Let The Bonding Begin!

Get your baby and older child off to a happy start with games they can enjoy together.

- Sharlene Johnson

“YOU’RE GOING to have a baby brother to play with!” Presenting a soon-to-arrive sibling as a live-in playmate is a great strategy—until your helpless infant arrives and your firstborn realizes the newest member of the household can’t even hold up his head. However, there are lots of ways to help a big sibling bond with a baby, and these ten age-by-age activities are the perfect starting point. Feel free to tweak them to suit your kids’ ages and interests.

0 to 3 months

A newborn has very limited skills, but he’s still ready to listen and learn.

WATCH THIS! Toddlers and preschoolers love the idea of playing teacher, so give your child a lesson plan that’s sure to succeed: Have her hold a rattle or a soft toy in front of your infant so he can track it with his eyes. “At first, he’ll be able to see it best if it’s about six inches away,” says Dr. Rahil D. Briggs, associate professor of clinical paediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, US. Later, when your infant reaches for the object, say something like, “Wow! Look what you taught him to do!”

HAM IT UP. Once a baby begins to develop a social smile (usually around 2 months), an older sibling will love being the one who gets the grins. Encourage her to show off her silliest antics, like puffing out her cheeks and ‘popping’ them with her hands or making funny sounds like ‘whoops’ or ‘beep’. And if she sticks out her tongue, your baby may even imitate her.