As colic often throws parents for a loop, you can only imagine what the constant crying might do to a sibling. In his mind, a baby was supposed to be quiet, cute, and cuddly, but instead he finds that his new baby sibling is crying, cranky, and cantankerous. What used to be quiet time together in the evening reading books, is now spent listening to a persnickety, unhappy baby. Sibling support is needed to help young children understanding what colic is and why the baby cries so often.
Explain Colic in Terms Your Child Can Understand
For young children, trying to go into a detailed, medical description of colic likely isn’t going to help one bit. Instead use simple terms that they understand to explain what is going on with the baby. You can express to him that because the baby is so little and so new to the world she sometimes has times when she gets grumpy and cries a lot. You can also explain that as she gets older and gets used to be in the world and with her family, the crying will get better.
Relate Colic to His Own Experiences
One of the best ways to explain new ideas to young children is to build upon events they have experienced. You can help him recall times that he witnessed other fussy babies. Illustrate to him that, “all babies cry.” Relate to your child that, whether or not he had colic, even he cried a lot when he was a baby too. Paint the picture of the colicky baby as being fairly normal and that is, thankfully, a short-lived behavior for babies. She will grow out of it soon enough. Definitely impress upon him that the colic is not his fault and he did nothing wrong to cause the periods of fussiness.
Maintain Family Routines
Though often the world seems to stop when there is a colicky baby in the house, be sure that you aren’t sacrificing family routines as you deal with the bouts of colic. Especially for young children, routines provide comfort and familiarity. If you wind up abandoning those rituals, your child not only has to deal with the constant crying but loses the assurance that comes with predictable patterns.
Prevent Sibling Rivalry by Sharing “Colic Duty”
If you are in a situation where both parents are living in the household, be sure to tag team each other as you deal with the colic. Not only will this help ease the stress on the parent and help to prevent sibling rivalry, but it also helps the child see that either mommy or daddy isn’t always being called away to address the baby’s needs. If the same parent is consistently being pulled away to deal with the fussiness, it may breed resentment toward that parent or the baby.
Build in One-on-One Time Together
Additionally, make sure that every day you fit in some quality one-on-one time with your child. Though it certainly can be challenging, snag some moments when your child is either napping or content to lavish your child with needed attention. You might also want to consider having a special “date” with your child every now and then where it’s just you and your child sharing time together.
