Siblings

lmc929

I didnt see a thread for this yet --

How is everyone handling first time siblings? Any brilliant presents from baby ideas?

I got DS (who is 2) a "the new baby" book for Easter and upon finishing reading it to him he said "hit baby?".... would be great to get some suggestions for what I anticipate to be a difficult transition. 

Kylieslip24

Dd will be 4, I plan on having a little bag of toys, snacks, and coloring books for her in the waiting room while she is with grandma. Then we have a gift exchange plan. Pretty soon We are going to build a bear and have her pick one out and make one for her brother, with a sound recording of her message to him. (She knows and is excited about this) then we're going to sneak and make her one too with a recording from me. So she will get her build a bear when he's born. I'm also going to have things to keep her busy at the hospital since she will be with us during the day until we go home. New iPad apps, sticker books, maybe a new doll, and some kind of craft to do with her dad. 
Once we are home I have collected a bunch of new movies for her to watch too. 
So we've gone a little bit crazy with the present plans, but we don't have any help really so we need a lot of stuff to keep her busy. 

mombod

DS just turned 2 so I put away a few things he got so they are new when the baby comes. More of a distraction then a gift bc I dont think hell understand it anyway. Weve been reading Im a Big Brother. Im thinking of getting him a baby doll so he can help his baby while mommy helps the new baby. Has anyone done this? Do you feel like it helped? Do you think just over 2 is old enough that him picking out a gift for baby and baby giving him a gift would be beneficial?

ellie111227

We're not doing a gift from the baby per say, but I have been gathering fun new activities and little toys for dd (20 months in June) to use either alone or with me after the baby comes. I also got a little table and chairs set that I will put out in the living room soon so that she has her own special big girl space to color or look at books. I want her to have it long enough that she is used to climbing on and off of the chairs and not climbing on the table before the baby comes, but not so long that it loses all its novelty. We do read stories about big sisters and about babies ("Everywhere Babies" is her favorite). She is very interested in babies in general though, and she seems to know that we will have a new baby soon. She shows everyone who comes to the house the "baby rum" aka nursery, and today when I got her up from her nap she was sitting in her crib rocking her blanket in her arms like a baby and pretending to give it her pacifier, saying "yum, yum, baby." It was pretty adorable. I'm sure things will be tough sometimes, but I'm pretty much planning to wing it. She's little enough that she will probably be playing with whatever toys we get as gifts for the new baby anyway, so I think she will feel excited and included no matter what.

Wino0920

There is a siblings thread going on and I think a sibling class thread. 

mamaelle27

DD will be 21 months. We got her a new baby doll and a soft carrier she can wear her in. We'll give that to her when she comes to visit the baby at the hospital. I'm hoping she'll be into caring for her baby while I care for the real baby. I've also picked up a few small toys to give her over the first few weeks, mostly summer stuff that she would have gotten anyway but I figured I can give her one at a time as she needs a little extra excitement.

We're moving in the next month so my biggest concern is how DD will handle the transition to a new house. I've decided to set up the nursery (where she currently sleeps) exactly the same and set up her new toddler room too and kind of let her choose which one to move into. I don't want to rock her world by getting a new house, new baby, and kicking her out of the crib. Plus, baby will be in the bassinet in our room for the first couple months anyway. 

lmc929

mamaelle27 said:

DD will be 21 months. We got her a new baby doll and a soft carrier she can wear her in. We'll give that to her when she comes to visit the baby at the hospital. I'm hoping she'll be into caring for her baby while I care for the real baby. I've also picked up a few small toys to give her over the first few weeks, mostly summer stuff that she would have gotten anyway but I figured I can give her one at a time as she needs a little extra excitement.

We're moving in the next month so my biggest concern is how DD will handle the transition to a new house. I've decided to set up the nursery (where she currently sleeps) exactly the same and set up her new toddler room too and kind of let her choose which one to move into. I don't want to rock her world by getting a new house, new baby, and kicking her out of the crib. Plus, baby will be in the bassinet in our room for the first couple months anyway. 

We are also in the middle of moving - crazy time to do that Good luck to you!

mamaelle27

@lmc929, thanks, same to you!

