What is the best way to introduce my three year old to a new baby? He has been so used to being an only child that I am concerned about how he will react to having to share me. Could you give me some advice?

Posted on Sep 16, 2004

My daughter was three years old when I brought her baby brother home from the hospital. She was a bit jealous but I made her feel that he was our baby and that I loved her just the same and now we both had another person in our lives to love. When he took a bottle, I let her feed him. I let her help with the changing of diapers. I let her hold him and rock him and sing to him. She did these things, of course, under very close supervision. She knew that he was her baby too. I hear about older children trying to hurt the new baby. You can’t let this happen. I believe that if you make the older child feel a responsibility towards the new little one, both children will benefit, and so will you. You also need to spend extra alone time with your three year old. He has been an only child until now. Your baby will never experience being an only child. For example, I always let my daughter stay up half an hour later than her little brother. That was our special time together. So every day create that special time for you and your three year old. And remember, as your children grow, they will both need their own time with you. These can be difficult days but when your children are adults and they talk about you fondly, you will see that it was worth every moment you spent in raising them.