help my 2 yo DD cries hysterically every time my new baby cries

[bigsis123]

help - I've been home from hospital with my new DS for 1 week. In general my 2 year old (non verbal) DD has adjusted well but every time DS cries, she becomes hysterical and is totally inconsolable. Is she scared, jealous, overwhelmed??? What can I do to calm her and any suggestions for what might be the problem? She's not normally a crier!

oh you poor thing - how stressful - and your poor dd.

I have a 6 week old and a 22 month old. When the baby cries I just say "oh dear, the baby is crying, never mind" and really downplay it. Dd1 tends to say "oh dear" and I let her go and give the baby a kiss. So she notices the crying but it doesn't upset her.

I am sure you have done this sort of thing already - but I reckon just give your dd lots of explanations as to why the baby is crying and she will get used to it. Maybe she knows that if she cries she will get a cuddle too?

My 16 month old is similar, she becomes hysterical every time another child cries. I think it is because she is frightened, I always have to hold her until she has calmed down (which never happens until the other child has stopped crying)

I hope you manage to find a solution, it must be awful for you all.

ds did this. He was just 2 too. We sang "little baby dd goes wah wah wah" to the tune of the wheels on the bus every time she cried which turned it into a funny thing, stopped him being upset and he still sings it now a year later whe she cries.
Ds didn't like the noise and thought something was wrong with dd. Seemed genuinely frightened by it rahter than attention seeking. The song is definitely worth a try I reckon