the sibling to fully express their feelings for the new baby and the changes that have happened.

Bringing Baby Home

Once arriving home, there will most likely be many visitors to welcome the newborn. Parents should quietly ask visitors to acknowledge the other siblings in the same manner if possible. This will make them feel as if they are special on that day. Older siblings should be allowed to help in the care of the baby. Parents may want to allow them to push a stroller, help with the baths or even try changing the new baby's diaper. Older siblings should not be expected to become automatically independent once the baby comes home. These siblings will still require some degree of babying in order for them to better adjust. Parents should remind older siblings of the advantages of being older such as eating what they want, choosing their own clothes and not having to wear a diaper. With just a bit of effort, parents can make bringing a new baby home very easy for older children in the home. When this occasion is joyous, there are some amazing memories to capture for those family photo albums.

After you've put these helpful hints into practice, you will be sure to feel better about how your older kids will feel when the new little one arrives.

Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames. Our beautiful stitched photo albums are great for preserving all of your favorite photos. Check out our leather picture frames albums now or give us a call at 800-780-0699.

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