Earlier I shared here some of what our 6 children have taught us in our parenting journey about sibling bonding.  Beco Baby Carriers joined us with a giveaway to encourage the connections between parents and siblings, because they believe that supporting family bonding is important and one of their core values.  While not everyone could win (the winners have been notified), we did giveaway 6 #BecoSiblingLove carrier packs and are happy that everyone wins a little with this great collection of tips and sweet photos from the Leakies shared here, on Facebook, Instagram, and twitter encouraging sibling bonding.  This collection of tips highlights respecting, working for, and preserving sibling love from the voices of experienced moms.  If you have some to add or a story of sibling bonding and adjusting to adding a new family member, leave us a comment, we love hearing from you.  Thanks to all who contributed!

More tips from the Leakies for adding a new baby in a family and promoting sibling bonds.

I like to talk to my two year old about the baby and all the things that we did with her when she was a baby. Things like, “He’s crying a lot because he’s a baby. You used to cry a lot, too!” ~Ginni, mom of two

My children bond with him by him doing things for him. And they bond with each other by playing mostly.  ~Danielle, mom of 6

They each love when I wear them and go for walks.  ~Joanne, mom of 2 under 4

We sing songs, read books, all three of us snuggle up on the toddlers bed for naps and they both fall asleep, take baths together and big brother helps with baby, when big brother loves on little brother we praise them both and tell big brother his little brother loves him so much.  ~Hannah, mom of 2 boys under 3

We’ve encouraged their relationship since I was showing. She’d kiss my belly and pat it. And its so moving seeing her noe pat the baby’s back and give him morning kisses. She actually is so in love with “brover” she gets mad if other people hold him and wants to kiss him as soon as she’s awake.  ~Tay, mom of 2 under 2

I actually encouraged him to babywear the other day because he wants to hold the baby while standing up.  ~Raina, mom to 2 boys, 6 years old and 6 months

We encourage sibling bonding by letting the older one help get things like diapers, or juice for his little sister to make him feel like such a big boy. We love playing games together as well, stacking blocks is also something fun that they both enjoy! ~Cassandra, mom to 2 toddlers

I feel like we have encouraged sibling bonding by letting each child know how much they are loved and that love is endless and independent of any one else. We make them feel special as individuals, which makes sibling rivalry nearly non-existent.  ~Heather, mom to 4 girls

We are tandum nursing right now and I love to see them looking into each others eyes. It’s so sweet. I really hope nursing them together helps foster their bond.  ~Jinny, mom to one 3 year old and one 1.5 year old

Our older two boys (7 and 6) share a room. I have heard that sharing a room helps build a stronger bond for siblings in adulthood. I hope so because they have difficulty with each other now but they both adore their younger brother.  ~Melissa, mom of 4 boys

I made sure that I included big brother in everything that happened with the baby. When it was time to eat, I let him help me burp the baby. When I had to change the baby, he handed me the clean diaper and the wipes. At nap time, big brother would lay down on the play mat with the baby and watch a movie. It made him feel important and special!  ~Christian, mom to 2 boys and one on the way

Keeping them busy is the key.  ~Jenn, mom to one 5 year old and one 8 year old

Encouraging sibling harmony is definitely challenging with a fiesty 2 year old. Diligent supervision, guidance, and modeling appropriate conflict resolution are necessary with both his older brother and his younger brother as he has yet to learn boundaries.  ~Lurissa, expecting #4

I try not to interfere with their spontaneous, happy moments but bring them up later during quiet times with our oldest.  ~McKenna, mom of 2 boys

I think it is important to include both children in everything we do but also make some time for each to have their moments in the limelight.  ~Cassandra, stepmom of 1 and mom to 1

I have 5 children, but only 4 are living. In many ways, number 4 dying has made a huge impact on their relationships with their other sisters- especially number 5. I have learned so much about love from watching them together. I love the way they always praise each others’ efforts. And I love that they are strong for each other, and work to keep each other safe. They have the courage to speak up against something dangerous, or even do things they don’t want, to protect the baby- because they don’t want to lose their sisters.  ~Anne, mom of 5, 4 living

