Early Years

Introducing a new sibling

Introducing a new baby into the family can be an exciting yet nerve-wracking time for parents. Here are some tips on the best ways to prepare your older children for the impending arrival of their baby sibling and help them to feel loved and included during the process.

Explain what’s going to happen

If they are under the age of two, they may not be that interested at all and take the idea of a new addition to the family in their stride. However, a slightly older child might be bursting with questions or struggle emotionally with the transition.

Prepare them for what to expect

Explain that the new baby is going to be with mummy or daddy most of the time and the baby is going to do a lot of sleeping, crying and feeding. This will also help manage their expectations so they won’t expect their new sibling to be a playmate from the moment they enter your home!

Tell the story of their birth

Show your children some old photographs of when you were pregnant with them or of them when they were a baby. Talk to them about what it was like when they were younger and how they too cried and fed all hours of the day. This will be a lovely bonding exercise and help them understand why the new baby will need more attention initially.

Role play looking after the baby

Using a doll is another great way to introduce your children to the idea of having a baby around the home. They can practise how to be gentle, hold the baby and talk to them. Overall, this helps to normalise the idea of a baby. Better still, if you’ve got friends or family with small babies, set up meet ups or playdates so your child can get used to hearing baby cries, being around a baby and observing how mums and babies interact.

Get them involved in the planning

Ask them what they think of the names you’ve picked for the baby. Chances are they won’t like your choices and would much prefer Spider-Man or Peppa but the key thing is to value their opinions!

Take them shopping for newborn essentials

It will help them feel important if you let them pick some baby clothes. They could also help put new items away, pack the baby changing bag or even prepare the nursery.

With thanks to leading UK baby brand, Nuby (www.nuby-uk. com) for this article.

When baby arrives

Get your children involved in caregiving. It’s tempting for any parent to be extra cautious when managing a toddler or young child around a baby. However, allowing your older children to have some involvement in looking after the baby is key in making them feel included rather than pushed out.

Singing to the baby, helping bathe them or passing the wipes or a clean nappy are all easy little tasks that can help a new older sibling feel like they have an important role in the family.

Let them meet their new sibling as soon as possible. A hospital may feel big and scary but the more included they feel at this stage, the more they will continue to do so down the line.

Your child is not going to understand perfectly how to behave around their baby sibling straightaway. They will make mistakes. One thing to avoid is punishing them or telling them to go away when this happens. Just be patient, calmly explain what they should do instead and let them have another go.

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