What to do When Your Other Siblings is Jealous of New Baby?
Jealous of the New Baby
You are pregnant again and the new addition to your family is very much welcome. Both you and your husband are already planning for the arrival of your new baby but what about your other child or children, especially the youngest one? Somehow, even if you think that everything is alright, you have to pay extra attention to your other children, especially the youngest one as he will be the one who will feel threatened with the arrival of the baby. There are some steps to be done to prepare your other kid or kids for the arrival of the newest addition to your family.
First thing to do is as soon as you know that you are pregnant, let everybody in the family know. Share with them the good news and from it, you can gauge their acceptance of the news. You can then work out a plan on how to make your family members accept the new baby. Encourage all your family members to join in all the plans regarding the baby like planning the nursery, buying stuff for the new baby and so on. Older kids will understand and accept almost immediately while the youngest one will take some time. Give your children time and chance to adjust to the impending changes. Aid and guide them all the way.
Your older kids will know what to expect while the youngest one will need all the attention you can give. There are many things that you can do to make your youngest child not fell being left out. When you have already bought the new baby home, spend as much time with your youngest child as possible. When the baby is taking a nap, make an extra effort to focus your attention on him. One way to do this is to read together. You can have him help you in some chores and make him feel that he is wanted, his help is needed and he is important. These are simple tasks that boost your child’s feelings of importance while also reaping the joys of being together with just you.
Be sure to give your youngest child plenty of positive reinforcement. Praise him if he do good and subtly tell him if he does not act accordingly. Be sure to give him praise when he interacts with the baby appropriately. With a positive attitude and a shared sense of commitment to instill nurturing routines you’ll see your children develop into caring siblings. Your child will gain confidence in his role in your family and develop a natural caring orientation toward the younger baby.