A New Roommate: Tips To Help Your Toddler Adjust To The New Baby

How to help your toddler adjust to the new baby! Easy tips and tricks to make the transition a bit smoother for everyone!

Tips To Help Your Toddler Adjust To The New Baby

I couldn’t believe the response from my post on Tuesday, “Preparing Toddler For New Baby.” So what did this mean? It means that a lot of you must be, or plan to be, expecting a little bundle of joy in the future! How fun!!! Well I’d LOVE to help you prepare your toddler for a huge life change.

As I’ve said before, “I am no expert,” but I do hope my life experiences may be able to help or encourage all of you moms and parents out there, in some way.

That picture KILLS me. It’s true life at it’s finest. My toddler fighting his picture being taken… and my newborn oblivious to what’s going on. Typical, right?

My two little guys are the BEST. No really… the best. I just adore them, and couldn’t imagine my life without them. But let’s be honest, sometimes being a mom can be hard. Throw a potty-training toddler and a newborn in the mix… holy moly. Two words: I’m exhausted.

BUT, now that my youngest is 4 months old, I’ve had 4 months to get used to the “toddler” and “Newborn” combo, and I want to fill ya in on some awesome little tips and tricks that has made all of our lives a little easier since the new baby moved in.

First things first: If you haven’t read “Preparing Toddler For a New Baby” yet, I highly recommend you head over there now and read that, so you know a few good ways to get your toddler used to the idea of having a new baby in the family.

Be Real with your Toddler

Hearing a baby cry can scare them because they are unsure of why the baby is unhappy. It’s a new loud noise, and from my experience, my toddler would become sad, because he would be worried that something was wrong with the baby. The last thing you need is a newborn crying and a toddler crying at the same time. When the baby would cry, I could see and hear in my toddler the discomfort, so I would make sure to reassure him with, “{Baby’s Name} is ok, he’s just sleepy.” Or, “He’s ok. It’s time for the baby to eat!” About a week in, my toddler was used to the baby’s cry and was almost oblivious to it.

Point out the baby’s location. 

I don’t know about you, but my toddler is a “busy” toddler. He’s constantly running around, jumping off of things, kicking his feet, and the list goes on. I was worried about bringing the baby home, and having a toddler that was totally unaware of his surroundings. So immediately, when I would notice my toddler getting a little on the “wild” side, around the baby, I would look at my toddler and say, “(Toddler’s Name) can you show me where (Baby’s Name) is?” My toddler would then stop what he was doing, and point to where the baby was. This did two things: He had stopped being so restless, and it would also make him aware of where the baby was, so he knew which area he needed to be cautious.

Be Fair  

Like anyone, I can get caught up in talking to a baby, just to get a smile from that precious, little toothless face. I noticed immediately, when I would show attention to my newborn by doing this; my toddler would demand my attention by calling out “Mommy!” So from there on out, to avoid any jealousy, if my toddler is around while I’m goo-goo and ga-ga’ing at the baby, I make sure to rotate funny faces and silly voices with both boys. Guess what… your toddler still likes those funny looks and sounds too. 🙂

One on One Time: 

I still really need help in this area, so I feel silly giving you this “tip,” when I need to work on it myself. I’ve read and read that one on one time is so important with each kiddo. Remember, your toddler (if he/she was an only child before this especially) received all or a lot of the attention before this new “thing” moved in. Now all of a sudden he/she has to share that attention. This can be very confusing to your toddler, and he/she may be missing that “special” attention they were receiving before it got “cut off” immediately one day. Take some time every once in a while, to set aside some special time for Mommy/Daddy to hang out with your toddler, to get some undivided attention.

Pray and Appreciate

By far, this is the one I feel is the MOST important. Just think… God has enough faith in you to be a parent to a miracle, let alone multiple miracles. I’ll never forget the day that I was told by a doctor, “Jessica, I’m sorry but I don’t believe you’ll ever be able to have children.“

My heart was BROKEN. But to no surprise of mine, God is bigger than anything and can make miracles happen. The day after filling out “adoption” paperwork, my husband and I were blessed with a positive pregnancy test. It was from that moment on I knew miracles could happen, and 9 months later our little “miracle,” arrived. Fast forward 3 years later, I have two “miracles.”

Every day as a mother, there are moments that I feel challenged as a parent; Screaming kids, a messy house, and the list goes on. But I wake up every morning reminding myself how blessed I am to have little babies, and I immediately start my day out in a positive light, which in turn provides a better environment for my children. Follow those positive thoughts up with “prayer,” and odds are “Everything is going to be alright.” 🙂

My favorite toddler tip:

When you go out to eat with a toddler, it can be a bit stressful if they’re not wanting to sit and wait. This toddler restaurant kit keeps toddlers entertained while waiting, especially if you’re tending to a newborn too!

Thank You!

Thanks so much for coming by. I’ve so enjoyed having you here, and I truly hope these tips help you. I’d love to hear what other tips you have for helping your toddler adjust to the new baby,  if you’ve survived being a parent of a toddler and a newborn! The more tips the merrier.

Credits: Photography by A.G. Photography

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