After my second child arrived, I held him in my arms and my husband and I looked at him lovingly as my daughter watched. My toddler then said, “I think we should stay a small family.” That’s when it hit me. We didn’t do enough to prepare my older child for her brother’s arrival.

The good news is I have some suggestions for you on how to make the addition of a new sibling a time of sharing and bonding between you and your first child.

Sibling Tummy Time

As you begin to show in your pregnancy, allow your child to feel the developing baby, and let them begin a relationship early on. Encourage your little one to sing songs, tell jokes, explain the rules of the house, talk about his or her day or express whatever comes to mind.

Family Ultrasound Visit

If possible, have your little one along for an ultrasound. Imagine the excitement you’ll all feel as you see the little addition develop! The miracle of birth is a celebration for the whole family to share.

Track the Baby’s Due Date

Get a special calendar and circle the new baby’s due date. Let your toddler make an X each day as they pass. This is a good way to spend a little time each day allowing your child to talk about how they are feeling and what they are thinking about this impending change to the family structure.

Books about a New Baby

There are great children’s books written to help in this transition. (These, by the way, make an excellent baby gift at a shower for a woman with one child at home.) Make a special date and take your child to the library and read them together. Your little one will feel important, and recognize the sometimes confusing feelings are universal.

Assist with Nursery Design
Are you setting up a nursery? If so, let your child help. I suggest color selection is best left to the adults. Don’t make the same mistake I did and suffer through years of Cotton Candy Yellow in your home. If the two of them will be sharing a bedroom, make sure the older sibling has a say in how the space is arranged, and where the baby’s equipment and clothes will be arranged.

Baby Doll Roll Play

Practice with a life-sized doll. Allow your child to change and bathe the doll, and tuck it into the crib. Explain this is what you’ll be doing when the new baby comes home. This is also a good opportunity to discuss how babies are totally dependent on others for their care, how time-consuming this is, and how big a help an older brother or sister can be!

Early Sibling Schedule Changes

If you’re planning a change of schedule when baby comes (day care, more time with Grandma, preschool, etc.) begin that BEFORE the baby’s arrival. This will allow the adjustment to be made before the Big Event. Your child won’t feel as if he or she is being shoved aside by the arrival of the baby.

Gift for the New Baby

The arrival of a new little one is often an occasion for a baby gift. It’s fun to go on a shopping trip to pick out a baby gift for the new brother or sister that is just from your older child. Make a play time out of wrapping it.

Gift for Big Brother or Sister

And as long as we are talking about a baby gift, make sure you pick out something wonderful and absorbing for your older child in celebration of the new role of Big Brother or Big Sister. Give it to them right before the baby comes, and it does double duty as a way to entertain during those first days when Baby is so time-consuming.

You have no doubt noted the recurring theme in these suggestions: Communication. Siblings feel many emotions as they prepare for an addition to the family. These may include excitement, fear, jealousy, uncertainty and anxiety. By introducing the concept early on, discussing it whenever possible, engaging the older sibling in the preparation and celebrating not only the baby but also the Older Sibling status, you go a long way to promoting positive feelings and attitudes conducive to a lifetime of love and loyalty among your children.

As you may have already noticed, there is a huge surge in “mini me” clothing popping up all over. What exactly is this “mini me”? This “mini me” couture effect is basically a term used for parents wanting their children to look and dress like they do. With the vast amount of information on the Internet and the constant celebrity exposure, our children are growing up with a lot more options than we ever had. Designers are churning out pint size renditions of clothes that are on runways every season. However, not every parent is jumping on this band wagon. In our family outings, I still see children dressed in p.j.’s or t-shirts that are witty yet sloppy.

Does how you dress your child reflect on your personality and lifestyle?

I always look to the parents to see how they are dressed. It’s usually the same. Most of the style stems from the parents. Children in more ways than one are a direct reflection of their mommy and daddy.

With this being said, I don’t think the “mini me” idea is so bad. We all know families that always look put together. Why not create that culture with your own children? I am not saying that appearance is the most important issue in a kid’s life. But appearance speaks for itself. What’s wrong with dressing the part? Your child will grow and learn to take pride in how they look and will in turn pass this to their children.

What Should be your Child’s Look – Classic or Trendy?

When you think of the look you want your child to convey, do you think classy or trendy? I came up with the following conclusions:

1) Trendy clothes are super adorable on children as long as they are tasteful.

2) Classic styles and brands of clothes are nice to have for those formal times such as weddings, portraits, graduations, etc…

3) Trendy clothes in classic colors make for a great clean, modern look.

Whatever style or look you choose for your child, let it be a tasteful expression of who your child is!

Finally, How to Praise Your Child?

The following are 7 definitive ways on how to praise your child:

1. Look your child in the eye.

2. Move close to your child and down to their eye level.

3. Smile. Smile is a curve that keeps everything straight.

4. Praise a specific behavior. “You did such a great job cleaning up your bedroom.”

5. Speak with feeling and sincerity. Do not hurt your child’s sentiments.

6. Touch your child affectionately, maybe a pat on the back or stroke of an arm.

7. Praise immediately, as soon as you notice commendable behavior.

"Your praise should be honest and specific. Don’t dilute the effectiveness of praise by overdoing it or being insincere. Older children especially will pick up on your exaggeration."

Frankel’s Furniture: A complete decor extravagance

Located in Brooklyn, Frankel’s furniture store offers elegant and stylish furniture that is very reasonably priced, such that everyone astonished by the beauty of their products can actually purchase them and decorate their home. They currently cater to the people located in and around New York City.

The variety of furniture they offer is mind blowing. The store deals with furniture from a large range of furniture manufacturers, thereby giving the customer more than enough choices to pick from. Not many furniture stores today can offer this kind of a variety at such a reasonable price. You just need to name the manufacturer, and it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll be able to find their products at Frankel’s. What more can you ask for?

The store currently offers wall units and furniture for the dining, bedroom, and children’s rooms. Although wall units are their specialty, in each of these categories, you again have a multitude of options and varieties to choose from. In addition to home furniture, the store also plans on offering a wide range of office furniture. This effort will make it a complete one stop shop for all home and office needs. Custom Kitchen ranges are in the pipeline and once this becomes available, the store should see a lot more interested customers.

If you’re interested in purchasing their elegant bookcases, you will be able to get one anywhere between $1595 and $6950 depending on the size of the bookcase and the type of wood used. Similarly, their dressers range from $450 to $550 and mirrors from $150 to $210. Their master beds cost about $5750 and the kids’ bedroom sets at $5000.

Many of the furniture are even available in attractive two-tone designs that make the furniture more beautiful and appealing. You will find furniture esthetically crafted in cherry maple, walnut mahogany, hardwood, and many more quality woods.

To make the ordering process more convenient and simpler for their customers and users, the store currently offers three different ways in which Frankel’s furniture can be ordered. One of them is the traditional method of ordering from their physical store located at 3921 14th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11218. This should be easier for people living in and around the Brooklyn area.

If you do not happen to live anywhere close to the store, you can easily order the products online by visiting their website at  Frankel’s Furniture. If you’re not convenient placing your order online, don’t worry yet. You have another option that may be even more convenient and less risky. You can refer to the product catalog available on their website and then call up Frankel’s orders department at 1-800-348-4848 for placing your order.

You can even get a copy of the product catalog sent to your mail address if you choose. All you have to do is just call up their toll free number mentioned earlier or email them your name and address in order to get a product catalog copy for yourself. It cannot get any easier – ordering furniture from the comfort of your home or office.

http://www.designmywallunit.com/