When a baby is born with special life challenges, any small illness can become a big problem quickly. For one family, their darling baby daughter was born with dwarfism. So when she came down with the flu, it hit her very hard. They rushed her to the hospital for the care she would need to fight this nasty case of the flu.
Their precious baby girl was having a hard time sleeping, so big brother came to the rescue. He gently scooped up his baby sister and slowly rocked her back and forth. Little sis sucked her thumb enthusiastically and gave in to the lull of big brother’s rocking motion. The moment Mom came around the corner and saw her son cradling his baby sister, she ran to her camera – this was a memory she didn’t want to forget.
Thankfully, Mom realized how sweet this moment was and shared it online for everyone to see! Even though this little boy loves his big brother duties, it doesn’t always work out that way.
Bringing home a new child is hard for any older sibling to cope with. One way to make the older brother or sister get ready for the new addition is to let them participate in the “nesting” stage. Allow them to help paint the walls, assemble the furniture (with assistance from Mom and Dad, of course) and pick out clothing. Parents expecting a new child can also read books on the subject and talk openly about the new baby.
One final way to get an older sibling ready for a baby brother or sister is to get them a gift from the baby when they first meet. The basic concept is, the more included the child feels in the process, the better they’ll handle it when the time comes to bring home the baby.
Fortunately, Mom and Dad made sure to keep their toddler included every step of the way. So when his little sister finally got to come home, he was by her side nonstop.
