When Michelle and Michael Kingery of Hebron found out there would be an addition to their family, they sat down with their 3-year-old son Cooper to give him a heads-up about the new baby.
“We wanted to let him know that things would be changing in the house,” Michelle said, during a recent siblings class at Community Hospital in Munster. “And when we heard about this class, we felt the additional information would help him also.”
Five other expectant families agreed with the Kingerys that brothers and sisters looking toward a new sibling need valuable facts geared toward their age group (3 to 10 years old), and also were in attendance during the recent session.
Mary Sokit, a labor/delivery nurse at Community Hospital, facilitated the siblings class, which included a video, lecture and question-and-answer period.
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“I’ve been doing this class for 24 years,” Sokit said. “It’s very needed and always very well-attended.”
On the morning’s agenda were a video, lecture, and question-and-answer period.
Maribel Licea of Hobart attended the class with her son Luis, 7.
“I’m taking birthing classes now, and this fits right into our schedule too,” she said, as they waited for the video to begin. “Luis really wants to learn how to be a good brother.”
The video followed a family that already had three children ranging in ages from 5 to 13. It mentioned that although children can be initially excited about the upcoming bundle of joy, there may also be other feelings coming to the surface, such as apprehension about lifestyle changes.
The video parents had a special meeting to ask for the kids’ help in preparing for the new baby. Including the children is one way to ease them into the changes that would be in front of them soon, according to the video.
Going through old toys and clothes that could be used for the new one was one suggestion, helping with the baby’s room, and looking through old family albums were a few others.
The development of a child inside the mother’s womb also was shown in the video, and Sokit had one hands-on visual that fascinated the youngsters in the audience.
She was discussing the look and size of a newborn, specifically its stomach, using a tiny ball not much bigger than a marble.
Then she held up two larger balls, reflecting the stomach size at three months and six months.
Comments shouted from the audience included, “how does a new baby get anything in that small tummy?” and “It sure grows fast.”
Sokit also drove home the importance of a child never picking up a baby by themselves — they are to find an adult if the baby needs attention.
Adapting to a new person in the house may present a lot of challenges, but with the right preparation and mindset — no matter what the ages of siblings already in the family — it can be a special time for all, the audience was told.
Sue Ellen Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Learn more
For more information about the siblings class at Communty Hospital: 219-836-3477.