Introducing Your Baby to Her Big Sister
When I found out I was expecting my second child, one of my first concerns was how my first child would feel with a new baby in the house. My daughter was just barely one when I found out the news that we were going to be a household of four instead of three later in the year. I heard a lot about sibling rivalry and jealousy and I didn’t want my oldest to feel as if she were being left out. These are very normal fears and I think every parent expecting another child feels the same way. My daughter was far too young to understand the concept of having a brother or sister. I talked to her and told her that we were having a baby and that mummy’s tummy was growing because a baby was in there. But I don’t think she actually got any of it.
When we brought her new baby sister home, it was actually much easier than we expected. We did make a conscious effort to make sure that we weren’t doting on the baby far more than we were doting on our oldest and that our oldest got just as much playtime and attention that our newest daughter did. I think that was one of the biggest reasons why it worked out so well. Our oldest loves to go get diapers, and pass the bottle from daddy to mummy, or vice versa. When our youngest is playing on the floor or in her bouncy chair, her big sister is right there wanting to play with her and shower her with all kinds of attention herself.
There has been very little jealousy so far. If we’re feeding the baby, big sister sometimes has to sit on our laps too but we haven’t run into anything major. I’m sure this will change years down the road but for right now, I think our oldest is just happy that we brought home a real, live doll for her to play with!
Written By: Kate Beswick
Technorati Tags: sibling_rivalry, baby_sister, having_a_baby, big_sister, playtime, diapers, new_baby, brother
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