We have a new baby arriving this autumn so this is a topical subject in our house. Here are a few ideas to help an older child to be able to adjust to a new sibling
Consider the timing of when you tell them about the baby. For younger children 9 months is an incredibly long time to wait etc
New baby books - age and stage appropriate
Play more with dolls, premmie nappies, discuss
Meet some babies etc
Plan nursery together
Emphasise big brother sister importance
Prepare box of little activities
Coping with a third pregnancy: We're expecting our third baby this autumn. This is my third pregnancy and we have a daughter who'll be 4 this autumn and a son who'll be two. We feel blessed to be having another baby but it must be said that pregnancy third time round is not quite the walk in the park I'd been hoping for! Energy levels As a person with a lot of energy usually I don't find pregnancy too tiring, once he first few weeks are done. But this time I am exhausted. Absolutely exhausted. I'm trying to turn off the guilt and let the kids indulge in a bit (sometimes a lot) more tv! Peoples perceptions: Most...
We were spoilt when my daughter arrived as was she. Sadly over time we've forgotten a lot of the gifts but the ones that really stuck with us four years later are these: Chocolate Lindt flowers - mum's definitely need gifts too and will be so grateful for being remembered. Hand knitted shawl from granny. Absolutely beautiful and still popular even now. We adore the personalised gifts we got. Beautiful building blocks with a subscription are amongst our favourites. A massive box of different types of chocolate brownies. So delicious and helped cheer me through evening cluster feeding and breastfeeding hunger. A hand made owl mobile/wall hanging from a London boutique. So cute Yummikeys are a beautiful new baby gift too and...
It's been a long, albeit not particularly warm summer up here in Scotland and definitely starting to feel ready for autumn. Here's a few of our favourite things about autumn: 1. Crunchy, colourful, beautiful leaves hanging onto the trees and carpeting the ground. Great for jumping in, kicking, throwing, collecting, sorting and especially painting with. 2. Conkers! Even as an adult it's pretty magical to find and open a big shiny conker. With children, it's fun all over again. There is a myriad of crafts you can do with conkers too if you’re feeling creative. 3. The smell of wood smoke from stoves and fires and garden clearances. And coming home and lighting our own fire of course. 4. Geese!...
It's a relatively recent phenomenon which has brought us the gender separated toy shop. If you take a wander round your nearest toy retailer you will likely find separate isles for boys and girls toys. The girls section will almost certainly be a sea of bright barbie pink, purple and glitter, whilst the boys will be a sludge of grey, khaki and blue. The toys for girls and boys are also very different. With a bias towards construction toys and action for boys and towards mothering and small world play for girls. The bias starts from babyhood where girls have few options that aren't pink and fluffy and boys are already dominated with blue and dinosaurs. Even animals seem to...
