One of the biggest concerns parents have about growing their family is how to ensure that their children get along.
Having gone through this transition twice myself here’s what I think are they keys to cultivating a strong sibling bond:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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🔑When the new baby arrives, make a special point of introducing the new siblings to each other. Just how adults want to hold the new arrival, siblings do too. Even a small child (my kids were each 2 years old when their new siblings arrived!) is capable of being gentle enough to hold the baby with support.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🔑Beginning around age 2, toddlers attach through sameness. Draw parallels and similarities between the siblings – ie “green is your favourite colour and it looks like baby loves it too”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🔑Involve the older sibling in caring for baby. Your older child (even if they’re a little one themselves) can be your “special helper” in bathing, changing and even feeding (“can you help daddy hold the bottle?”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🔑Remember that children each need their one-on-one time with a parent. Maintaining special time will ensure that your older child won’t develop any resentment towards baby for occupying the parents’ attention all the time. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🔑As siblings grow, it’s important to keep in mind that they are each their own people, with their own unique personalities and temperament. These individual differences may mean they will not always get along, but if you continue to cultivate a conducive environment for relationship building, they will still always love each other⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Have questions about sibling dynamics? Drop them below 💗
