Get your only child ready for a sibling
My husband and I started to have baby fever when Ayden, our eldest, was about 3 and a half years of age. We were ready to have another baby in the house, but Ayden has always been the center of attention, so how do I make this transition as easy as possible for both me and my eldest?
When you get ready to have another baby, you don't only question how your eldest will do, but how YOU will do. I questioned myself all the time... Am I ready for another child? How do I make sure I balance myself without giving one more attention than the other. What if Ayden hates his sibling?! I hear horror stories of siblings all the time and it would just break my heart.
Luckily, I was truly blessed with my eldest. He's not only is an amazing brother, but he does everything to be helpful to me and my husband. Read my top 3 ways to get your ONLY CHILD ready for a sibling.
1. Let it be THEIR IDEA!
Ayden started being interested in babies at about 2 years old, he knew what a baby was and he thought it was the most precious things in the world. I'm not sure if he enjoyed them because they were smaller than he was, or he really just loved them. My husband knew we at least wanted one more baby, so we instilled the idea in him early on. When Ayden understood what babies were, we would ask him if he wanted a baby of his own? He always answered YES!!!! At about 3 years old, Ayden started asking us about "buying" a baby. He was ready to have his "own". Ayden also had friends (his age) at his DayCare that would constantly talk about their new baby brother/sister, which made Ayden even more interested in a sibling!
2. Go over EXPECTATIONS
I started reading baby books to Ayden before I even got pregnant. I will link a few books that I enjoyed reading to Ayden. These books allowed him to understand what to expect when the baby comes and what his responsibility was as a big brother. Although Ayden was eager to have a sibling to play with, he knew that it wasn't going to be instant. He knew that the baby needed to get bigger before he can play with the baby. The book, I am a big brother, was the one that taught him patience very well. Also, make sure they understand what a baby requires. Baby needs special attention because they can't do anything on their own. One of the hardest part of our transition was feeding!!! Ayden can feed himself, but we've grown accustomed to feeding him because we could. But now with a baby, he had to especially learn, that he had to feed himself or wait until Daddy/Mommy was ready to feed him because there were things that we had to prioritize for the baby.
3. Keep them RESPONSIBLE for the baby
I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not, but Ayden is overprotective of his baby brother. Baby Seth requires approval from his big bro before going anywhere without him. Before Baby Seth arrived, Ayden understood how much work a baby was going to be (refer back to number 2: Expectations), so I made sure he understood his responsibility as an older brother. I made sure that he was included in EVERYTHING regarding baby brother, whether it was fetching me baby's diapers or holding baby's hands during his doctor's appointments. Now that Baby Seth is older and is getting into things, Ayden still takes responsibility for his brother's mess. When Baby Seth makes a mess, Ayden knows he's responsible for cleaning it up and making sure Baby Seth doesn't do it again.
I never really had to teach Ayden how to be an awesome big brother, he kind of learned it all on his own with my guidance. Although babies are big responsibilities for older siblings, they also bring so much joy and love for them. I know that I'm just at the beginning of my two boys' journey and there's so much more obstacles to overcome, but at least we are on the right track. Ayden has grown to be an amazing big brother and his love will only grow for his baby brother, but it will also be my responsibility to teach Baby Seth how to be a respectful Baby Brother and how to listen and return the love for his older brother.
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AuthorMom to two boys! 8 years in the Plastic Surgery industry. Join my journey as I tackle this mom life! Archives
August 2019
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