How a New Baby Affects Older Siblings Sleep
Adding a new baby to the house is always exciting but can of course feel a little overwhelming. You probably have a solid schedule with your older child. It can be hard to know how to incorporate a new little one in the house when things are well established.
It's understandable that your older child could regress or change with the addition of this new little one. However, there are ways to help all the changes that could occur to help make it as smooth a process for everyone. Everything will be new to everyone, so one of the biggest things to keep in mind is giving yourself some grace. You all will figure out what your new normal will be and the older siblings will adjust in time. Read more on how to take care of yourself here!
How It Affects Naps
Depending on the age of your child, they may regress at naptime knowing that you and the baby will be together, and they will be in their room expected to sleep. When my second child was born my oldest would yell "mama" and "baby" over and over. He did this while standing in his crib instead of sleeping during nap time. It was so hard as a mom to hear him upset, but I knew that keeping him routine was important. And most of all that he needed the nap!
If your little one is experiencing a regression at naps when the baby arrives, just know it is normal and even a little expected. Trying to have some 1-1 time with your oldest during the nap routine will help. Be sure to keep the timing and location of the routine the same so they know what to expect. If they do regress, but you keep the same routine, they will adjust and go back to napping as they were before. With so many things changing, although it may seem like a good idea to let the routine become lax. But this is the last thing you want do! This is when they need the consistency more than ever.
How It Affects Bedtime/ Overnights
Depending on the age of your older child(ren) will depend on how nights will be impacted. If your child is 2.5 or older, bedtimes and overnights may change. This happens especially if you have done some co-sleeping or let your child sleep in your bed. A common question that parents get asked is "Why can the baby sleep in your room but not me?". And as a parent, it is really hard to explain why this is. Having something ready such as "Your brother/sister is still little and needs a lot of help from me to sleep, but you are a big girl/boy and already know how to sleep on your own". Empowering them to continue to sleep well and acknowledging how amazing they are already doing will help them adjust to being in a different space. If your schedule allows, you can also have some snuggle time in your bed in the morning for everyone!
Don't Forget...
Often parents worry about how the crying if the new baby will impact their older children's sleep. There are two things I would recommend: 1) Strategically placed sound machines and 2) Warning your child.
Sound machine are a favorite around our house! Personally, we have 6 across the 2 children's rooms and our own. Both the Dohm and the Hatch are my favorites! Be sure to place them in a location where the noise is coming from, so if you share a wall it would be best to place it near that wall. Or if you have loud creaky floors or stairs, it could be best to place the sound machine near the door to the hallway to block any environmental noise.
Your older child will certainly be no stranger to the babies crying. Giving them a warning that they may hear the baby cry overnight won't come as a surprise to them. You can let them know that even if they do hear the baby crying at night that they are ok and you are taking care of them. This way they don't feel the need to get up and come find you. Most children are in such a deep stage of sleep overnight that they are not woken by baby crying. It is more around bedtime and the early morning hours where the baby crying may alert them.