Getting Ready for Our Day
1. Comb Hair - E loves to comb her brother's hair (or my hair or anyone's hair except her own)! 2. Fold Laundry - A great chore to start is folding baby washcloths! 3. Put on Baby's Socks - This is trickier than it seems but a preschooler can figure it out with some practice. 4. Secure Shoes - E likes to put on her own shoes and then velcro her little brother's shoes, too! When we get home she has the job of taking them off and putting them away. 5. Pull Out Wipes or Tissues - For a diaper change or cleaning up a baby's mess there is something irresistible about pulling wipes out of a container or tissues out of their box. Older children love this job! 6. Stuff Cloth Diapers - Any momma who uses pocket diapers knows the fine motor skills required for this one! Meals 7. Fasten Bib - Whether velcro or snaps are involved putting a bib on a baby is wonderful fine motor work! 8. Prepare Snacks - E has been cutting her own food with a dull knife since she was two so now she likes to cut D's snacks up into appropriate sized pieces. 9. Spoon Feed - Turning the spoon to feed someone else requires different hand and wrist muscles! 10. Burp Baby - An older child can do the gentle back patting while you hold the baby. Just be sure to demonstrate first! 11. Wash Dishes - A basin with warm soapy water allows preschoolers to wash and rinse bottles, spoons, and plastic dishes. Bottle brushes and bubbles make it extra fun! 12. Pour Drinks - Pouring is a valuable early childhood skill that most parents overlook due to the mess factor. Child sized pitchers will allow preschoolers to pour their own drinks and fill the bottles or sippy cups of younger siblings, too. Play Time 13. "Read" Board Books - Most of our board book E has memorized or they only contain one easily decodable word per page. She loves to read to her little brother! 14. Blowing Bubbles - Inside or outside, bubbles are a blast! Your older child gets the fine motor work of sticking the wand in, pulling it out, and holding it to blow the bubbles all while entertaining the baby! 15. Clean Up Toys - Asking an older child to clean one type of toy not only works fine motor skills and sorting, but it also sets a great example for the younger child. Bath Time 16. Unfasten Diaper - E usually steers clear of diapers, but lately she's been asking to unfasten the old one and secure the new one which is great fine motor work! 17. Lather Hair - I still do the rinsing and applying of the shampoo but E likes to rub it in and make the bubbles! 18. Zipper Pajamas - After the baby is all dried off and diapered, your older child can choose and zipper up those jammies! Naptime & Bedtime 19. Turn on the Monitor - Our daughter loves to fetch the monitor and switch it on for us! 20. Help Swaddle or Tuck In - Depending on the baby's age, your older child may like to velcro a swaddle blanket or cover an older toddler with a blanket! Don't forget the kiss good night! By Devany LeDrew It's almost that time and I'm getting nervous about this huge transition for all of us, but mostly my son. Not only will he no longer be the only child after four and a half years, but he will also be sharing his room with baby for awhile. Here is a list I found of ten great tips from kidsactivitiesblog.com I want to keep handy for helping my son and baby girl share a bedroom.
******************************************************************************************** 10 Room Sharing Tips for Baby and a Big Kid NOVEMBER 22, 2014 BY CARLA WIKING Room sharing tips can be so helpful to second-time mothers. When I was pregnant with my second son I worried about how sibling room sharing would go. I looked all over the internet for reassurance that my baby and my preschooler would be fine sharing a room. We live in a very small home and while baby would be staying in our room at first, the two boys would have to bunk together eventually. My baby and preschooler have been sharing a room for over a month now and I’m happy to report it is working just fine. So for all those mothers in a similar situation I’m here to say, it will be okay! Better yet, I’ve got ten tips to help make the transition easier on everyone! 10 Room Sharing Tips1. Wait until baby is sleeping fairly consistently. My baby still wakes once or twice in the night but not every hour or two. If you can wait until your baby is sleeping most of the night you will cut down on the disturbances to the older sibling. (And save yourself from having to get up and go to a different room several times a night). 2. Change your older child’s bedtime routine location, but keep everything else consistent. Since the baby goes to sleep first we moved my preschooler’s bedtime routine to our room. We read a story, sing a song, and have a little snuggle just as we have always done. The only difference is we do it in my bed and then sneak quietly into the shared room for sleeping time. 3. Get baby used to the room as it is set up for your older child. For us, that meant a wave noise machine and nightlight, for others it might mean silence and darkness. Baby’s are generally more adaptable than older kids and your older child is already coping with a lot of change. 4. Make it fun. We talked with my older child about how fun it is to share a room. Their room got a special decor update. We also make sneaking in to fall asleep a fun by pretending to be super stealth ninjas. 5. Employ a (safe) bumper. We use a dark breathable bumper to help create a little bit of privacy for baby. It seems to help block the light from the door opening and closing when we put our older child down or when he gets up to use the bathroom. 