Bringing home a new baby can be scary, for all involved. Life is going to change and no one really has a full grasp on exactly how that will look and how that will change life. When bringing home the second baby, many parents worry about how the relationship with the oldest child will change. Every new baby brings changes to the dynamics of the home.
And so the question arises, how do you successfully bring home your new member of the family? How do you help older siblings with this transition? Please take a moment to answer the questions below. Doing so will help other parents in the future. It is very helpful for me when compiling answers if you at least number the answers you give. You can also copy the questions and answer them. If the question does not apply to you, simply put “N/A.”
1. How old was your child[ren] when you brought the new baby home?
2. What, if anything, did you do before the baby was born/adopted to prep the older sibling?
3. In retrospect, what do you think helped your older child[ren] with the transition?
4. In retrospect, what do you think did NOT help your older child[ren] with the transition?
5. How did your child respond to the change? Things like, how did the child initially react? What about a few weeks later? Did you notice any behavioral or sleep impacts?
6. Any advice for parents about to take this step?
