Teaching your child to embrace a newborn baby

Geeta was taken back when her older child said, "I hate the baby!  You love the baby more than you love me! The baby is yucky, take her back!" Feelings like this is common as the first born feels slightly jealous when there is a new child in the house that is competing for affection, emotional time, and attention of their parents. This could show up as temper tantrums, acting out and regressive behavior.

Experts are of the opinion that this territorial revelry is common not only in toddlers, but in older children as well. Parents need to teach their child to embrace a newborn baby.

Firstly it is futile to force your child to love the new sibling; it would prove effective to recognize what may be going on with the older child and respect the emotions. Parents need to let the older child to express one’s feelings even if they are negative. Then the parent need to empathize with the child about how hard it must be for him/her to share mummy and daddy.

True, children also need a platform to express their feelings as adults; it allows them to vent their frustration and validate their feelings and not just sweep them away automatically.

Try to keep your older child on the same schedule as he/she needs consistency when one’s whole world is turned upside down.

Next ensure that you or your spouse spends some quality time exclusively with the older child taking him/her for a walk, read a book or take part in some activity that your child likes.  

Ensure that you reward a good deed that the older child does to her younger sibling; it could be emotionally like a kiss or praise or materially.

Lastly respect your child's boundaries and possessions and acknowledge that everything need not be shared and some toys and books are exclusively for him/her.

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