Helping Your Child Deal With The Birth Of A New Sibling
If youre pregnant with your second child, its time to be thinking about how to prepare your first child to deal with not being an only child anymore. This can be a difficult transition for any child, and most, regardless of age, have some adjustments to make. Here are some suggestions to help your child be prepared.
Talk about how special it is to be a big brother or sister. Discuss the baby in terms of how important the older sibling will be in its life. This is your childs chance to be the big kid, which is usually a very appealing idea.
If youve been thinking about putting your child into a preschool program, now is the time. Dont wait until after the baby comes, or she might feel like youre trying to get rid of her. She should have time to make friends and get adjusted before the baby comes, and then she will enjoy the chance to get away.
Get her used to being away from you. If your child spends most of her waking hours in your care, its time to start having someone else take over some of this time for you. Maybe start using a sitter a little more, or sending her to play at a friends....