Having jealous siblings can be challenging when bringing home a new baby.

When you welcome home your new bundle of joy you might notice that older brother or sister aren’t as excited as the rest of the family.

For some kids jealousy might set in right away and for others it may come after the excitement of the new baby has worn off and everyone is settled in at home.

As moms, we want all of our children to feel that unconditional love. 

It was very difficult for me as a 3rd time mom bringing my baby home to my 2 year old who was very much still a baby herself.

Do toddlers get jealous of new baby?

Toddler jealousy is totally normal after bringing home your baby. In fact, it’s even normal for older siblings to feel a little jealousy.

Each of your kids will handle the addition to the household differently. 

But, you should prepare yourself to deal with some sibling jealousy. Even if your older kids aren’t outwardly expressing signs of jealousy it’s good to help them feel loved and supported while they adjust to the new family dynamic with baby.

How can I help my toddler adjust to a new sibling?

Here are some ideas to help your toddler adjust to their new baby brother or sister being home.

• Get them a special big brother or sister gift – This can be as simple as a necklace or big brother T-Shirt. Just something that lets them feel part of the process. When baby is getting all the gifts this can make them feel left out.
• One-on-one time– Plan out one on one time with your older kids. Spend some time doing a family activity at home that will make them feel extra special. Make sure as the baby grows you continue to spend one on one time with your older kids.
• Helping with baby – Think of age appropriate ways your toddler or older kids can help out with the baby. Can they bring you a diaper or baby blanket. Make sure to give them lots of praise when they do help.
• Love notes– If you have school aged kids leave them special love notes in their lunch or bedroom so they know you are thinking of them.
• Hold onto routines– Keep the routines you can normal. If you normally read stories before bed each night, try to work that in with the new baby.
• Communicate– Give your kids a chance to express their frustrations. Acknowledge their feelings and let them know how much they are loved and important to the whole family.

You might also like : 100+ Family bonding activities (Use these to help your kids bond with the new baby)

How can one on one time help with a new baby?

There are a lot of easy ways to spend one on one time with your kids. You can either do some small things at home with baby, leave baby with your spouse or a family member to get a few minutes of one on one time with the kids, or take turns and let your spouse handle the one on one time.

Here are a few more one on one ideas:

• Family movie night
• Play a card or board game
• Reading Stories
• Making dinner together
• Going for a walk or hike
• Building a blanket fort inside
• Doing a craft together

We’ve been loving making stop motion videos with our kids during one on one time. 

There are so many free apps for your phone to create these with and it can be a quiet home activity with clay, toys, or snacks like goldfish.

We used Goldfish since they are so colorful and fun to make a story with. 

What ideas do you have to make the new baby transition easier? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below!