Adjusting to a New Sibling
Bringing a new baby into the family can be both an exciting and challenging time. Siblings can have a hard time adjusting to the new member of the family. Deciding what to tell children about new siblings and preparing them for the changes that will take place will vary depending on the age difference, but there are some rules of thumb experts recommend creating the best possible environment for your expanding family.
Electronic Resources
Articles
Preparing Siblings
Why Children Misbehave when a New Baby Arrives: Huffington Post addresses the challenges of bringing home a new baby to siblings.
How to Help Older Children Adjust to a New Child: Zero to Three discusses ways to help siblings adjust to a new baby.
Bringing Home a New Child: Child Mind Institute writes about preparing children for a new sibling and how to make bringing home a new baby a positive experience.
Bringing a New Baby Home
Advice from parents on things they wish they knew before bringing their new baby home.
Adoption and Foster Children
Raising Both Adopted and Biological Children
How to parent both adopted and biological children in a way that welcomes adopted children into the family completely.
How to Help an Older Child Adjust to Adoption
Actions parents can take to help a new member of the family adjust.
Videos and Podcasts
Learn the best way to introduce an older sibling to a new baby in this video featuring pediatrician Dr. Young, a Children's Hospital of Wisconsin pediatrician at Southwest Pediatrics.
Books
Children Books about a New Baby Sibling: PBS book recommendations for young children on adjusting to having a new sibling.