Baby Talk - Back to School

• Involve your toddler – My Mom is all about schedules and making sure everyone is on the same page. She explained to my little sister that we would be at school Monday through Friday, but home on the weekend. My little sister went with us to meet our teachers and see our classrooms a few days before school began. In this way, she knew where we were when not at home.

• Special time with your toddler – View this time as a special opportunity to bond with just your toddler. My little sister, being the third child, did not have a lot of alone time with Mom and Dad. My Mom would plan a little activity to do with just my little sister when we were in school. They were not grandiose, including things like reading a book together at home or going to story hour at the library, going to the playground or having a play date, baking cookies or shopping for dinner, and even going to the University library with my Mom, since she was in graduate school. These were activities that not only gave them time together, but made my little sister feel special. She was able to have “a day” of her own and a story to share with us, as we shared our day with her when we came home from school.

• Imitate their sibling – My sister would have breakfast with us, dress with us, and wear her own backpack to walk us to school. Her backpack has a few school supplies that she would use to play school with Mom. Of course, it was only coloring books, colors, and little workbooks, but she was a “big girl” when she pulled them out and “went to school” at home.

How have you been helping your toddler adjust to their sibling’s return to school? Please, share.