BellaO21

Does anyone have a significant age difference between this LO and their others??
My SS is 9, we had him pick out a gift to give his sister when she finally arrives, but I think he's too old to do a gift from Victoria to him. The nurse at the hospital suggested to just get him something for entertainment while we are at the hospital. Although he will likely be staying with Grandma during those 2 days.  

allywat

@Bella0210 my SS is 10, he was 8 when we had my first one, he's great with him and my 18 month olds favorite person in the world is his big brother for sure. I wouldn't worry about a gift from baby but something new and fun to keep him entertained during those first few days when he is gonna be out of his normal routine might be nice. Mostly I would just make sure he is still getting one on one time after baby is home and settled. 

alm52386

@BellaO21 I was 9 when my brother was born and I don't remember getting a gift from the baby. I probably helped pick out gifts for him though. I also don't remember spending a ton of time at the hospital. As I write this I'm realizing this was 22 years ago and I don't really remember much at all! Except that I was VERY excited to be a big sister again and loved helping my mom with him. So I guess I didn't really need entertainment or gifts since I was so interested in helping with him. 

BellaO21

@Allybiery, we figured we would get him a new game or something to keep him entertained during the small amount of time he would be with us in the hospital. We will definitely make sure he gets his one-on-one time when she gets home, especially with DH (as I'm sure he'll be more concerned/jealous over that relationship *dh & baby* vs. me & baby).
@alm52386 lmao, I know I can barely remember what I had for dinner yesterday! I'm hoping he will want to spend more time with her vs. his toys or any new gifts. My parents and DH are just concerned that he will get jealous over people bringing her gifts and not him when they come to visit. I on the other hand say he's old enough to understand and will get over it LOL. (Clearly, I'm not the sensitive type.)

ellie111227

@BellaO21 I was 12 and my older brother was 14 when our younger brother came home (adopted at 15 months old). I actually remember it very well. No one got us presents or made a fuss over us, and I know I wound have found it really condescending if they did. We were old enough to understand that it wasn't about us, and I would have resented someone acting like we weren't. I'm sure it differs based on personality, and we were a bit older than your son, but I would trust your instinct if you think he is old enough to understand!

EmeraldNC

I plan to throw all of mine in the octagon together and let them sort things out on their own.

shmarpler

@BellaO21, give him a gift from you. My parents gave me a stuffed teddy bear when my little brother was born (I was 2), and maple town people when my sister was born. I still have them all. My mom actually just mailed me the bear for DD to play with.

Xath

EmeraldNC said:

I plan to throw all of mine in the octagon together and let them sort things out on their own.

My money is on my 3yo.  He thinks the "gentlest" way to carry his baby doll is in a headlock and is about the same weight as my 5yo.  Since the 5yo has restraint and 3 doesn't, My money is on him.

Stankonia2014

@BellaO21, DD1 will be 10 years older than this LO. She's already a really big helper with DD3 (they're 7 years apart). I think the gift from him to her is a great idea. I just do a 'fun bag' for my kids when at the hospital. Little things to keep them entertained even for the short period they're up there with us. I think getting him a gift maybe from you guys is a great idea, it will help him feel included and special.

LAMCH1980

@Bella0210, My DD will be 16 years older than this baby. DS will only be 3 years older. I treat this time just like any other birthday. When it's DD's birthday, she gets gifts, when it's DS's birthday, he gets gifts. I'll explain that when they were first born, they were brought lots of presents too!  I don't really feel the need to make every event, birthday or holiday "fair" to all of my kids. It's ok to pay attention to others if they need it or it's their special day. That being said, I will be sure to spend one on one time with each of them to check in and see how they're doing. If they need me, I'll do something extra like take just one to lunch or shopping or a movie. 

huzzahuzza

Question: is anyone doing anything special with their little during your mat. leave like enrolling them in camp or anything? I just hate to think of my 4 year old stuck at home all the time with baby and mommy who may or may not be stuck in a cycle of eat, sleep, poop, cry (for both of us).

Kylieslip24

I'm a sahm and we're pretty much always at home anyway, but I've been collecting her a bunch of new movies and wrapping them up like gifts and she will get one a day and we're fixing up the backyard and getting her a climbing dome to keep her busy. 

BellaO21

The summer program we normally enroll SS into jumped their prices up significantly this summer, so with me being out of work (I don't get paid maternity in my field) we just can't afford to send him. He's excited to stay home and spend the time with his little sister instead though (for now).