Changes In The Child’s Behavior When A Sibling Arrives
When a new member arrives in the family, everyone is filled with joy, although there are also great changes, both in the organization and in the routine of the family. When we already have a child and a new baby brother arrives, changes in the child’s behavior occur, and this is completely normal.
This new member will bring changes in the family habits that existed until then, in addition to new needs to be met, new times adapted to the newly arrived baby… And this changes the rhythm we had maintained until then. Children are the ones who most notice this change in routines, and changes in their behavior may arise.
Changes in child behavior with the arrival of a little brother
The arrival of a new baby at home involves many changes for the brother. He becomes the eldest, he is no longer the only one, and he needs to learn to share his parents with the new baby, both in attention and affection.
These changes can affect the siblings’ behavior and jealousy of the new baby brother can arise. This can make children regress to previous stages that they had already mastered. Parents should not be alarmed as this is totally normal and will gradually disappear with time and with the help of the parents.
What changes in the child’s behavior can be observed?
They start to need us for some activities they were already doing alone
- They want to be fed, since they already ate alone.
- They ask to sleep with us, since they were already sleeping alone in their own room.
- They go back to wetting the bed, and that hasn’t happened for a long time.
These regressions are unconscious. The child thinks that since the baby receives attention by having these behaviors, if she behaves like him, he will receive more attention.
Speak in a more childlike language
When a baby arrives, children start talking as if they were little again as a way to get their parents’ attention.
The arrival of a sibling: a more irritable personality may emerge
The child may become angry more easily, may become more sensitive and cry for no reason. All of this is the result of the emotional pressure she is under at the moment and which she cannot handle because she doesn’t know how to do it.
Sometimes a child doesn’t want a parent to take care of him.
Maybe she doesn’t want her mother to put her to bed, but her father, or on the contrary, she wants to do everything with her mother.
bother the baby
Behaviors to annoy the baby may arise, such as taking his pacifier, waking him up or even scolding him as if he were the mother or father.
All of these behaviors are attempts to get attention and we don’t need to worry about that. It is a natural phase and will normalize as the child adapts to the new situation. However, it is very important that parents act appropriately so that these behaviors do not worsen.
What can we do to help the child when a baby brother arrives?
Letting the child participate from the first moment we discover that we will be parents again
We should let her help us prepare everything that is necessary for the new member, choosing some clothes she likes or a toy. In addition, we must also ignore bad behavior and always reinforce good behavior.
Maintaining the oldest child’s routines whenever possible
If before the brother was born we used to read him a story at night, this must continue to be done, otherwise the child will blame the brother for this fact.
We don’t need to romanticize the advantages of having a brother
If we say “you will have a sibling to play with, a confidant and a friend” , we will make the child think that this will be immediate. In fact, it will take a long time for this to happen, because the baby has to grow up and, at first, will not accompany him in the games.
We need to dedicate exclusive hours to him
At baby bath time, we can play with our oldest child while the little one stays with the other parent. Both parents should take turns spending time with the firstborn.
Involve children in younger sibling care
Thus, we were able to show that your help is very useful and very important to us.
Do not compare siblings under any circumstances
This will make the child turn against the brother and become even more jealous. Every child is the way he is, and they don’t need to look like anything.
About changes in child behavior
These are some of the changes that occur in the child’s behavior when faced with the arrival of a sibling and how we can help her to deal with this situation in the best possible way. It is a phase that needs to be passed through and that, with the help of parents, will certainly be easier to deal with.
