How to prepare your child to receive your newborn?

　　The coming of a new baby brings much happiness to the family and at the same time is accompanied by some changes that may lead to problems. Therefore, the family should prepare itself for receiving the awaited child with lasting happiness. The most important person that should be prepared is the one who has a great deal of our interest and care: the youngest member of the family and the most beloved one as long as he is the youngest. A righteous man was once asked, “Who is the most beloved of your children?” He replied, “The young one until he grows up, the sick until he is cured and the traveler until he returns.” When the new child is born, the situation will change because the new baby will take the place of the most loved one. All eyes would be directed to the new baby and he would get, whether intentionally or not, the greatest amount of care. The older child would feel that he has lost his status and this may lead to dire consequences, because the elder child may try to take his revenge on his rival. The family may encounter some psychological, behavioral and physical problems that the elder child may suffer from.

　　What should parents do?

　　There are many steps that the family should follow in order to avoid any psychological problems that the elder child might suffer:

　　1. Arrange a separate place for the elder child to sleep before the delivery of the new child. This is because if the child is used to sleeping in his mother’s arms, he would be shocked to find someone taking his place after the delivery. If this happens, you would be sowing the seeds of hatred between them.

　　4. Ask any other child to play with him and the mother should, from time to time, carry him in her arms, talk to him and make him happy so that he would not feel that she does not care for him anymore. In fact, some husbands feel jealous because of their wives’ care for their child and neglect them, so how would the case be for a young child?

　　7. The mother should let the child help her while changing the baby's clothes.

　　10. Avoid drawing any comparisons between them either if it was done by the parents, relatives, or neighbors. Draw their attention to the fact that they must not do anything that would make your elder child angry or cause him to feel inferior. No one should say that either of them is better than the other. We should deal with each of them separately.

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