How do you prepare your child for the arrival of a new brother or sister? Heidi Murkoff, best selling author of the popular "What to Expect" series of books, shares her tips to help address your child's questions and concerns about this mysterious newcomer.
Excerpted from What to Expect When the New Baby Comes Home, by Heidi Murkoff
In preparing a soon-to-be older sibling, try to paint as true a picture of what life with a new baby will and won’t be like. Avoid unrealistic projections: that a new baby will be someone to play with (newborns can’t play); that a new baby will be fun to have around (newborns don’t do much more than eat, sleep, and cry); that life with a new baby will be the same as before (there will be times when the needs of a colicky baby will supersede those of an older sibling).
Even the most thoroughly prepared child won’t necessarily welcome the new baby with open arms. Virtually every older sibling experiences some feelings of jealousy, resentment, and even animosity, not just toward the new arrival, but also toward Mommy and Daddy (who spend so much time with the new baby). All of these feelings (whether they surface right away or in the months to come) are as normal as they are inevitable. They’re also completely understandable. Encouraging your child to express these feelings (through words, dramatic play, pictures) rather than repress them will help resolve them faster.