Milkbank Blog
The Role Of A Big Brother
My 5-month-old would be a cinch to take care of everyday if it was just her in the house. However, her 3-year-old brother makes it very hard to do normal daily tasks.
There are times when I can’t do anything. I can’t cook, go to the bathroom, or type on the computer because when the baby wants to be held, my son wants to jump in on the hugging action. The toughest part is when I place her down for a nap. My son will inadvertently wake her up making my chores difficult to accomplish.
Before she was born I was worried if he would get really jealous of the baby and hurt her in some way. My husband and I prepared him for the new arrival by regulary telling him to say “hi” to his baby sister in my belly. When she was born and he came into the hospital room and saw her, boy did his eyes widen.
During the first month, I noticed my son’s unusual behavior as he was trying to grasp having another baby in the house. He was very clingy and whiney all the time.
As time goes by, he’s gotten better. Sometimes he reacts devishly to the baby when he wants attention but for the most part he has become accepting of her. Recently, he’s taken to do some brotherly actions. He has wiped her spit up wth a cloth for me and even handed her some toys to play with. It’s been very sweet to watch.
I still have to remind myself that he is only three and to be a little patient with him as he still doesn’t understand that by waving his hands near her head could hurt her. I’m really lucky that my brother and sister are 12 and 13 years older than me and have always treated me as the baby of the family. I’ve been spoiled. It was like I had four parents growing up!
I do hope that my children will be close siblings and that my son will take on the protective big brother role.
Do you have more than one child? How did your eldest child react when the new baby arrived?
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