How do i get my very rambunctious 3 year old son adjusted to having a baby sister?

Question

i hardly have any time my baby is due september 10th

Answer 1

Get your child involved in the baby. I don't know how much you have left to set up but have your 3 year old help. Try and explain that you won't love them any less. That's a big issue alot the older siblings feel the younger ones are taking away some of the love. And be sure that you try not to neglect the 3 year old. I know it will be hard but it's one of the more important points. If you pay more attention to the baby than the 3 year old. Your 3 year old will make you pay attention to them by acting out. Also I found it helpful to have the older sibling do things for the baby. Like get the diapers when the baby needed changing or test the bottle temperature. Most older siblings do okay when a baby is introduced. Like I said the best way I know how is to make sure your son is as involved as possible with the planning and taking care of the baby. I'm not saying have the son hold the baby right away but if you have a bouncy seat you could have him bounce the baby supervised and that sort of thing. Hope this helped. Sorry if it didn't.

Answer 2

Start carrying around a doll.  Sounds strange, but it gets your little guy used to seeing you carry and care for another child even more helpless than he is.  Let him help you care for his new little sister (the doll and the real thing) by handing you diapers and wipes, "feeding," burping, playing with, rocking to sleep, staying quiet during baby's naptimes, etc.  You need to clearly point out the differences in a big boy and a tiny baby.  Make sure your son realize how fragile his new little sister is so he doesn't accidentally harm her being too rough.  Good luck and congratulations!

Answer 3

My son was also 3 right before his sister was born last year. I had talked with him alot about the baby coming - when we did hugs and kisses at night he would hug and kiss his sister (my belly). We also talked about me going away for a few days to have his sister. He was so good from the start. In fact within an hour of arriving home she started crying in her seat and he ran to get the bottle and tried to give it to her ! The biggest thing for me was to not exclude attention from him. When she would nap I would sit and play with my son, usually cars - his favorite thing. Or we would color or play a game. Things I had done with him before she came along. In that way he didn't feel like all my attention was going to her. Yes, my house stayed messy longer, but oh well. I also still tried to do one on one things with him, while someone watched the baby. Like taking him to the park, or swimming. Because of that I think it helped in him not having severe jelousy towards his sister. To this day, a year later, he is still so amazingly good with her.

Good luck.  

Answer 4

Get him a shirt that says "Im a big brother" or something to that effect, make him feel included and let him "help" you with the new baby, just remind him he needs to be gentle, and dont forget to take time out, possibly when baby is sleeping, to have one on one time with him.

Answer 5

This worked for us....And the older child was a girl.

After the baby was born I went to the park multiple times a day. The older child LOVED the attention and it tired her out. And the little baby just slept in the car seat. So, when it came time to paying attention to the baby, the big sister didn't care.

To prep her, we just talked to her about it a lot and told her how to touch the baby's fingers and toes. We also called the baby...baby sister. It wasn't my baby. It was her sister.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

I had the same problem...my son was 2 1/2 but he still filled with energy! i let him help me set everythin up and lay his head on my belly and keep tellin him sissy will be here soon....he didnt like her at first(keep a close eye on them....he will be jealous and mite get mad) but after a few weeks he realized im still mommy adn that she didnt take me away from him...so now he love her to death!!!!(shes 4 1/2 months old) make sure you take some time out of each day for just you and him so he kows you didnt forget about him...