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Sympathy Gifts
Gifts by Occasion
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Don’t Forget the Siblings.
I remember when I was expecting my third child. At one point in my prepping for this baby I read that your other small children may become jealous or envious of all the attention baby is getting from visitors and mom and dad. Now, granted an infant is in need of a lot of attention, but don’t forget your children may themselves be feeling a little left out.
What to Expect:
Well it’s hard to know how every child will react, but some good preventative steps could save you some tantrums down the road. It’s possible depending on the age of your older child that they may revert back to wanting bottles, thumb sucking, or messing their pants. Your child may feel that since you give baby a lot of attention that what you like what baby does more then what they do.
Tips to Encourage Big Brother/Big Sister behavior
1. Talk about what it will be like bringing home baby. Remind them the baby is so little and can’t do big girl/boy things.
2. Keep things positive. Use praise for even the smallest achievements. It won’t last forever, but in the beginning making a big deal out of small things for your older child will help them to feel special too.
3. Direct guests to your older child having the child introduce the baby. While we as parents are so proud of our newborn, it’s important for the older child to be noticed by adoring adults. Many a mom will remember and recognize what you are doing and will play along letting the older child tell them the rules surrounding the baby.
4. Let your older child help retrieve diapers, wipes, and lotions. Letting them be a part of picking out the baby’s outfits, filling up the diaper bag and being the big helper will go a long way to encourage your child.
Tips for Giving Gifts
1. Many moms will remember a special someone who brought a gift for the older siblings when they stopped in to greet the baby. If anyone asks what they can bring, offer a few simple suggestions.
2. When you come home from the hospital giving a small doll, teddy bear or toy to your older child will help to ease the transition of the new baby in the household.
The Rest of the Year
While it will be fun for your child to receive small tokens and praise, after the first few weeks you will want to set a more realistic reward system. Starting a chart where they can add stickers to reach a goal will entice them to help out, play quietly during nap times and be a good brother or sister. Let the rewards be simple but something they do not normally get. For our children the rewards were suckers, a dollar to shop at the dollar store, game time with mom or dad and a trip to McDonalds. These things were age appropriate. The older your child the less you will have to employ these tactics and the smoother the transition will be.
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