6. Make the rules very clear. Safety is very important, which means you will want to set up a few simple rules for your older child. Make sure they know they cannot climb on or into the crib. It is also important that they don’t put objects into the crib, even though it is nice that they want the baby to have a toy or blanket. And if your baby is a light sleeper it is important that the older child learns to be extra quiet. 7. Be flexible with the monitor. This one is totally up to what works best for your family. I discovered that we all slept better with the monitor off. Again, our house is very small so I hear the baby if he needs me. However, other parents might rest better if they are able to keep ears (or eyes if you’ve got a cool video monitor) on the room. 8. Get organized. Set up an extra changing station outside of the room so that you can change baby in the middle of the night without disrupting their sleeping sibling. Likewise, be sure to gather items from the room you might need for your older child’s bedtime routine such as pajamas and books, before you put baby down. 9. Explore your nap options. Usually a baby sleeps much more during the day than an older child. We chose to put baby down for naps in the crib and have our son nap in our bed, but you could also use a pack n’ play for baby to sleep outside of the room at nap time. If your older child plays a lot in their room this second option might make more sense. 10. Remember that all transitions have an adjustment period. This too shall pass. If one or both of your children are struggling with the change, rest assured that with time they will adjust. Your family will find it’s new rhythm and soon everyone will be sleeping like a baby. Wishing you the best of luck and congrats on your newest addition! I found this article on Pinterest from www.babble.com and I loved how she gave tips for preparing beforehand, during the hospital stay, and afterwards. There are some great ideas on here that I will be trying.
http://www.babble.com/toddler/toddler-behavior-learning/preparing-toddler-new-sibling If you have a second baby on the way, you may be wondering how best to help your toddler (and yourself) adjust and welcome the newest addition to the family. I consulted with Elyse Eberstein, MSW, LE, a mom of two, who helps expecting parents at the Pump Station in Los Angeles prepare for the arrival of a second baby. She shared some suggestions for the run-up to birth, the hospital experience, and life in the early days of second-time motherhood. Before baby
10 Tips to Help Your Toddler Prepare and Adjust to a New Baby
PREPARE TODDLER FOR NEW BABY BEFORE THE BIRTH:1. Read books on becoming an older brother or sister. This really helped our oldest understand how the family was going to change and what her role in all of it was going to be. Find my book suggestions at the bottom. 2.Include them in setting up the baby’s room and let them help pick out baby items. 3.Use a baby doll and show them all that goes into caring for a baby. Let them help and have fun with it! Let them use actual baby diapers and some of the baby’s clothes. We did this in the last few weeks before the baby got here and it was a big hit. HELP TODDLER ADJUST TO NEW BABY AFTER THE BIRTH:1.Buy a “present” from the baby for big brother or sister. Give it to them when they come visit in the hospital or right when you bring baby home. 2.When big brother or sister comes to see you in the hospital, have someone else besides you be holding the baby so that you may hug and greet your older child and then help them meet their new sibling together. Especially if your older child is not used to being away from you, they probably really miss you and it is nice to greet them separately before meeting their new sibling. 3.Have them come to the hospital and help take the baby home for the first time. I think this makes them feel included and not like you are just bringing this new person into THEIR home. 4.Really go overboard on making being being a big sister or brother the coolest thing in the world. Encourage them to help you (but if they are resistant don’t make them) and really lay the praise on them for being such a big helper and the best big sibling EVER. 5.Expect SOME acting out and some babyish behavior and regression. Try to remain calm in dealing with this behavior and realize it will pass. The more attention you give it the longer it will go on. 6.Carve out some time every day where you solely spend time with your older child. I usually did this when my husband got home from work after dinner. We called it “Isabella time” and we did whatever she wanted to do with no interruptions for an allotted amount of time, usually around 20 minutes or so. 7.Have a special activity specifically planned for feeding times. I found that while I was nursing the baby was when my older child acted out the most. I had a bag of toys I only pulled out when I was nursing. Reading next to you while you feed the baby is also a good idea. Best books for preparing toddlers for new baby:The New Baby by Mercer Meyer I’m a Big Sister by Joanna Cole ( they also have a boy version) Big Sister are the Best by Fran Manushkin ( they also have a boy version) What Baby Needs by William Sears The Berenstains Bears’ New Baby by Stan Berenstain |
Kjerstina HousePlease visit my other site kjsfantasyforum.weebly.com Archives
January 2015
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