There is a new baby girl in the family but my 3 year old son is very jealous. He is our first. What can I do?

The beginnings of sibling rivalry, oh what fun. This is a normal reaction. Step in your son’s shoes for just a couple minutes and imagine what it is like for him. Up until now he was used to having Mommy and Daddy all to himself. He didn’t have to share time or attention with another child. Now here is this new being in his life who has taken a lot of what he felt was his away and he has to learn how to share time. That isn’t always an easy thing for a small child to do. He needs to know that he is not only still important to you but that he has something to contribute of importance to the new baby in the family. Get him involved. Ask him to help you with the things you need to do for the baby. Make him feel useful and important by asking him to help with simple things like getting a diaper for the baby or sitting with the baby to keep her company. He may enjoy feeling needed to help out. Make sure you praise him for being such a good big brother and for helping. Don’t forget to set aside some time just for him. It gets very busy with two young children around, but he still needs to know that he is important to you as an individual. Plan a simple outing with him by himself on occasion and tell him that is your special time with him so he knows he hasn’t lost anything and that he is still very loved and important to you. Make his role as older brother important to him. Listen to what he has to say. Enjoy your little family! Mama Nono