Yesterday my son attended a new sibling course at the hospital in our neighborhood. I saw a description of the class online and thought it was a neat idea especially for children who have been the only child for a while. But I must admit once the time came to attend the class I was tempted to blow it off- if for no other reason than I am a lazy, tired, and overwhelmed pregnant woman who will be giving birth in less than three weeks!
But my son was beside himself with excitement so I pulled it together and off we went- with hubby in tow. I am very glad he had the opportunity to attend. They showed a video about how babies grow and what happens when the baby comes home (crying, eating, sleeping, pooping, crying, and it starts all over) and the important role of the older sibling.
The soon-to-be new siblings got to put a diaper on a fake newborn baby, my son totally mastered the diaper changing thing, which is very scary- note to self: hide the diapers. I think he’ll probably use them like he does the superhero band-aids. Put a new one on “just in case” the baby has an accident. They also got instructions on how to hold the baby and wrap the baby in a blanket. The instructor also talked about keeping toys off the floor and out of the baby’s reach so that she won’t choke on them. Finally, at the end of the class they received gift bags with books to read the baby, coloring books, stickers and a stuffed animal.
I thought the most interesting part of the class was when the instructor played therapist and started asking the kids if they thought things were going to change around their house and how they felt about it. When she asked my son what he thought was going to change he said he would have to start sharing. Apparently that was his only concern. I was actually shocked that he even said that- because from day one his mantra has been, “I’m the big brother so that means I’m the boss”. I’m sure there are times he will assert his “big brother” rights but I also know this little girl is going to have him wrapped around her finger.
(I’ll post pics from the class later.)
Monday, March 16, 2009
Sibling Revelry
Yesterday my son attended a new sibling course at the hospital in our neighborhood. I saw a description of the class online and thought it was a neat idea especially for children who have been the only child for a while. But I must admit once the time came to attend the class I was tempted to blow it off- if for no other reason than I am a lazy, tired, and overwhelmed pregnant woman who will be giving birth in less than three weeks!
But my son was beside himself with excitement so I pulled it together and off we went- with hubby in tow. I am very glad he had the opportunity to attend. They showed a video about how babies grow and what happens when the baby comes home (crying, eating, sleeping, pooping, crying, and it starts all over) and the important role of the older sibling.
The soon-to-be new siblings got to put a diaper on a fake newborn baby, my son totally mastered the diaper changing thing, which is very scary- note to self: hide the diapers. I think he’ll probably use them like he does the superhero band-aids. Put a new one on “just in case” the baby has an accident. They also got instructions on how to hold the baby and wrap the baby in a blanket. The instructor also talked about keeping toys off the floor and out of the baby’s reach so that she won’t choke on them. Finally, at the end of the class they received gift bags with books to read the baby, coloring books, stickers and a stuffed animal.
I thought the most interesting part of the class was when the instructor played therapist and started asking the kids if they thought things were going to change around their house and how they felt about it. When she asked my son what he thought was going to change he said he would have to start sharing. Apparently that was his only concern. I was actually shocked that he even said that- because from day one his mantra has been, “I’m the big brother so that means I’m the boss”. I’m sure there are times he will assert his “big brother” rights but I also know this little girl is going to have him wrapped around her finger.
(I’ll post pics from the class later.)
But my son was beside himself with excitement so I pulled it together and off we went- with hubby in tow. I am very glad he had the opportunity to attend. They showed a video about how babies grow and what happens when the baby comes home (crying, eating, sleeping, pooping, crying, and it starts all over) and the important role of the older sibling.
The soon-to-be new siblings got to put a diaper on a fake newborn baby, my son totally mastered the diaper changing thing, which is very scary- note to self: hide the diapers. I think he’ll probably use them like he does the superhero band-aids. Put a new one on “just in case” the baby has an accident. They also got instructions on how to hold the baby and wrap the baby in a blanket. The instructor also talked about keeping toys off the floor and out of the baby’s reach so that she won’t choke on them. Finally, at the end of the class they received gift bags with books to read the baby, coloring books, stickers and a stuffed animal.
I thought the most interesting part of the class was when the instructor played therapist and started asking the kids if they thought things were going to change around their house and how they felt about it. When she asked my son what he thought was going to change he said he would have to start sharing. Apparently that was his only concern. I was actually shocked that he even said that- because from day one his mantra has been, “I’m the big brother so that means I’m the boss”. I’m sure there are times he will assert his “big brother” rights but I also know this little girl is going to have him wrapped around her finger.
(I’ll post pics from the class later.)
1 comment:
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Dave Van Buren said...
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I didn't even know they had classes like this. i could imagine your son only trying to change CLEAN diapers. Never dirty ones... lol
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March 19, 2009 at 11:20 AM
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1 comment:
I didn't even know they had classes like this. i could imagine your son only trying to change CLEAN diapers. Never dirty ones... lol
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