I recently had the pleasure of working with a family of a newborn who has a ten year old sister. This newborn is an incredibly intense baby who has the whole family a little undone. Long bouts of crying, very little sleep for mom and dad and general chaos reign in this once orderly home. During my visit, big sis calmly and expertly showed me how she soothes her new baby brother. I actually considered handing over my Fussy Baby Specialist badge to her!
As you can see from this picture, there were no ten year old siblings at my house when the newborns arrived. While this is a picture of two brothers, it is also a picture of two babies, one looking not too happy to have to share his babydom. I had some surprises as well when I discovered a playpen is not necessarily a safe place for a baby. The playpen was no match for the throwing arms of the older Huebner siblings. (No permanent damage done. Whew!)
It is a real challenge to care for a newborn, have quality time for older children, and promote love and caring between siblings. Parents, you must get creative with your time. Cuddle your newborn while watching a video with an older child. (for the 35th time) Put baby in a carrier while you do a puzzle with an older child. Arrange play dates for your older child. Ask a friend to watch the baby for an hour while you take an older child for ice cream. Instead of fretting about whether you are giving enough attention to all your children, be thankful for the real life opportunity to teach your children the real meaning of sharing.
As you can see from this picture, there were no ten year old siblings at my house when the newborns arrived. While this is a picture of two brothers, it is also a picture of two babies, one looking not too happy to have to share his babydom. I had some surprises as well when I discovered a playpen is not necessarily a safe place for a baby. The playpen was no match for the throwing arms of the older Huebner siblings. (No permanent damage done. Whew!)
It is a real challenge to care for a newborn, have quality time for older children, and promote love and caring between siblings. Parents, you must get creative with your time. Cuddle your newborn while watching a video with an older child. (for the 35th time) Put baby in a carrier while you do a puzzle with an older child. Arrange play dates for your older child. Ask a friend to watch the baby for an hour while you take an older child for ice cream. Instead of fretting about whether you are giving enough attention to all your children, be thankful for the real life opportunity to teach your children the real meaning of sharing.
RSS Feed