Most Popular Articles

Brotherly -- and Sisterly -- Love

By Wendy S. Loughlin

The first time two-year-old Collin met his newborn twin brothers, Jack and Aaron, he greeted the babies with excitement and affection, smiling at them and patting their heads. His parents were relieved -- but the peace was short-lived.

Within days, Collin had found new, not-so-loving, ways to interact with his brothers -- sometimes squeezing their arms too tightly or stealing their pacifiers. "Caring for two newborns can be difficult," says their mother, Maureen Schuster, 32, of Atlanta, Georgia. "But the biggest challenge by far has been Collin's reaction to the babies."

Adjusting to a new baby is a common difficulty for a toddler, according to Alice Sterling Honig, professor emerita of child development with Syracuse University's College of Human Services and Health Professions. "A toddler is barely done being a baby himself," she says. "He doesn't understand why there's a new baby in Mommy's arms who needs changing and feeding and rocking. It can be bewildering for him."

Honig offers a few suggestions to help parents ease their toddler's transition from only child to big brother or sister.
Jump to full text of this article here.