How Older Children Can Help Out When You're Having a Baby
When you have older children and you're about to have a new baby, there will likely be some changes that everybody will need to get used to. Mom will soon be busy with a new little bundle of joy. As you attempt to juggle everybody's needs successfully, there are a number of ways that older children can help out. Not all help will come in the way of baby care. Just helping out around the house can make a big difference in how smoothly things will go during this transition period.
Help Out Around the House
Children can create quite a mess over the course of a day. It's important that children learn how to clean up after themselves. Having your children clean up after themselves can help reduce potential choking hazards, especially when the baby starts to move around more. Children can be assigned chores based on their age. Little ones can help with putting away toys each evening. The bigger kids of the house can do laundry and clean the floors.Find Quiet Activities to Do
Before the baby arrives, it can help to teach children that they need something quiet to do from time to time. When the baby is napping, there may be a need for other children to go to their rooms for a quiet rest period. Not everybody has to sleep, but keeping quiet for an hour or so will help keep everyone in a good mood for the rest of the day. This also gives you a few minutes to rest before you need to accomplish something else.Be Understanding
It's difficult for a child of any age to adjust to having a new sibling. It might sound like an exciting addition to everyone, but there will be changes that are hard to adjust to at first. There is one more child who needs attention. This can take attention away from everyone else. Older children can be taught to be more understanding of what is happening within the family structure. It's harder for younger kids to understand, but there are plenty of conversations that can take place to make the transition easier.Adding to your family is an exciting adventure that you will always remember. It's easy to become overwhelmed and stressed with everything that you need to struggle with. However, having older children at home can really be a big help. In those early months when you're trying to keep up with frequent feedings and diaper changes, having someone to help with laundry makes a big difference. Kids will feel valued and needed when they are able to contribute to the family in a meaningful way.
Here’s another article you might like: What to Keep in Mind When Your Little One Is Learning to Walk
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