Parenting: How to Help Your Firstborn Become Friends with the New Baby

Excerpt : It's normal for a firstborn child to feel upset and unwanted when a new baby arrives. He or she is used to being the only child and had the family's complete attention so far. So when your second

It's normal for a firstborn child to feel upset and unwanted when a new baby arrives. He or she is used to being the only child and had the family's complete attention so far.

So when your second bundle of joy arrives, he can easily feel jealous because he sees a most of the attention going to the new arrival.

Remember that the big brother or sister will need plenty of attention when the new baby arrives. He or she may not be able to articulate his need for a hug or to sit in your lap. All the same, his needs do not diminish just because there's a new baby in the house.

The older child needs reassurance

“ Black Belt Parenting-The Art of Raising your Child for Success" Also see : Imperfect Parenting Shortly after having my first baby, I decided I was going to be the perfect parent. I immediately began to keep an intelligent library of child-rearing books on my nightstand and would replenish the stock as each book was absorbed into...read more Parenting Teens - Getting Your Point Across Giving advice to a teenager is very easy; getting a teenager to take that advice is another matter altogether. It's not only a case of the advice 'falling on deaf ears', sometimes the teenager seems to go deliberately out of their way to do the...read more

that he is still loved and important enough to warrant time and attention. He may equate time with love. A new baby will naturally take up more of your time and energy, but it is often difficult for an older child to accept that.

Some children regress to earlier behaviors like thumb-sucking or wanting to drink from a bottle. These behaviors remind him of an earlier time with life was more comfortable and secure.

Here are 10 things you can do to make it easier for the older child to get over his frustrations and become friends with the new baby.

#1. Before the baby arrives, paint a realistic picture of what

Also see : Best Online Parenting Advice All of us want to be the best parent we can be, but we sometimes doubt whether we are doing what's best for our children. Good parenting skills are learned; we're not born with them. But where should you go for parenting advice and tips? There...read more Parenting An Angry Kid: The Secret To Getting The Respect You Deserve Parenting Question I have a parenting question regarding the challenges I have with a strong willed child. The challenge we have is with our 12 year old. When corrected she will argue her point of view until the bitter end. Our point...read more

it will be like with the baby. Tell him about the endless diaper changes, night-time crying, need for sleep, etc. Let the older child know that the new baby won't be a playmate or a friend for a long time.

#2. Involve the big brother or sister in preparing for and helping out with the baby. For example, ask for his opinion on whether you should buy the feeding bottle with the trains on it or cats on it.

#3. Make sure you find time to spend with the older child. This could be when the baby's sleeping, or when someone else is looking after her. Do the things you used to do with the older child before the baby came

Also see : Parenting Starts Before Pregnancy The following article is offered for free use in your ezine, print publication or on your web site, so long as the author resource box at the end is included, with hyperlinks. Notification of publication would be appreciated. Title: Parenting...read more What 3 Greatest Gift You Can Give To Your Children by Co-Parenting? A successful divorce is one in which the parents divorce each other but do not require the child to divorce one of the parents, either as a result of parental conflict or by one parent not being available to the child. It is a well-established...read more

-- reading stories, playing with toys, etc.

#4. Request friends and family who drop in to see the baby to visit with the older child first.

#5. If it is possible, suggest to friends that a small gift for the firstborn would be appreciated when they bring gifts for the baby. Now, it may not always be appropriate to make this suggestion. If so, keep small toys or other gifts handy to give the child when baby receives a new gift.

At this stage, don't worry about teaching the child that he won't get a gift every time someone else does. That can come later.

#6. If your firstborn reverts to earlier

Also see : 3 Major Divorce Parenting Mistakes And Learn How To Avoid Them What 3 major divorce parenting mistakes that surely lead to unhappy, unhealthy and unsuccessful children? Parents know these for your children seek. 1. Failure To Act According To Child's Best Interest This divorce parenting mistake stem...read more Parenting: Ten Things You Can Do to Develop Your Baby's Language Skills The growth of your baby's language skills is an amazing process. In the short space of a year, she goes from crying to speaking intelligible words. Can you do anything to help baby along? Apparently yes. There are ways to help the baby develop...read more

behaviors, take it as a signal that he needs more attention. Don't pay attention to his regressive behaviors, though.

#7. Let the older child participate with you to a small extent in taking care of the baby. For example, he could start up a crib mobile, or could offer a pacifier to the baby.

#8. Allow the big brother / sister to hold and cuddle the baby, under close supervision.

#9. Give the firstborn a 'baby' of her own to play with, dress, feed, etc.

#10. The older child may express some of his frustrations to you. He can't sleep because the baby cries too much, or he doesn't get to spend time with

Also see : Cyber Parenting 101 Many parental units are not "techies" and openly admit they are not. They seem to use that as an excuse to not be informed and "trust" their children to do what is right in an environment that is clearly risky. When it comes to underage...read more The Absentee Parent - Parenting From A Distance You want to be able to continue having a great relationship with your kids after separation or divorce. This means focusing on the kids rather than your ex-partner. You need to be parents rather than partners. Breaking up is difficult...read more

mommy, etc. Empathize with him. Let him know that you share his frustrations and feel the same way.

Use these simple suggestions and watch your firstborn get over his frustrations more easily and become friends with the new baby.
About the Author

Peter Andrews is a successful author and has written extensively on parenting. His articles cover tips about parenting, useful advice for new parents, effective baby care ideas and more.

Revolutionary 'Mom Has Fun' Parenting Method For Raising Happy Well-Behaved Kids!

More Parenting Articles

Practical Parenting Advice | sitemap
copyright www.parentingadvices.com 2006
Warning: include() [function.include]: URL file-access is disabled in the server configuration in /home/parentin/public_html/php/footer.php on line 19

Warning: include(http://www.ultrasonicspabath.com/adsenselogger.inc) [function.include]: failed to open stream: no suitable wrapper could be found in /home/parentin/public_html/php/footer.php on line 19

Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening 'http://www.ultrasonicspabath.com/adsenselogger.inc' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/parentin/public_html/php/footer.php on line 19