Your toddler has been used to your undivided attention for a while now so when a newborn baby comes into the house, this attention will naturally be divided.
Your little one may notice this and become jealous so before your newborn arrives, be sure to introduce your toddler to other smaller babies and read books that involve babies to make her curious. Explain that she was once in your belly too and talk about the different ways she will be able to help as an older sibling.
While your toddler may seem ready and willing to accept this new arrival, things may be different once the baby actually comes home. Some toddler may embrace their new sibling and want to spend all their time with them while others just don’t want to know.
To ensure your toddler doesn’t feel replaced or jealous, there are some things you can do to make sure things go smoothly.
- Spend quality time alone with your toddler such as a trip to the park or to a friend’s house so she still feels special.
- Tell her how much baby looks up to her and loves all of the games she plays.
- Encourage her to sing songs to baby and show him the pictures in her books explaining how babies love colours and patterns.
- Involve your toddler in the everyday caring of her new sibling such as picking out his clothes, passing you the wipes for changing nappies or choosing which music baby would like to hear.
- While before you may have read lots of books about babies to introduce your toddler to the idea of one in the home, you can now read many books on being an older sibling.
Try not to make a big deal if your toddler doesn’t embrace the baby to begin with. If she chooses to ignore the fact she has a new sibling for a while, don’t force her.
She’ll soon come around in her own time.
Do keep asking her if she would like to help, but give her the choice.
