Preparing for a New Sibling (Part 2)

Dear Dr.MOZ,

We just had our second child (baby girl) and was curious to know if the GoodFather had any advice for the new “big sister”. She is two years old and we would like to know what we could do to continue to make her feel special with so much attention being given to the baby.

Thanks Doc!
Jay in Boston

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Hi Jay, the GoodFather here. This is a great question that many GoodFathers face at one time or another. This an important time for you and your family, so I brought in a few of my associates at the online community of fathers at DaddyDaily.com. Take it away Dads!

DaddyDaily.com: Jay, first of all – CONGRATS on your second baby! Now that you figured it out with having one, the rules will now change – but it is the best experience you will have (until you get to the third). Here are some tips we found that will help the big sister with the transition from being the only one to sharing mommy and daddies attention:

• Gifts for the new baby will be coming from everyone and the big brother/sister can feel left out as the new baby gets all the attention. We always had a stash of wrapped little gifts (ie. Crayons, coloring books, little dolls, etc…) on hand if there were no gifts for the big sister/brother. Usually, people understand and will have a little something for the new big brother/sister, but if they forget this can be helpful.
• When the new baby came home, we gave the big brother/sister a special present from the new baby and thanked them for being a big brother/sister.
• Try to give the new big brother/sister some extra daddy attention and time.
• One great activity is to take the big sister to the book store or library and find books that talk about expecting a new baby. There are a lot of them out there, just browse. This will give the big brother/sister some special time with daddy.
• Let the big brother/sister take part in some of the feedings, diaper changes or baths. When our baby was ready for the bottle, our toddler was always willing to help hold the bottle for the new baby.

There are a lot more, but start out simple and see what works. You know your child the best and can gauge their needs. We hope this helps and as always give ol’ Dr. MOZ a shout with any other questions. All the best from Daddydaily.com!

Don’t forget Jay, this is only Part 2 of our sibling help guide so head over to Dear Dr.MOZ for the Part 1 of this week’s GoodFather Friday.

Your favorite family man,
The GoodFather