5 Tips For Avoiding Jealousy Between Siblings

It’s absolutely normal for siblings to feel jealous of each other. In fact,  jealousy between siblings is a characteristic of the child’s life cycle: this feeling usually arises when the new sibling is born, and the oldest is between 2 and 5 years old. Psychologists explain that jealousy between siblings can occur in two ways: the jealousy that the older siblings feel towards the younger ones, and the opposite, the jealousy that the younger siblings feel towards the older ones.

Most commonly, older siblings are jealous of younger siblings. When this happens, normally the older brother tends to show a “setback” in his behavior, that is, he starts to show infantile behaviors, imitating the younger brother. These symptoms disappear or reduce in intensity as the older child adapts to the arrival of the younger sibling and grows and understands things better.

But if your oldest child is still in the most sensitive phase of the adaptation process of the arrival of the new sibling, then it’s good to follow this advice:

Feed your bond with each of your children

Before the new baby is born, be sure to talk openly and honestly with your oldest child. Children understand more than what adults think. Furthermore, it has been proven that in homes where parents have a more open and communicative parenting style, in which children are treated equally, there is less jealousy among siblings.

try to understand your child

After the birth of a baby, it is normal for many children to feel excited and at night to be nervous and have difficulty sleeping. If your baby is still in the attachment stage, he will likely need help because he may become less independent and more insecure. Help your child to eat, keep him company and play with him.

If your child is young and going through such a time, don’t think he’s jealous, but understand that your child is very perceptive and realizes that what’s happening is that his attention is now divided.

Invite your child to help care for their new sibling

Sometimes children are just curious and want to participate in everything related to the arrival of their new sibling. That’s why it  ‘s good to involve them in the baby’s affairs, even before the baby is born. For example, when you are pregnant, talk to your child about what it will be like to have a new sibling, ask his opinion about the color of the room or the baby’s name. It is very important that your older child feel at all times that he is an important member of the family.

And when the baby is born, also call him to participate in some tasks related to the care of the newborn. It is important to spend time alone with your eldest son, as you did before, but also for him to realize that from now on his new brother will occupy an important place in everyone’s lives.

Avoid comparisons between children

Try not to make comparisons between your children. Many of the comments made without malice can create a negative feeling in the older sibling, and fuel jealousy between siblings. As they grow, learn to bring out the best in each other, so they both know what your strengths are and learn to differentiate themselves in a healthy way. It is not the same thing to explain to children that they are different now compared to when they were teenagers.

The father’s affection reduces jealousy between siblings

When a baby comes home, the routine inevitably changes. The mother will have to take care of the baby and herself during the quarantine period. So it’s likely that for the first few days she’ll be a little overwhelmed. At these times it will be the father who will need to meet the needs of the oldest child.

Thus, the child will look for his father when the mother is busy, which is good, as it feeds the family bond and helps the child to maintain his routine with the father’s help. That way, she won’t feel lost when eating, sleeping, studying or bathing.

The child will be able to enjoy the arrival of his brother with the help of the parents. Treat your kids the same, pay attention to both of them, and spend time with each of them. As the days go by, you’ll find that finding time for the things you really care about is easier than it sounds, even when there’s a new baby in the house.