I find my older does better if I tell her all the good and right things she does when she interacts with her baby brother.  ~Kari, mom of 2 under 3

I encourage bonding between the older and younger children by letting them help with bath time and eating snacks together, ect. My 8 yr d daughter is very involved with my youngest and I show her trust by letting her watch her while I take a shower or cook dinner.  ~Shelby, mom of 4

This Last Pregnancy my older girls were completely involved in all of the midwife appointments helped listen to the heartbeat etc. They were there for her birth also. I think that helped them have a huge Bond from the very begining.  ~Jessica, mom of 3 girls

We have 10 kids 8 boys and 2 girls ages 23 years old to 10 months old and love the way they all interact with one and another, they are their own best friends. We use baby wearing to get out and do the things with the big kids like camping, hiking and other out door activities that we wouldn’t be able to do with a stroller. ~Kathy, mom of 10

I have found that leading by example and oftentimes just letting them work things out on their own can lead to growth in their sibling relationship. Solving problems can be a wonderful way to build character and relationships. I find that if I don’t butt in, they usually get along better.  ~Jeannette, expecting #3

We foster their friendship in everything we do. We make sure to get excited for each other when something exciting happens. Now, when my little boy does something neat, his sister will get excited for him and hug him. He’s potty training and when he goes, he waits for a high 5 from his sister b/c it’s important to him. When we wake up, they hug each other right away, it’s so adorable.  ~Shannon, mom of 2

We have a “Kindness Jar.” It’s an idea a got from Pinterest about a year ago. It’s a jar we decorated, that has a bunch of slips of colored paper and each one has a “act of kindness” on it. This has worked for us and I like that it encourages redirection, rather than focusing on disciplining.  ~Alexia

The older ones love feeling like they are big helpers so I have them do little things to help with the new baby like sing to him if he is crying.  ~Alicia, 4 children under 6

I encourage sibling bonding by reminding them to hug and kiss goodnight and goodbye – and when saying sorry.  ~Mandi, expecting #3

One of the big ones I find is just to be observant and not in a hurry… if I see them connecting but we have to get somewhere I try to think which is more important in the long run? Being on time to wherever (getting whatever done) or what’s going on right now. ~Cindy, mom to two boys

My 2 girls are extremely helpful and you see this when they play together. I believe in loving them like you want to be loved. They will grow up with enough love to share with everyone they wish.  ~Nicola, mom to 3

Our kids love is to hear about when they were tiny — even my oldest still like to hear how she was nursed, how much we loved to snuggle her in bed at night, how we couldnt put her down, etc. sharing all their birth stories in the weeks leading up to a new sibling’s birth has become tradition.  ~Beth, mom of 5

The best thing a parent can do is to make sure they make special time for the older sibling every day, especially when the older sibling is a younger toddler. Kids who feel that they are not being replaced by a new baby will be far more receptive to bonding and taking on the role as a “big brother/sister”.  ~Taisha, nanny to many, mom of 1

I encourage the kids to all work together as a team so they have a closer bond, which they do.  ~Sandra, mom of 8

Tandem nursing and co-sleeping have helped my boys bond.  ~Anne, mom of 2

When our middle child was a newborn we let her big brother help as much as he wanted to, and hold her whenever he asked to, even if it wasn’t necessarily a good time for us. We let him help her learn to sit and stand and walk, and have always celebrated every milestone as a family. Its the same this time around with the new baby. Granted her daddy or I may not be the ones holding her hand when she takes her first steps, but that’s ok. Our son remembers helping his little sister and is still proud of it. They know empathy and trust in each other, which is priceless.  ~Lacey, mom of 3

My four year old has learned the one year old’s calming song and she sings it to him every time he gets upset. It never fails to melt my heart!  ~Ashley, mom to 2

