Bonding Your Toddler and New Baby

Growing your family is a magical experience; however, it does come with many road bumps. Between parents navigating the transition to more children, the sleep deprivation that the newborn stage brings, caring for older siblings, post-partum issues, and the experience your older children may be experiencing, it can be a difficult time for everyone in the family. However, there are ways you can make it easier for your toddler throughout the process. Keep reading to learn more about bonding your toddler and new baby, plus the one product you need to help along the way.

Understanding Your Toddler

The transition from being the only child or the baby of the family to now having to share the stage can be difficult for most toddlers. It is important to understand that this is totally normal and that there are ways you can help your toddler through the transition. Understanding your toddler and what they’re going through is the best way to help.

• Help your toddler feel secure. Toddlers often start feeling like they are a nuisance, which can cause behavioral issues. Make sure you do your best not to make your toddler feel as if they are in the way or bothering you, even if sometimes they might be!
• Regressing will likely happen. Your toddler may start regressing back to old behaviors that they have already outgrown. This is because they see that the baby’s crying and screaming get your attention, and they may begin to mimic it.
• Feeding times will likely be the hardest. Feeding your baby will be difficult for both toddlers and you, as it is the toughest time to watch over your toddler. They also most often feel jealous during feeding times and may demand your attention more than usual.

Tips for Bonding Your Children

While your toddler might be regressing, feeling as if they are in the way, or feeling jealous, it can be difficult for them to bond with the new baby. They may rather want to avoid the baby altogether, or they may act out on the baby. Luckily, there are some tips that can help you bond your toddler and your newborn to make everyone’s transition smoother.

Preparing Ahead of Time

One of the best things you can do for your toddler and your new baby is to prepare your toddler ahead of time for what’s to come. This includes:

• Talking a lot about the new baby, involving your toddler in purchasing new items, encouraging your toddler to hug or kiss your belly, and getting your toddler books about becoming a big brother or sister.
• Show your toddler pictures and videos of when they were a newborn and tell them what they were like. Let them know there will be a lot of crying, poopy diapers, night wakings, and other behaviors and that it is all normal.
• Ensure your toddler has plenty of opportunities to have one-on-one time both before and after the baby is born to help with the transition. Set up times for other family members to spend time with your toddler to help make them feel special.

Speak Your Baby’s Language

One of the ways you can bond your toddler and your baby is by teaching your toddler how to speak your baby’s language. This includes teaching your toddler the best ways to bond with the baby, which includes: (source: KidsHealth )

• Touch becomes an early language as babies respond to skin-to-skin contact. It's soothing for both you and your baby while promoting your baby's healthy growth and development.
• Eye-to-eye contact provides meaningful communication at close range.
• Babies can follow moving objects with their eyes.
• Your baby tries — early on — to imitate your facial expressions and gestures.
• Babies prefer human voices and enjoy vocalizing in their first efforts at communication.
• Babies often enjoy just listening to your conversations and your descriptions of their activities and environments.

Involve Your Toddler With Baby’s Care

One of the easiest ways to get your baby and toddler to bond is by involving your toddler in your baby’s care. Your toddler will not only feel special and helpful, but they will better understand what is involved with your baby and what happens when the baby needs you. Some of the ways your toddler can help include:

• Bringing you items, such as diapers or wipes, when you’re changing the diapers
• Helping shake the bottle before a feed
• Taking dirty clothes or swaddles to the laundry hamper
• Helping to wipe baby’s face or mouth

Tummy Time Bonding

A fun way to get your toddler and baby to bond is during your baby’s tummy time. Your toddler can help facilitate tummy time by grabbing the bin full of tummy time toys and setting it up for your baby.

Your toddler can also bond with your baby during tummy time by blowing bubbles! Bubbles are a great developmental activity for babies that encourages motor skill development and visual tracking. Innobaby’s Bubble Blower and Botanical Solution Set is perfect for both toddlers and newborns! The botanical solution is mess-free, perfect for indoor use, and safe for baby’s skin. The bubble blower is toddler-friendly and easy for your child to learn how to use.

Our bubbles are long-lasting & mess-free without the soapy gooey residue. Perfect for kids with skin sensitivity, sensory play, bubble therapy, classrooms, birthday parties, special events, and more! Made with non-toxic, worry-free botanical ingredients, our bubble solution will not dry out your skin or cause stickiness.

For more parenting tips and high-quality, family-friendly products, visit us at Innobaby.com!