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Prepare for Baby as 18 Year Old Father

Ages & Stages

How to Prepare Your Older Children for a New Infant

How to Prepare Your Older Children for a New Baby How to Prepare Your Older Children for a New Baby

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A new baby brings joys and challenges to a family. You're excited, simply you lot may also be nervous about how your older children volition react to the newborn.

All sorts of questions come: How should nosotros tell our older children that they are going to have a babe brother or sister? Volition they be jealous of the new infant? How can we assistance them get along?

Children of unlike ages will react differently to a new baby.

Knowing what to await from each age group will get in easier to handle the changes in your family unit.

Toddlers - Ages 1 To 2 Years

Children of this historic period will not understand much about what information technology means to have a new brother or sister. However, allow your child hear you talk about the "new baby" and feel your excitement. She may non understand why you are excited, but your attitude will rub off on her and she will experience excited too.

Keep in mind, y'all may not be able to satisfy the needs of both children all the time—especially not by yourself. If you lot feel overwhelmed, look to your partner, other relatives, and friends for support and an extra prepare of arms.

  • Look at picture books about a new baby. At the very to the lowest degree, your kid will become familiar with words like "sister," "blood brother," and "new baby."

  • When the new infant arrives, try to do something special for your older child. Reassure her that she is nevertheless loved. Some ideas include giving her a special gift, letting her spend some fourth dimension alone with dad, grandma, or another special adult, or taking her someplace special.

Preschoolers - Ages 2 To iv Years

At this age, your kid is withal very attached to you and does not yet empathise how to share you lot with others. Your child also may be very sensitive to change and may feel threatened past the idea of a new family fellow member. Here are some suggestions that may assistance ease your preschooler into being a large blood brother or big sister.

  • Wait a while earlier telling your preschooler about the babe. Explicate it to your child when yous kickoff buying plant nursery article of furniture or infant clothes or if he starts asking about mom'south growing "stomach." Picture books for preschoolers can be very helpful. So can sibling classes (ask your hospital if information technology offers them). Try to tell your child earlier he hears about the new baby from someone else.

  • Be honest. Explain that the baby volition be cute and cuddly merely volition also cry and take a lot of your time and attention. Too, brand certain that your older child knows that it may be a while before he can play with the new baby. Reassure your kid that you lot will love him just as much afterwards the babe is born as you do now.

  • Involve your preschooler in planning for the baby. This will brand him less jealous. Let him shop with you for infant items. Bear witness him his own baby pictures. If you are going to use some of his old baby things, let him play with them a bit before you get them fix for the new baby. Purchase your child (male child or daughter) a doll so he can have care of "his" baby.

  • Time major changes in your child'south routine. If you tin, stop toilet grooming or switching from a crib to a bed before the babe arrives. If that is non possible, put them off until after the baby is settled in at home. Otherwise, your child may feel overwhelmed by trying to learn new things on elevation of all the changes caused by the new baby.

  • Expect your child to regress a trivial. For example, your toilet-trained child might of a sudden start having "accidents," or he might desire to take a bottle. This is normal and is your older child'due south way of making certain he still has your love and attention. Instead of telling him to act his age, let him have the attention he needs. Praise him when he acts more grown-up.

  • Prepare your child for when you are in the hospital. He may be confused when you leave for the hospital. Explicate that you volition be dorsum with the new baby in a few days.

  • Set aside special time for your older kid. Read, play games, listen to music, or just talk together. Show him that you honey him and want to practise things with him. Also, make him experience a role of things past having him cuddle next to you when you feed the baby.

  • Ask family and friends to spend a little time with your older child when they come to meet the new baby. This will help him feel special and non left out of all the excitement. They might likewise give him a small gift when they bring gifts for the baby.

  • Have your older child spend fourth dimension with dad. A new baby presents a bang-up opportunity for fathers to spend time alone with older children.

School-Anile Children - Ages 5 and above

Children older than 5 years are usually not as threatened by a new infant every bit younger children are. Nonetheless, they may resent the attention the new baby gets. To prepare your schoolhouse-anile child for a new infant,

  • Tell your child what is happening in language she can understand. Explain what having a new infant means and what changes may affect her—both the good and the not so practiced.

  • Have your older child aid get things set up for the new babe by fixing upward the babe'due south room, picking out clothes, or buying diapers.

  • I f possible, have your older child come up to the hospital shortly later the baby is born and so she feels part of the growing family.

  • When you bring the new baby domicile, make your older child experience that she has a role to play in caring for the baby. Tell her she can hold the baby, although she must ask you kickoff. Praise her when she is gentle and loving toward the baby.

  • Do not overlook your older child's needs and activities. Let her know how much yous love her. Make an effort to spend some time alone with her each day; use that as a chance to remind her how special she is.

 Additional Information:

  • Managing Older Siblings While Breastfeeding

  • Growing Independence: Tips for Parents of Immature Children

  • Tips for Grandparents of a Newborn

  • Depression During & Afterwards Pregnancy: You Are Non Lonely

  • Dads Can Get Depression During and After Pregnancy, Too

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Last Updated
4/10/2019
Source
Adjusted from Sibling Relationships (Copyright © 2007 American University of Pediatrics, updated 3/2007)

The information contained on this Spider web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. At that place may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

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Source: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/prenatal/Pages/Preparing-Your-Family-for-a-New-Baby.aspx