Introducing Your Child Into A Home With Older Siblings Or Pets {PFALO}

I don’t have any ground-breaking advice on how to transition a new baby into a home with pets or older siblings, but I can share with you how and what we did.  Honestly, we were more concerned bringing our oldest home to the dogs than bringing our youngest home to the dogs and big sister. 

I think the dogs knew something was up when I was pregnant.  They can sense those things.  I ended up having to be in the hospital for about a month before Hadleigh was born, so I didn't see them at all.  We didn't do any prepping before-hand {I have no clue what you could even do}.  Once Hadleigh was born, Daniel took a blanket Hadleigh had been wrapped in home to the dogs.  This way they could get a little used to her smell and not be all in her business when we brought her in the door.

 

I’m not sure it worked or not, but they weren't all over her – we made sure of it.  We did introduce them and let them sniff her.  They were very sweet with her.  We actually thought Isis was going to be very motherly, but we were totally wrong.  Ha! She could care less about the noises she made or when she cried.  Duke, on the other-hand, was the motherly one.  Every time she cried at night, Duke would wake up and walk over to her bassinet.  I had to tell him she was OK before he would mosey back over to his bed. So sweet.  They were actually more standoffish with me because I had been gone for so long.  It didn't last long, but it was there way of letting me know they didn't like the fact I “left” them. Noted.

Even though they took to each girl very well, we were still cautious.  We make sure when the girls get close to them to keep an eye out. Or if we know one isn't feeling well or in a bad mood – we make sure the girls don’t mess with them that day.  Not that anything would happen – the dogs love the girls and let them do whatever they want to them – but we don’t want to find out if anything were to happen.  I think that is just being responsible dog owners.

When I was pregnant with Hayden I didn't have any worries about bringing her home to the dogs.  I wasn't concerned with how she would be around the dogs or her big sister, because that’s all she will grow up knowing.  My main concern was Hadleigh.  For 23 months, she was the one that got all of the attention.  We actually sent her to daycare the day Hayden was born – we didn't want to change the schedule she was already on.  Once we knew Hayden would be born soon, we had our parents go pick her up so she could immediately meet her sister.  Our parents spoiled her with presents as well as Hayden.  Daniel and I also sat down with her and made a big deal over her while the grandparents were holding Hayden for the first time.  We also got a small present for Hadleigh that was from her new sister.  I can’t remember for the life of me what we got, but it was something small.  It was something extra for Hadleigh to think “wow, this baby is pretty cool” just in case she thought otherwise.

Hadleigh loved giving her little sister kisses and sitting next to her.  We really were very lucky.  There definitely was an adjustment period for about 2 weeks.  Nothing major, but a lot more defiance and whining about everything and anything. After the first couple of weeks, things started to calm down.