Help the new big brother or sister welcome home their baby sibling with these fun ideas.
One of the biggest worries for parents having their second or third child is how the eldest kid will cope with the new sibling. Start them off on the right foot by making the “welcome home” a special occasion for the siblings.
Before the baby arrives make it a “special project” for the big brother or sister to plan and create how they’re going to take on their new duty as the older sibling and welcome home the baby.
Here are a few ideas on how:
Matching tees
Purchase two blank t-shirts for your kids (one for the older sibling and one for the baby) and spend an afternoon with your older child getting creative. You can both use t-shirt paints to write special messages on the shirts like “I’m The Big Brother” or “My Little Sister” and let the kid/s draw their own special designs. They can both wear the t-shirts on the day the baby comes home.
Welcome home kit
Take your little one shoppping before the big delivery and let him or her walk around picking out items they might want their new baby sibling to have. They could pick things such as a baby singlet, a dummy, a travel-sized baby powder, even their favourite snack that they think they would like to “share” on the day the baby comes home. Then together you can pack it all up in a basket with some ribbon. On the day the baby comes home, make sure you make it a big event that the siblings are together going through the “welcome home” items.
Signs and cards
Get out the pencils, crayons and paint and let the kids go crazy making cards, banners and signs that can go up in the nursery for when the baby arrives.
The family book
Pick a special book with your older child that is going to be a book only he or she reads to their new baby sister or brother. When the baby arrives, make it a special moment on the day in the first few weeks that the older kid reads (or Mum and Dad helps them read) to the baby.
Clay families
Purchase some clay from an art store or well-stocked department store and spend a day with the older sibling making clay figurines of the family, including the new baby who will soon be arriving. Then leave it to dry. During the creation process you can both talk about your new family and how there will be another person it it. This way before the baby arrives the older sibling is creating the clay family with all of the people in it and getting used to the new number or dynamics. When the baby arrives the older sibling can “show” the baby the clay family or have it there to play with.
More family fun
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