New Baby Blues: The Big Sib

By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH, Medical Advisor, Raising Readers 
Originally published Spring 2005, Raising Readers Issue Brief

Sophie was almost three when she lost her ‘youngest grandchild’ status. She did not take this well. When baby Eli was around, her behavior regressed. She was whiny and demanding, and took to sucking her thumb. She also became aggressive. Failing to see why her grandmother needed to hold this interloper, Sophie occasionally attempted to dislodge Elijah physically from Memere’s lap. Although Sophie and Eli were cousins, she exhibited classic sibling-like behavior. She felt displaced and jealous, and had no interest in sharing anything with the new baby: not her toys, and certainly not her grandmother’s lap.