Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have the middle child help you with diaper changes and feedings and burping and calming a crying baby. Let him hold the baby too.

Also how did you prepare your child? We read the I'm going to be a big brother book to our 2.5 yo when little sibling was on the way and it really helped.

Maybe take an hour and spend it just with middle one this weekend. Have your DH handle the other two. And be the one who puts him to bed at night.

Definitely involve your kid. And the baby blues suck. I had them with my first.

Children should not have to take care of their siblings. It is OP's baby not the other children's baby

I never said take care of. I said this to involve the older sibling so he doesn't feel left out. My 3 yo loves helping with his 2 mo baby bro. It has forged an amazing bond so far. He gets me diapers. He throws them in the diaper pail. He helps wash at bath night. He likes to burb his bro. He kisses him when he's crying. That way the baby is not something that is off limits, and quickly becomes part of the family dynamic.

Your DC is probably just now realizing the new baby is here to stay. There were three things I read on DCUM about new siblings that stuck with me.

1 -- bringing home a sibling is like your DH bringing home a new wife and telling you that you have to love her and be nice to her.

2 -- the baby doesn't care who is holding him/her, just that someone is doing it. Spend your time focusing on the older siblings if you can.

3 -- don't ever complain about the baby in front of your older DCs. "Sorry, Larla, Larlo was up all night so I'm really tired right now." Because they interpret Larlo as being a threat to their mother.

I have 3 kids, 2 years apart. I remember for DC #2 and #3, I considered the 2 year olds to be babies when I went into the hospital, but when I came out with this tiny newborn all of a sudden the toddlers seemed like giants to me. I would have to adjust my thinking and keep reminding myself how young the toddlers were.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have the middle child help you with diaper changes and feedings and burping and calming a crying baby. Let him hold the baby too.

Also how did you prepare your child? We read the I'm going to be a big brother book to our 2.5 yo when little sibling was on the way and it really helped.

Maybe take an hour and spend it just with middle one this weekend. Have your DH handle the other two. And be the one who puts him to bed at night.

Definitely involve your kid. And the baby blues suck. I had them with my first.

Children should not have to take care of their siblings. It is OP's baby not the other children's baby

Do you know anything about how families worked in this country up until about 60 years ago? Or how they work in other cultures? Clearly not. Good luck with what are sure to be incredibly selfish children that you are raising.

When our DS was born last year, we found that DD was great the first five weeks. But weeks 5-10 were nuts. She was very jealous, throwing lots of tantrums.

We just managed the tantrums and tried to give her lots of focus and alone time.

By 10-11 weeks, she was back to normal.

Hi there. I can totally relate to your concern. Though I gave my complete attention to my daughter, she couldn’t get adjusted with her lil baby brother for a long time. She would throw up tantrums, cry or smack the lil one. Oh, I still remember those heart breaking incidents. I know how crazy it must be for you right now. Please don’t worry, it’ll get better. I just said a prayer for your lil ones, and I hope that God will provide the strength and help you need at this time. Sending hugs & blessings your way!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have the middle child help you with diaper changes and feedings and burping and calming a crying baby. Let him hold the baby too.

Also how did you prepare your child? We read the I'm going to be a big brother book to our 2.5 yo when little sibling was on the way and it really helped.

Maybe take an hour and spend it just with middle one this weekend. Have your DH handle the other two. And be the one who puts him to bed at night.

Definitely involve your kid. And the baby blues suck. I had them with my first.

Children should not have to take care of their siblings. It is OP's baby not the other children's baby

OMG. Have you ever met a toddler? they like to be involved in everything. My 17 month old was "packing" his own lunch last night because he desperately wanted to do what we were doing in the kitchen.

OP, I think having the older sibling help is a brilliant idea. It changes my toddler's mood on just about everything else, so think it could help here too. Good luck.

Anonymous wrote:Have the middle child help you with diaper changes and feedings and burping and calming a crying baby. Let him hold the baby too.

Also how did you prepare your child? We read the I'm going to be a big brother book to our 2.5 yo when little sibling was on the way and it really helped.

Maybe take an hour and spend it just with middle one this weekend. Have your DH handle the other two. And be the one who puts him to bed at night.

Definitely involve your kid. And the baby blues suck. I had them with my first.

Children should not have to take care of their siblings. It is OP's baby not the other children's baby

My 2yo was having a hard time at first, but I found he likes to be involved. I give him the chance to pick out the baby's outfit, I ask him to "help" me make the fruit puree for the baby (he stands next to me and hands me the fruit), etc. I also found the I'm a Big Brother book helpful. When he does something right (like give the baby a toy) I shower him with praise. I also make sure to give him one-on-one time every day where we read a book or play a game. It's getting better, but some days he still tries to hit the baby.

Have the middle child help you with diaper changes and feedings and burping and calming a crying baby. Let him hold the baby too.

Also how did you prepare your child? We read the I'm going to be a big brother book to our 2.5 yo when little sibling was on the way and it really helped.

Maybe take an hour and spend it just with middle one this weekend. Have your DH handle the other two. And be the one who puts him to bed at night.

Definitely involve your kid. And the baby blues suck. I had them with my first.

2yo DC is having a really hard time adjusting to his new little sis. Everything was fine until about 2 weeks ago (baby is 8 weeks), and now there are just a ton of screams and tears and hours at a time of being extra sensitive. This child is the one that's normally very happy and easy going. We also have an older child (5yo) that didn't have a hard time adjusting to her new sibling two years ago. I should note that I'm also struggling with some baby blues, which makes this harder to deal with. So many emotions from so many people all the time!!!

Any practical advice? I'm trying to get as much one on one time as possible, but it's hard to do that with three kids while DH is at work. That should be easier once the oldest goes to school next week.