We bought our two year old a doll & started helping him care for it while explaining that these were all things mommy & daddy would need his expert help with when his sibling arrived.  ~Jennifer, mom of 4

I always include them with what I am doing with the baby. My 3 yr will nurse her babies when I nurse her brother because her babies are hungry too.  ~Heather, mom of 4

Getting out of the way and recognizing their cues that they need space.  ~Jennifer

One of her current favorite things is to have us whisper in her ears, then she whispers in ours. She just recently expanded the game to include little brother – “can I whisper in his ear?” *arm goes around the little neck, mouth smashes up to tiny ear*, “pssshh, whisper, whisper, hsss, I love you so much, Edward.” (yes, that is exactly what she whispers – every time).  ~Sarah, mom of 2

Outdoor activities are the best!  ~Brandy, mom to 3

I like to encourage them to think about what the other is thinking/feeling and how they can help out. My two older girls love to read to the younger kids, and they all love to snuggle together!  ~Sarah, mom of 4

I always remind big brother how important he is & how his brother needs his help to grow up to be a superhero just like him.  ~Kristen, mom of 2

She was most excited when he had enough head control and she was strong enough to start wearing him (again, with a lot of hair pulling).  Cami, mom to 2

One thing that has encouraged bonding is tandem nursing. I love snuggling both children while they hold hands or while my oldest pets her brother’s head. I also let her help pick out his outfits and gather diaper supplies when she’s feeling helpful.  ~Jennifer, mom of 2

They have to bond because we spend so much time together. They have no choice!  ~Nicole, mom of 3

Momma time when there was a new baby~nursing became special snuggle time for all with babe at breast and older siblings tucked in close on teach side and a good book to read aloud and then the “big kids” were my special helpers assisting me in caring for younger siblings. Even to this day (my oldest ones are college bound) my children enjoy each others company, laugh together.  ~Beth, mom to 5

We kept big bro informed the whole pregnancy and I had him read the updates with me on the pregnancy app I used, to help prepare him and keep him involved.  ~Jessi, mom of 2

Our oldest has LOVED cuddling on, holding, and trying to carry baby sister from day one. We talk often of their love for one another (when 3yo makes 1 yo laugh I’ll say, “Oh, look at her smile! She loves her sister SO much! She thinks you are great!’ or during snuggles when baby-in-belly kicks, I say it is her hand reaching out to hold her big sister and encourage the 3yo to touch the hand back or give kisses to my belly/baby). I recently started the “got your nose!” game with my 3 yo which has morphed into a giggle-fit of “got your (any body part!)”. Her new favorite is to say she got my nursies (what we call breasts used for feeding), put them on herself, and tell me how she is going to nurse the new baby! <3 ~Michel, expecting #3

The very first thing we did with each older child was call the baby theirs while pregnant. So our 2yr old walks around talking to and kissing his baby. He will tell others MY baby. It seemed to work out well so when the new baby arrives they have somewhat of a bond already. Then when the baby arrived he helped with diaper changing and getting ready for feeds. Plus we have snuggle time before bed where they all get to hold the baby and snuggle.  ~Jessie, mom to 7

Games help build their bond as well as dress up/imaginary play. Sending them outside forces them to rely on each other and not a screen (or Legos). ~Jessica, mom of a 9yo, 7yo, and toddler

Juggling personalities and making sure everyone is heard and respected can be difficult. I try and foster a want of safety in my older kids, to keep the younger ones safe and happy. Whether that means watching someone while I shower or reading stories while I use the stove for a few moments. I want them to want to protect each other.  ~Chelsea, expecting #4

Reading has always been a wonderful time for us… it was for me growing up with my 5 siblings!  ~Mechelle, expecting #4

Any time any of the other kids ask to hold him I let them without question. I want their bond with each other to be the most important to carry for their lives.  ~Sarah, mom of 4