3 tips for avoiding sibling rivalry

~ emmaakoch ~ Leave a comment

Before we had our second daughter I braced for the worst. Jealousy, battles over toys, constant competition for our time.

As an only child, I had no first hand experience with sibling dynamics, and felt a bit like I was about to set sail into uncharted waters. I craved some guidance.

Poring over articles, books, and blog posts, I looked for suggestions on how to help two little beings coexist. 

While I read, Viv practiced.

What I did not expect, was the pure unconditional love. From the moment she was born. 


Her gaze – you cannot fake that adoration. 

There are three pieces of advice that I found the most useful and truly impactful right from the start:

1. Don’t hold the new baby when your older child first arrives to meet them in the hospital. 

You want to be able to greet your older child with open (and empty) arms.  This is likely the first time they have seen you in a day or two as well, so they will crave your undivided attention and affection. It is a small detail, but one that I found logical.

2. Have a little gift wrapped and waiting that is “from” the new baby. Good old fashioned bribery!

We got this doctors kit and it was a huge hit – it was interactive and provided a way for the two of them to “play” from the start. A swaddled sleeping baby is the most patient of patients! 

3. In the beginning, when both kids are crying, tend to the older sibling FIRST. 

This may seem counterintuitive when you are faced with a screaming, completely helpless newborn. But your newborn won’t remember that you comforted the other first. Your older child will, and will grow resentful.
 

As Celia has gotten older and more vocal, there are more conflicts. But wow do these girls love eachother. 

So what do you think? Do you have any favorite tips for helping ease sibling jealousy? I am especially curious to hear suggestions for helping siblings deal with conflict as they get older, more vocal and mobile. 

Have a silly weekend.

~ emmaakoch ~ 3 Comments

This weekend, we plan to do more of this:

And some of this:

And perhaps a bit of this:

Our good friends had their 3rd baby this week, isn’t he just so precious?

It got me thinking about sibling dynamics. 

Next week I’ll talk about my three favorite suggestions for avoiding sibling rivalry in the early days.

What are you up to this weekend?

Evolution of a porch

~ emmaakoch ~ 4 Comments

Last year we added a large addition off the side of our historic 1845 Greek revival home. 

One of the things we knew we wanted to add was a screen porch. We love to eat dinner outside, and craved some protection from the mosquitos! 

Our porch has gone through many iterations over the last year. It started out looking like this.

We slowly added furniture (Hello Celia! And lime green extension cord!).

The miniature rugs clearly weren’t working (you know how I feel about rugs). 

So we bit the bullet and got an indoor/outdoor rug custom cut and bound to fit the space. 

What a difference it makes!

On Sunday, I got the itch to rearrange again.

Here is a peek at the final result:

Moving the couch allows for more seating space.

So far we love the change!
 

Shop this room:

1.  Provence Sofa/2.Wood Stove/3.Provence Lounge Chair/4.Captiva Outdoor Pillow/5.Tabouret Chair/6.Creeping Fig

Kuplink, Kuplank, Kuplunk  

~ emmaakoch ~ Leave a comment

It is prime blueberry season here, and as I sat with my daughter last week reading “Blueberries for Sal” I realized that if we weren’t quick, we might miss it.

Tree Berry Farm in Scituate offers pick-your-own berry plants.
 
It was hot out, so we worked quickly. 

Between the two of us, we brought in 4lbs of berries!

The end result – a blueberry pie. 


 I just realized I never got a chance to capture it after it was baked.

 It must have been eaten too quickly.