Helping Older Siblings To Cope With The New Baby
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Helping older siblings to cope with having a new baby in the house can be a somewhat daunting task, especially if you haven’t done things to prepare the older siblings ahead of time. In addition, the difficulty that you will have with helping older siblings to cope with the new baby will depend on several factors, including how many older siblings there are, the gender of those siblings, and the age difference between the siblings and the new baby. Still, there are some specific things that you can do in order to help those older siblings as they make the transition to having a new baby sibling.
The most important thing that you can do to help older siblings to cope with the new baby is to communicate with the older siblings about the new baby on a level that they can understand. For example, if you are talking with a preschooler about when the new baby will be coming home, she is more likely to understand things like “your new brother will be born after Christmas” than “your new brother will be born in six months.”
You also should listen to the older siblings thoughts and feelings when talking about how to cope with the new baby. A younger child might wonder if the new baby will mean that mommy will love him less, for example. It is important to calm those sorts of fears early on, before the baby is born if possible.
Including the older siblings in the pregnancy is another great way to go about helping older siblings to cope with the new baby. You can have the older siblings read a book to the baby in your belly, for example. You might ask the older siblings to help pack your hospital bag, as well.
Many hospitals and birthing centers offer a “new big brother/sister” class that you might consider enrolling your older siblings in. These classes can begin to help older siblings to start coping with their new role, as well.
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