Mom2MomSC

Having a baby? Here's some advice on adjusting siblings to the new baby, from the book "Oh, Baby! Loving (and surviving!) Your Newborn's First Year" (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $14.95), straight from people who've done it:

"Include older children in the care of the baby. Ask them to help fold clothes. Set an alarm clock and ask them to remind you when it goes off so you know it's time to feed the baby. Compliment them on helping mommy."

---Janet Vallone, Waymart, Pa.

"My son was five when his sister was born. I remember him watching me bathe and dress the baby when I brought her home. He said, 'Babies are hard trouble, aren't they?' I got him involved by asking him to be a runner for things I needed. It helped him feel like a big brother."

-Anonymous, Raymore, Missouri "Watch that baby closely with older siblings. My daughter thought the baby was her baby. He was just a few weeks old when I caught her holding him around the middle, carrying him down the hall. She was way too little to do that - and the baby seemed ill-atease for the rest of the day."

-Dolores Johnson, Wichita, Kans.

"Give the older siblings responsibilities with the baby to keep them from getting jealous. My older kids absolutely love helping feed her, hold her, and play with her. Helping their baby sister makes them feel important."

-Tabitha Mott, Cheyenne, Wyoming

"I made sure to create a sense of fairness between my children. If I played with my two-year-old, I'd explain, 'OK, I've got to take care of the baby now.' When I was done with the baby and needed to get back to my older child, I'd tell the baby (in front of my older child, of course), 'OK, I've got to take care of your brother now.' It created a sense of balance and fairness for my older child."

-Kirsten, Fort Collins, Colo.

"Time really is the only way for a connection to build between a big sibling and a new baby. At first my older son would push the baby away and say, "No." But now, they just love hanging out together and they're inseparable. In the first two years, though, he liked his bunny a lot more."

-Eric Falkenstein, Eden Prairie, Minn.

Hundreds of Heads Books' survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life's biggest challenges and have insight to share. Visit www.hundredsofheads.com to share your advice or get more information.