Assignment Task:
Akira is now 28 weeks and her growing belly is very evident. At her appointment, she mentions that her son doesn't really understand why her belly is changing, and just keeps pointing to it and saying baby. Akira relays the experience of a friend who recently had a baby and whose 3-year-old regressed into diapers and threw toys at the newborn for the first few weeks. Akira asks your advice on how to prepare him for the baby's arrival so that they can hopefully avoid those types of concerns. What advice would you offer? O Be sure that you're spending uninterrupted time alone with the older sibling daily after delivery, give positive feedback when he interacts appropriately with the baby, and encourage him to help care for the infant such as bringing a clean diaper during diaper change time. O Be very firm in your expectations of behavior, and use time-outs, the removal of favorite toys, and other discipline whenever he misbehaves or acts badly toward the infant. If you allow him to act this way when the baby is little, he could become even more violent as the baby gets older. O Every child responds differently. You'll just have to assess your older child once the baby is here to figure out the best way to respond. O Be sure to enlist your mom as your son's primary caregiver for the first few months so that he gets used to not seeing you as much. She can provide him with guidance on how to adjust to the new situation so when you introduce him to the baby later, he'll do fine. Looking for Course Help?