{"id":6989,"date":"2011-09-25T04:10:00","date_gmt":"2011-09-25T04:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/parentingtoday.com\/anew\/?page_id=6989"},"modified":"2019-07-23T16:39:05","modified_gmt":"2019-07-23T23:39:05","slug":"first-born-jealousy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/childdevelopmentinfo.com\/ages-stages\/baby-infant-development-parenting\/first-born-jealousy\/","title":{"rendered":"First-Born Jealousy"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Elizabeth Pantley<\/strong>
\nAuthor of the No-Cry Sleep Solution and Gentle Baby Care<\/strong><\/p>\n

Question:<\/strong>\u00a0Our first-born is showing extreme jealousy towards the new baby. He\u2019s obviously mad at us for disrupting the predictable flow of his life with this new challenger for our attention. How can we smooth things out?<\/p>\n

Think about it:<\/strong> Before the baby entered your family, your toddler was told he\u2019d have a wonderful little brother to play with, and how much fun it would be. Then the little brother is born and your toddler is thinking, \u201cAre you kidding me? This squirming, red-faced baby that takes up all your time and attention is supposed to be FUN?\u201d He then \u201cplays\u201d with the baby in the only ways he knows how. He plays catch. You yell at him for throwing toys at the baby. He plays hide-and-seek. You yell at him to get the blanket off the baby. He gives the kid a hug, and you admonish him to be more careful. Is it any wonder that your toddler is confused?<\/p>\n

Teach:<\/strong> Your first goal is to protect the baby. Your second, to teach your older child how to interact with his new sibling in proper ways. You can teach your toddler how to play with the baby in the same way you teach him anything else. Talk to him, demonstrate, guide and encourage. Until you feel confident that you\u2019ve achieved your second goal, however, do not leave the children alone together. Yes, I know. It isn\u2019t convenient. But it is necessary, maybe even critical.<\/p>\n

Hover<\/strong>: Whenever the children are together, \u201chover\u201d close by. If you see your child about to get rough, pick up the baby and distract the older sibling with a song, a toy, an activity or a snack. This action protects the baby while helping you avoid a constant string of \u201cNos,\u201d which may actually encourage the aggressive behavior. \u00a0 Teach soft touches: Teach the older sibling how to give the baby a back rub. Tell how this kind of touching calms the baby, and praise the older child for a job well done. This lesson teaches the child how to be physical with the baby in a positive way.<\/p>\n

Act quickly:<\/strong> Every time you see your child hit, or act roughly with the baby, act quickly. You might firmly announce, \u201cNo hitting, time out.\u201d Place the child in a time-out chair with the statement, \u201cYou can get up when you can use your hands in the right way.\u201d Allow him to get right up if he wants \u2013 as long as he is careful and gentle with the baby. This isn\u2019t punishment, after all. It\u2019s just helping him learn that rough actions aren\u2019t going to be permitted.<\/p>\n

Demonstrate:<\/strong> \u00a0Children learn what they live. Your older child will be watching as you handle the baby and learning from your actions. You are your child\u2019s most important teacher. You are demonstrating in everything you do, and your child will learn most from watching you.<\/p>\n

Praise:<\/strong> Whenever you see the older child touching the baby gently, make a positive comment. Make a big fuss about the important \u201colder brother.\u201d Hug and kiss your older child and tell him how proud you are.<\/p>\n

Watch your words:<\/strong> \u00a0Don\u2019t blame everything on the baby. \u201cWe can\u2019t go to the park; the baby\u2019s sleeping.\u201d \u201cBe quiet, you\u2019ll wake the baby.\u201d \u201cAfter I change the baby I\u2019ll help you.\u201d At this point, your child would just as soon sell the baby! Instead, use alternate reasons. \u201cMy hands are busy now.\u201d \u201cWe\u2019ll go after lunch.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll help you in three minutes.\u201d \u00a0 Be supportive: Acknowledge your child\u2019s unspoken feelings, such as \u201cThings sure have changed with the new baby here. It\u2019s going to take us all some time to get used to this.\u201d Keep your comments mild and general. Don\u2019t say, \u201cI bet you hate the new baby.\u201d Instead, say, \u201cIt must be hard to have Mommy spending so much time with the baby.\u201d or \u201cI bet you wish we could go to the park now, and not have to wait for the baby to wake up.\u201d When your child knows that you understand her feelings, she\u2019ll have less need to act up to get your attention.<\/p>\n

Give extra love:<\/strong> Increase your little demonstrations of love for your child. Say extra I love yous, increase your daily dose of hugs, and find time to read a book or play a game. Temporary regressions or behavior problems are normal, and can be eased with an extra dose of time and attention. ? Get \u2018em involved: Teach the older sibling how to be helpful with the baby or how to entertain the baby. Let the older sibling open the baby gifts and use the camera to take pictures of the baby. Teach him how to put the baby\u2019s socks on. Let him sprinkle the powder. Praise and encourage whenever possible.<\/p>\n

Making each feel special:<\/strong> Avoid comparing siblings, even about seemingly innocent topics such as birth weight, when each first crawled or walked, or who had more hair! Children can interpret these comments as criticisms. \u00a0 Take a deep breath and be calm. This is a time of adjustment for everyone in the family. Reduce outside activities, relax your housekeeping standards, and focus on your current priority, adjusting to your new family size.<\/p>\n

Excerpted with permission by NTC\/Contemporary Publishing Group Inc. from Perfect Parenting, The Dictionary of 1,000 Parenting Tips by Elizabeth Pantley, copyright 1999<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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