Wednesday, November 1, 2023
Happy November, Everyone!!
We are SO excited…
Our Our Grand Lives family is growing!
We are excited to announce that Laurie
has welcomed a new blessing to her family,
a new Little to call her Grammy!
Last week, Laurie’s Daughter A, SIL and Big Sister D
added a new member to their family
when Baby P - a girl - made her arrival!
It was a very exciting week!
In today’s post,
Laurie shares her thoughts
on welcoming a new Little to the family!
She will offer tips on how to prepare
for this special arrival
and ways a grandparent can help ease this transition!
Last winter, we shared two posts
that offered practical advice and insights into becoming grandparents,
FOR THE FIRST TIME!
Such sweet memories of our journeys to becoming Grands to our Littles,
Little D and Little L!
We invite you to check out these posts (by tapping each of the links below)
if you, or someone you know,
will soon be welcoming your first grandchild!
This time around we will focus on tips to help prepare the siblings
for the arrival of a new Little!
Let’s begin by taking a moment
to hear more about this newest addition
to our Our Grand Lives family,
shared in Laurie’s own words!
We were so excited when we found out last spring that our daughter was having another baby! Once again she and our SIL chose not to find out the gender, so the months spent waiting were filled with wondering if their family would include 2 girls or a girl and a boy. Every time someone asked Little D if she wanted a brother or sister, or if she thought it was a boy or a girl, she stuck to her answer of “sister.” We were getting a little worried about how she would react if it was a boy. However, her big sister intuition was correct...
it was a girl!
This photo of Daughter A and SIL with Little D
was taken on Daughter A’s birthday,
when they announced they were pregnant!
Little D came in wearing a Big Sis shirt! 💗
My own two children were also about 2 years apart so the age gap felt familiar. I had been through this before, but this time was different… I was now the GRAMMY! There have been a few evenings recently, when I’d taken care of Little D for the day, that I would sit on the couch completely exhausted and would wonder to my husband “How will I ever do this with two Littles?’ He answered, “We DID do it with two!” to which I replied, “But we were 30 years younger!!”
(1992)
Despite my momentary fatigue (!) and being a few years older (!!),
I am up for the challenge ahead and oh so excited!!
The arrival of a new family member is a BIG deal,
especially for young siblings!
There’s excitement and bundles of energy in the air
and there is definitely a BIG change looming!
Here are Laurie’s top 9 tips for getting ready for this precious arrival!
TIP #1 - The younger the sibling is, the longer those 9 months of waiting are! Start preparing and talking more about Baby as the time gets closer to the due date.
TIP #2 - If you are a Grand who has your own “baby equipment” stored at your home, start pulling it out about a month before Baby is due.
A Grand Tip!
Wash the equipment and let your Little(s) reexamine it and play with it.
Little D spent many afternoons alternating
between playing “Baby” and then “Mommy” with hers!
TIP #3 - Read new baby books with your Little(s). The expectant parents probably have some books at home. Get a few to keep at your house, too!
Distant Grands…
This would be a great way for you to connect with your Little(s)!
You can read to your Little(s) over Zoom or FaceTime
in the weeks leading up to the newborn’s arrival!
TIP #4 - As the time gets closer, find out what your role as a Grand will be in supporting your Little(s) at the time of the sibling’s upcoming birth.
We were lucky to be the caregivers for Little D while her mom and dad were at the hospital. We had made sure to keep our calendar clear for the weeks around the due date... Our daughter ended up being induced early so we had an easy drop-off on the assigned date!
TIP #5 - Be sure to get a photo of your Little(s) preparing for the new baby, as well!
🩷☺️🩷
TIP #6 - When possible, plan a fun activity or event for Littles to participate in and enjoy while the parents are at the hospital. This will provide some needed distraction while making your Little(s) feel extra special!
The day Daughter A was giving birth, we had a fun outing planned with cousins to keep us all busy. Little D was happy and worn out at bedtime!
TIP #7 - Keep any routines in place that help Littles feel connected to their parents.
Little D loves to go outside with her daddy and say good night to the moon. We did the same thing and sent the picture to her dad.
A Grand Tip!
BE FLEXIBLE!
Little D is only 2 years old,
yet she totally knew that her mommy and daddy were “at the doctor”
taking care of this new addition to the family,
when her little sister was born!
During those days, she was more easily upset and asked for mommy and daddy frequently!
I gave in on many things that were not important…
Pirate Booty at breakfast? Won’t hurt this one time!
Another book before nap, and another and another?
Little D needed those extra cuddles!
TIP #8 - Take your Little(s) shopping for a gift for the new sibling! This experience will give Littles a sense of importance and independence!
I took Little D shopping for a gift for her new sister. We picked out a stuffed kitty for her (though Little D really thought the princess Playmobile set was a better choice). 😉 This gave us lots of time to talk about what babies can do versus big sisters, like her! Little D also made Little P a card in her own distinctive style!
TIP #9 - Once the new family has been reunited, give them time alone with each other!
When we brought Little D back to her mommy and daddy after they got home from the hospital with her little sister, we dropped her off and left so that the new family had this special time to get acquainted! After a bit, we arrived back with gifts, food and wine!
A Grand Tip!
When you arrive for your first visit with your new Little,
make sure to greet your older Little(s) first!
We greeted Little D first and then asked her to introduce us to her sister!
In the days following a new Little’s birth,
keep your visits short!
When possible, it's helpful to offer your babysitting services…
Take the older sibling(s) out to play!
This gives them needed personal attention
while the new parents get extra bonding time with the newborn at home
OR
they might even be able to enjoy a few minutes of uninterrupted quiet time!
BLISS!
You can also offer to watch the newborn
and let the parents have time to play with the older sibling(s)
without being interrupted by a crying baby or a dirty diaper!.
Both options would be amazing gifts to offer parents of newborns
AND
both would be equally wonderful for you, as the GRAND! 💕
Laurie asked her daughter if she had any advice to give to grandparents.
Here’s what Daughter A had to say…
bring food!
😋
Daughter A also added that
bringing a gift for the older Little(s) was so appreciated!
Laurie recalls... We gave Little D a special present, as well,
Even something small, gave her a chance to open her own gift
and bask in the limelight for a special moment of her very own!
Little D loves to play with dollies so some of her favorite gifts were items
(diapers, bottles, bibs, plastic food, dishes)
to help her care for her “babies”
just like her mommy and daddy were doing with Little P!
Lastly and, most importantly, be sure to tell these siblings, your older Littles, how much you love them and how proud you are of them! Let them know what a great big sister/brother they are! Assure them that you will love them always and that your heart has lots of room for them... and their new brother or sister, too!
The first time Little D’s family came over to our house,
I was holding Little P (our newborn Little) and noticed Little D studying me.
She turned to her mommy, Daughter A, and said,
“Is she her Grammy, too?”
Ohhh my heart!
Little D - trust me… I have enough love to be a Grammy x 2!
Do you have any tips for welcoming a newborn into the family?
As fairly new Grands, we'd love to hear your ideas!
Feel free to comment at the bottom of this post
or email us directly at ourgrandlives@gmail.com.
We'd love to see you there!
Looking ahead...
We have many exciting posts coming up
with Thanksgiving, Christmas and winter fun to come,
including simple and engaging ways to celebrate
and connect with our Littles!
And don’t forget that you can always subscribe to our site!
That way, you'll catch our latest posts right away!!
Thanks for taking the time to share in our joy!
We'll be back soon but until then,
remember to…
❤️ We are delighted to join these link up parties and blog hops this week: