Easing the younger child’s homecoming
Bringing your second child home will usually get your older child excited. But at the same time, your older child may also fear the great unknown on how life is going to change with a new addition in the house.
Here are a few tricks to help you handle your older child’s transition from being the only child to the eldest child.
Be part of the homecoming team
It is better to introduce your older child to his new sibling as soon as possible. Let him visit you and his new sibling in the hospital and be part of the entourage that brings the second child home.
Instead of having him or her wait at home, this will help decrease nervousness and increase excitement over the new sibling.
Managing visitors
When there is a new bundle of joy in the house, there will be abundance of visitors dropping by to visit. Usually, they tend to go on and on about the younger sibling, ignoring the older child in the process.
Try to control the number of visitors or let them visit when the older child is sleeping or in school.
Gifts for the older sibling too
When people visit your new bundle of joy, they will usually come bearing gifts for the new addition. Some wise visitors will bring an extra gift for the older sibling; many of them won’t.
So get the grandparents and daddy to bring something special for the older child so that no one will feel left out.
Shower the older one with attention
While you may be busy tending to your younger child, remember to focus on your older child too. Make it a point to tell your older child how proud you are for him or her being such a good big brother or sister.
Build in some one-on-one time with your older child like making a collage together when the younger child naps. Daddy can play a role too by having big-kid-and-daddy-only activities such as an evening out in the park. Bringing your second child home will usually get your older child excited. But at the same time, your older child may also fear the great unknown on how life is going to change with a new addition in the house.
References:
What to expect the first year, page 732
http://www.whattoexpect.com/toddler/behavior-and-discipline/new-sibling/first-weeks.aspx