Focus on the Family Magazine - June/July 2022

NEW BABY / HACKS & FACTS
DAUGHTER
DATES WITH
MOM AND DAD
My daughter appreciated that dates
were an important part of grownup
relationships, so she was thrilled
to be invited on “dates” with Mom
or Dad after being told that baby
brother was too little to join in.
The date didn’t have to be elaborate;
it was all about time together.
Sometimes I took her out for a hot
chocolate, while my husband preferred
to take her on an adventure
bike ride. Even a home date with
a tasty snack and a board game
was lots of fun. Putting the date on
the calendar helped us to follow
through, but at times a spontaneous
date worked just as well.
These one-on-one dates gave us
bonding time that reminded her she
was no less special to us now that
there was another child. One day I
saw her cuddling her new brother
and quietly telling him, “Maybe one
day when you are bigger, you can
go on dates with Mom and Dad, too.”
—Julia Springman
PREPARE YOUR TODDLER
FOR THE NEW BABY!
Bringing home a new baby can make some
toddlers feel unsure about their place in the
family. Create a special scrapbook to remind
your child that he or she is valued and loved.
<strong>Focus</strong>OnTheFamily.ca/NewBaby
toddler photographer
When our new baby came home, our 3-yearold
didn’t just become the big sister. She also
became our family photographer. To help her
adjust to all the attention the new baby was
getting, we kept her involved by having her snap
photos throughout the day using my wife’s
phone. When I got home from work, my toddler
proudly showed me all of the pictures she’d
taken. To make sure the new baby wasn’t always
the star in the pictures, my wife snapped some
pictures of big sister and baby brother together.
One caveat: Naptime doesn’t always work out,
especially when big sister stars in a video of
herself singing a lullaby at the top of her lungs.
—Jared Hottenstein
©SWEENSHOTS & SHAYMONE / STOCKSY UNITED
JUNE / JULY 2022 FOCUS ON THE FAMILY 11