Handling sibling rivalry in preschool children can be especially difficult. The fact of the matter is that it is often much easier to reason things out with an older child than it is with preschool children. Preschool children are especially susceptible to the whims of their own emotions, and can therefore be much harder to reign in when sibling rivalry rears its ugly head. However, by understanding what causes sibling rivalry in preschool children, you have a much better chance at being able to handle that sibling rivalry.

Very often, sibling rivalry in preschool children occurs when there is a new baby in the house. The preschooler may suddenly feel like his parents don’t have as much time for him as they did before, or that his parents care more about his new brother or sister than they do about him. While it is true that a new baby does require a great deal more attention than a preschooler, your preschooler still needs to feel like you are available to him and that you enjoy his company. Making a point to spend some time with your preschooler, without the baby, can help to fill this need. In addition, getting your preschooler to help with the baby can help him to feel more like a partner with you in the baby’s care, rather than a competitor with the baby for your attention.

Sibling rivalry in preschool children often occurs because of other sorts of jealousy. She may be jealous, for example, that an older sibling is allowed to stay up later at night than she is. The best way to keep this sort of sibling rivalry in check is to try to make sure that the older sibling has a good relationship with the preschooler, and that they get along as good as possible. In addition, it is important to point out to the preschooler when the older sibling is doing some chore or other activity that the preschooler would be incapable of doing, and showing her that the older sibling not only has extra privileges, but extra duties, as well. You can even turn the older child into a role model for the preschooler, and make those privileges a goal for the preschooler.

Ultimately, the most important thing to have when handling sibling rivalry in preschool children is patience. One day your preschooler will be able to fully understand his sibling rivalry and deal with it on his own, but for now it is up to you to gently guide him away from the destructive nature of sibling rivalry.

Posted in Parenting

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