Posted on 13th Jun 2011 @ 6:33 PM

Treat your children when a new baby arrives

Some parent s might think that it’s not a good idea to treat your children when this happens, but the fact remains that if you’ve just had a baby and you already have other children, you should do something to make the others feel a little bit special too. After all, having a new baby is a celebration and something everyone should be able to join in with, and children don’t usually get to join in with adult celebrations; they usually associate celebrating with gifts and games etc.

Won’t this spoil the child?

Many worry that the child or children that get the treat will end up spoiled, but this is certainly not the case. What you are doing by buying your child a treat on an occasion like this is making it a positive event in their lives. If you don’t do something that they are going to regard as celebratory then they’re likely to feel a little marginalised. A child will not see the benefit in a pat on the back, a shake of the hand or even a hug from others as a celebratory gesture of congratulations, they require something they’ll remember; a gift can work wonders on a child, and it doesn’t even have to be much at all.

You see, when you do this you automatically link the birth of their new sibling with something positive; it’s a good time for them. If your other child/children are particularly young then you can even say that their gift is from their new sibling; this will make them feel even better about the new arrival.

What sort of gifts should I buy my child?

You shouldn’t spend too much money on the gifts, simply because they don’ t have to be much at all. Some parents can go a little crazy when it comes to spending money on gifts for their children, and we’ve all come across the old painful experience when our child likes the box more than the gift haven’t we? Again to reinforce, this is just a gesture to your child or children to celebrate the new arrival of their brother or sister. Some ideas might be:

• A new book. This is something that you can also do with your child when you have time.
• A new item of clothing. This could perhaps be something that marks the occasion.
• A small novelty toy or keepsake. These are always popular with children and indeed adults. They don’t have to be expensive as long as they’re fun.
• A day out. This is another good idea, but it doesn’t last long, so you might want to consider making a photographic record of the time.

Try to resist buying sweets because these won’t last and your child won’t be able to refer to them in the same way as a gift that they can play with and perhaps enjoy with others.

When your child is able to celebrate with others about the arrival of their new baby brother or sister you’ll find that, the often strange transition from their normal family life to the addition of a newborn, will be much easier too.