Welcoming a newborn into the family is a joyful event, but it can also be a challenging time for older siblings. The arrival of a baby often brings significant changes to family dynamics, and older children may struggle with feelings of jealousy, insecurity, or confusion. A confinement lady or nanny can play a vital role in easing this transition, helping older siblings adjust and embrace their new role. Here are some of the ways confinement nannies can support sibling adjustment as they welcome the latest addition to the family.
Personal Attention and Bonding Time
One of the primary ways a confinement nanny can help with sibling adjustment is by giving the mother more time to focus on them. When a new baby arrives, older siblings may feel neglected or less important, especially as parents naturally devote much of their time to caring for the newborn. A confinement lady is able to help free up valuable time by taking on much of the baby duties, allowing the mother to devote more time with her older children. This way, the mother is able to engage in activities that the older siblings enjoy, helping them feel valued and included.
Sibling bonding activities, such as reading, playing games, or even going for short walks, allow the older child to maintain their sense of connection within the family. However, they are all time-consuming activities. With the nanny’s help, mothers are therefore able to reduce feelings of jealousy amongst the older siblings and create a more harmonious household, where older children understand that they are just as important as the new baby.
Facilitating Transition and Addressing Behavioural Changes
The arrival of a newborn can sometimes lead to behavioural changes in older siblings. They may act out, regress to earlier behaviours (such as bedwetting or thumb-sucking), or become more emotionally sensitive. Nanny services in Singapore can help address these behavioural changes with patience and care.
Nannies are experienced in managing sibling behavioural changes and can provide strategies and interventions to help older children adapt. While nannies are not directly involved in managing the behaviours of the older siblings, their experience proves valuable nevertheless, as they are able to offer gentle advice and guidance to mothers on how to encourage them to express their emotions constructively or set boundaries in a nurturing way. This, in turn, helps reduce stress for everyone involved, making the sibling adjustment period smoother and more manageable.
Encouraging Positive Interactions
Forming positive interactions between the newborn and older siblings is another essential role a confinement nanny can play. Older children may feel unsure about how to interact with a fragile newborn, leading to frustration or misunderstandings. A confinement lady can guide siblings on how to engage with the baby gently and safely, teaching them appropriate ways to show affection and care.
Involving older siblings in age-appropriate tasks, such as helping to fetch a nappy or singing to the baby, can instil a sense of pride and responsibility. This active involvement in newborn care helps create an environment where the older child feels included in the baby’s care rather than feeling like a bystander. Facilitating newborn-sibling interactions helps develop a strong sibling bond that will continue to grow as the children get older.
Providing Educational Support
Nanny services in Singapore can also provide valuable educational support for older siblings to help them understand the needs of a newborn. Older children may not fully comprehend why a baby cries so often, sleeps at irregular times, or needs constant attention, which could prevent them from empathising with the baby.
Confinement nannies can explain the baby’s development in simple, age-appropriate terms, helping older siblings grasp why the baby behaves the way they do. For example, they can explain that newborns cry because it is their way of communicating, or that babies sleep a lot because they are still growing. This educational support enables them to better understand their new role and equips them for better sibling adjustment.
Maintaining Consistent Routines
One of the biggest disruptions for older siblings when a newborn arrives is the change in their daily routines. Consistent routines provide children with a sense of security, and a confinement nanny can help maintain this consistency even amidst the changes brought by a new baby.
By ensuring that older siblings continue with their regular mealtimes, bedtime rituals, and activities, a confinement lady helps create a stable environment for the child. Maintaining family routines not only helps siblings feel secure but also allows them to adjust more comfortably to the new family dynamics. The stability provided by these familiar routines helps reduce anxiety and behavioural issues that may arise due to the arrival of the newborn.
Sibling adjustment can be a challenging period, but with the right nanny services in Singapore, children can gradually embrace this new role. Here at Super Nanny Services, our team of highly trained and experienced confinement nannies can provide families and older siblings with the holistic support they need to adjust to life with a new family member.
For more information about what our services entail, please contact us today.