One of the fruits of successful and great parenting is having a home where the family is closely knit, and the kids have a forever bond that is not easily broken. But having new siblings is not such a smooth ride all the time. The birth of a new baby is a big adjustment for you and your first kiddo as well, especially after being the only child for a while.
How the older siblings adjust to baby number 2 may greatly influence the relationship between the siblings in the long run. This is why you should help make the transition a smooth one and quite early.
There are ways to help your older kids adjust to having a new baby, and you are in luck because we have them all lined up for you in this article.
Here you go:
Five ways you can help your older kids adjust to having a new baby around
1. Do not change the routines
Do not suddenly change the way you interact with the older kids before the newborn’s arrival. You may make adjustments to include your new baby in the family plans, but a total hauling of family routines to accommodate the new baby will adversely affect your older kids. For instance, continue with the ice cream dates you usually have with the older kids and do not stop taking them to their ballet classes or football training and all sorts.
The goal is to show the older kids that the new addition to the family is not a rival or a foe but a friend, and you all can live together without one child feeling threatened by the birth of the other.
2. Creating bonding time between both kids
A natural bond between an older kid and a new baby helps the former adjust to the latter. You can influence a natural bond between both kids when you allow them to spend more time together.
Ask your older kid to hold the baby (with your supervision, of course), help them cultivate the habit of speaking to the new baby, and help you make the new baby’s food if they are up to it. And in no time, the big sibling instinct will come naturally to them.
3. Buy them gifts
Another way to help older siblings to a newborn is by buying them gifts. Gifting your older kids even with a newborn in the picture helps ease the anxiety of having a new sibling, reassures them of your love for them and their importance to you.
The secret is to go for gifts with a personalized touch and present them as gifts from the baby. Some gifts for older siblings when baby is born include:
- A shirt with an inscription of “world best big sister/brother.”
- Matching bracelets for you and your kid to remind them you still share an unbreakable bond with them
- An age-appropriate book about having a new sibling
- Matching sibling sweatshirts for both kiddos
4. Reinforce speaking their love language
Whether it’s an act of service, physical touch, quality time, words of affirmation, or gifting, each child has a love language. Find out what their love language(s) is and speak it fluently to them. It is a reassuring way to show you are intentional about their feelings and will help them through the phase of having a new sibling.
5. Spend more time as a family
Do not stop spending time as a family, even when the new baby arrives. Enjoy diner together as a family, go on walks, to the park, and some other age-appropriate fun activities you can do as a family. Family moments will help your kid adjust to having a new addition to the family and help them learn that a family can consist of more people even as it grows.
Takeaway
The essence of the older kid adjusting to a new baby is to prevent issues like sibling rivalry and the feeling of being left out and unloved. It is also to help them get comfortable with sharing their parents’ attention and love, knowing they are in no way loved any less. To achieve this, you can go right on to try out these tips and come back to tell us just how well they worked.