Teaching Siblings to Keep the Baby Safe

I walked into the living room just in time to see something that made my heart skip a beat. My 3-year-old was making a bridge with his body over our 3-month- old baby. It occurred to me at that moment that though I had told my son not to pick the baby up, I don’t know that I was explicit with a baby safety lesson. This led me down the road of all the things I could think of that my children should know about

This led me down the road of all the things I could think of that my children should know about keeping our newest family member safe, not the least of which was avoiding jumping over, climbing over, or making a bridge over the baby.

Teaching Baby Safety

Babies can be fragile creatures. And when you have a big family, as we do, there is so much to learn about that new baby. Additionally, the lessons will be different for each member of our family. Some of the children are allowed to do certain things with the baby that others aren't. As parents, we often tell our children, “don’t do ….” without explaining further. So a good lesson in what is safe for our baby and what we have to avoid was in order.

What I have come to learn is that it works a whole lot better to teach my children what they can do, rather than what they cannot do. When I teach them that they can find toys that are safe, they can read to the baby, and they can even help prepare a bottle for the baby, my children are much more engaged in entertaining the new sibling than when I go into the “don’t do…” mode.

What Can Siblings do to Keep Baby Safe?

Skill Trek helps remind me that we should reinforce all the things my children can do and it becomes something that makes them feel empowered. From teaching the little siblings how to feed a bottle, to let the older ones learn about CPR, new members of our family can not only stay safe but thrive with the help of older siblings. These skills don’t just stop at the family though, they help ensure that when

These skills don’t just stop at the family though, they help ensure that when
my children are called upon to babysit. Or maybe serving in the church nursery or even help out with a friend’s baby, they are prepared.

When our children use the Skill Trek program they are also rewarded with nuggets and get
their picture into the optional Hall of Fame for the skills they have mastered. It’s a real motivator at this house.

Skill Trek, a program that helps bring families closer together.