Jealousy Of Little Brothers

Many children are jealous of their little siblings at some point in their childhood. It is a common reaction to the arrival of a little brother to the family. Parents have to be vigilant that it is a temporary and reasonable crisis. We cannot let it become a problem that affects the brothers in the future.

Poorly treated jealousy can affect a child’s character and make him envious or selfish. That is why it is important to follow some recommendations so that our children do not suffer from jealousy of younger siblings or that they are reasonable.

Tips for parents before birth

Many times, when a younger brother arrives, the older son may feel displaced. It is a natural reaction that if we control it, it will surely not become a problem. That is why we recommend the following guidelines if your older child is jealous of the little brother:

• A good idea is to involve him in the birth of his little brother from before his birth. You have to explain the advantages of having a brother who will love him very much all his life. At this moment for him he is an intruder who is going to arrive at his house. Surely at some point you think you are taking the attention of your parents. You have to convince your child that this will never happen and that you love him the same as before.
• The child can be implicated by asking for his opinion on the decoration of his future brother’s room or by telling him that his brother can hear him through his mother’s navel. If you talk to him from time to time in this way, you will surely establish a communication link between the two. Although it seems silly, it will be worth your child to see that his brother already exists and to normalize him in his daily life.
• Specialists recommend that parents be the first to tell their child that they are going to have a baby brother. Children will take it worse if they find out from a family member or friend. You have to sit down with him for a while and explain the situation and the changes it will bring to the whole family. Of course, without dramatizing and explaining to him that you will continue to love him the same as always.

The little brother has already been born

 When the child is born it is important that his brother go to the hospital whenever possible to see him. At the hospital, a good idea is to have a gift prepared for you from your new brother. The father will have to try to be very aware of the child during these days in the hospital and take him to visit him and meet his brother. And the mother will have to give him all her understanding and affection so that he does not think that she loves him less than before his brother was born.

When you leave the hospital you have to express the joy you feel of being together again. Surely these days he will have missed you if he has been with grandparents or other relatives or friends. Surely and he will want to tell you everything he has lived through those days. The child needs security and stability.

Jealousy of the little brother

Even so, surely the child will feel jealous and the only thing you can do is try to dedicate as much time as possible to him. You have to try to get him involved in moments like changing the child, putting a pacifier or giving him a bottle. Also a good idea is when giving the bottle to let him, for example, hold it under your supervision or sing a lullaby at night to put him to sleep.

Try to continue to maintain the family routine before the child’s birth. Also a good idea is to dedicate time to him exclusively by taking him to the park, the cinema or some leisure center that he liked to go to before. You have to try to participate in his games, do activities, talk to him or read him a story like every night.

Usually the jealous little brother are overcome with time. Parents have to be vigilant because it can lead to sibling rivalry in the future. But do not worry because it is a normal phase and in a few months the child will surely have overcome it.