Supporting a positive sibling relationship

My New Life

Sibling rivalry is normal. The kids usually move on quickly, but it often leaves us adults unhinged. What can we do to help diffuse those tense moments, and maybe even build some mutual respect?

In the spring we shared an episode about bringing home a new baby sibling. In today’s episode, we are following up with Lovevery expert Gabrielle Felman on sibling dynamics. We look at how to handle jealousy, possessiveness, fighting, as well as best practices around intervening, modeling resolutions, and incorporating one-on-one time. Gabrielle is an Early Childhood Development Expert based in New York.

Highlights:

[1:46] When you are praising one of your children, is it necessary to compliment the other?

[5:39] What is the best way to approach having special time with each of your children? How do you manage the other child’s emotions?

[7:14] When do parents need to step in when it looks like a fight is brewing?

[9:59] How can you help your children work together to come to a resolution?

[14:25] How should parents handle children’s possessiveness over things?

[17:04] What’s the best way to explain fairness and inequality?

[19:01] What to do when your younger child wants a later bedtime like their sibling.

[20:41] What is one thing that parents can do to foster better sibling relationships?

[21:35] Jessica shares her takeaways from the conversation with Gabrielle.

Mentioned in this episode:

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