How do I give my attention to my 2 year old and my newborn baby?

Kristen - posted on 09/07/2012

My boys are 17 mths apart! It was so hard at first but they just have to know that baby needs love too! This is not to say my older boy didnt freak out because he did but now he only bursts in a jealous rage once a day rather than five times in an hour. It gets better. Just have to make sure they know mommy still loves them so much & baby wont take anything from that. Good luck. :)

Michelle - posted on 08/10/2012

My oldest daughter was 3 yrs and 7months old when my younger daughter was born. I had been a stay at home mom almost her whole life, so we have always been close. I got her involved in some things, to help her not resent her sister and develop a bond between them as well. Such as getting the wipes for me when I changed her baby sister's diaper, throwing a diaper away little things. Then when it was naptime, sometimes we would all lay together in my bed with a movie, or on the living floor. My oldest didn't nap so we would just snuggle; 2 arms for 2 girls. When I would lay my youngest down in her crib my oldest and I would do different things together, simple things for a tired mommy on those up all night days. We would paint each others nails, play candyland or chutes and ladders.

All in all keep her involved with what you're doing.

She will have her bad days, where she misses just her and mommy, but that's why you need to make sure you have some time for just her as well. When you feel ready to let someone watch your youngest, take that time to have a "big girl day". I hope it helps.

Brittany - posted on 07/30/2012

My daughter was 25 months when son was born. I had a c-section with him, so it made somethings a bit difficult, since I couldn't pick her up. One huge thing that seemed to help her through the first few weeks was having a lot of attention from Grandma and Grandpa. She felt special with that. We also made sure that her schedule didn't really change. She still went to swimming lessons every week, just like she did before her brother came.

As for my personal relationship with her: Babies sleep a lot, I had a lot of time that I could spend with just her. I made sure that she still had her routines with me. I would read to her while I fed her brother. If I was really tired and worn out, I would treat her to a DVD. She watched the Wiggles a lot that first month.

There were somethings that couldn't be helped, like her brother being up while she had to go to bed. But I reminded her that as he got older things would change. As he got settled into a routine, it was easier to carve out time for just her.

At 4 months my son was working on sitting, so I'd put him in his bumpo and we'd all have a tea party. My daughter loved pouring the tea and having fun with her brother.

At 5 months I started rocking my son and singing to him before he went to bed. My daughter saw that and wanted it too. So we started having a rocking time as well.

They've been sharing a room for about a month, so their bed times are spaced an hour apart to give my son a chance to fall asleep before my daughter goes to bed. That means that she has a full hour with just me.

My son is now crawling and climbing. So now they are chasing each other around the living room and actually playing together. She's realizing how fun he can be.

There will always be those jealous times, and there isn't much you can do to avoid all of them. But celebrating the older child along with the younger is always a plus.