All My Children

Just as it is important for you to handle your newborn carefully and appropriately, any older brothers or sisters in the family will need to be supervised during their interactions with the baby. They should have been given plenty of advance warning, in language they can understand, about the new brother or sister who is on the way, and perhaps will have had a chance to say hello to him while Mont was still in the hospital. For very young children, fascination with the wiggly little person will be mixed with an overriding concern about whether there is enough love to go around.

With everyone oohing and aahing over the new baby, your toddler or preschooler may conclude that the best way to get attention is to act like the baby. You may notice him trying to climb into the baby’s crib or suddenly forgetting all his potty-training skills. Rather than spending a lot of energy rebuking this behavior, take time to affirm his capabilities and point out some of the advantages of being older. (”You’re such a big boy now—you can go to the park and ride on the swings! The baby is too little to do that.”) He needs reassurance that he is special and unique, and he needs one-on-one time with Mom and Dad If Mom is worn out or recovering from surgery, Dad or a grandparent should be prepared to take on this assignment.

Equally (if not more) important is the need to ensure the new baby’s safety around children who are not likely to be well versed in the details of newborn care. Toddlers and preschoolers who want to touch and caress the new baby must be shown how to do so gently, avoiding the baby’s eyes, nose, and mouth and clearly told that they can only touch the baby while Mom or Dad is there watch. ing them. They should not be allowed to carry a new baby, play any of their physical games with the baby, or touch the baby with anything but their hands that have just been washed. If they have runny noses or a cough, they’ll need to w until the illness is gone before getting near the baby.

If you see an older sibling talking or acting aggressively toward a new baby, immediately separate the two, find out what’s going on, and make certain the issue (usually jealousy) is settled before allowing any further contact. Small chidren, especially if they are upset (for whatever reason), are quite capable of injuring babies, whether or not they fully realize what they are doing. Toddlers and two-year-olds are particularly incapable of processing the moral and physical reasons they should not act aggressively toward a baby, although it is appropriate to define limits for them in this as in other arenas. Parents and other caregivers will thus need to remain constantly on guard to protect a young infant from the older sibling—who was himself a baby not long ago.

The same rules about colds and acute illnesses apply to relatives and friends who may want to handle your baby. Because her immune system is not as competent as it will be in a few months, you should be careful to expose her to as little risk of infection as possible. This means that, at the risk of upsetting a well-meaning friend or relative, you may need to be firm about keeping your new baby away from anyone with an acute infection, especially one involving sneezing and coughing (which can easily spread contaminated droplets). Adults and older children will have a much easier time getting over their temporary disappointment than your newborn will have recovering from an acute infection. Your protective stance for the first two to three months of your baby’s life should also include keeping her out of crowds in general and group nurseries in particular, unless it is absolutely necessary to do otherwise.

Don’t hesitate to ask well-wishers to come back at a later date if you are feeling overwhelmed by all your new responsibilities. If the baby is fussy and you’re running on empty with too little sleep, keep visitors to a minimum, place a polite sign on the door asking not to be disturbed, and let the answering machine take care of incoming calls so you can get some extra rest. You’ll have plenty of the to socialize and show off your pride and joy in the coming months.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Other people in your baby’s life

• Safe Sleep: Reducing the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
• Where should your baby sleep?
• The day of Baby Birth
• Relations in Teens Illegitimate Pregnancy
• Milestones and Memories
• Helping a new baby enter the slumber zone
• Children Caution: Using Medications to Lower Temperature
• Bathing Your Baby
• A new baby's skin Care
• Telling your Child about Sex continue...

Trackback URI | Comments RSS