Kate Middleton and Prince William are preparing for another big week in their household, as their daughter Princess Charlotte will be turning three on Wednesday 2nd May.
Despite only welcoming the new royal baby and their third child last week, Kate Middleton and Prince William will need to make sure they strike the perfect balance when it comes to giving all three of their children enough attention - and making sure Princess Charlotte feels special on her birthday.
Princess Charlotte turns three this week and although her birthday is sure to be met with lots of celebrations, her parents Prince William and Kate Middleton are likely to be pretty tired.
Despite reassuring guests that little Prince Louis was sleeping 'reasonably well' after being brought home from the hospital, during his first royal engagement two days later Prince William looked visibly tired.
Despite the exhaustion associated with bringing a new baby home, Prince William and Kate are likely to be conscious of the fact that they do not want Charlotte's birthday to be overshadowed by the demands and needs of their newborn son. However, they will also be keen to teach Princess Charlotte and Prince George that they need to share their parents attention with their new sibling.
According to the parenting website Families Online, every child will react differently to welcoming a new sibling. Health visitor Tracey Stone told the website: 'The arrival of a new brother or sister changes many things for families. Parents have their own feelings, and siblings have theirs too. Children show emotions through their behaviour, which comes from how they feel inside.
Princess Charlotte's wave to the press caused nearly as much attention as the birth of Prince Louis
'A new baby could make them feel happy, sad, confused or excluded with resentment or even anger - try not to automatically expect joy, although for many this will happen.'
So while Princess Charlotte may be delighted to share some of her birthday attention with her new little brother, according to the experts Prince William and Kate need to be careful to make all their children feel included and special.
Elaine Halligan, director of The Parent Practice, an organisation that enables parents to bring out the best in their children, also stresses that Kate and William will have to try especially hard to make sure Prince George doesn't feel leftout.
She said: 'It will be quite normal for Prince George to be feeling a little displaced just now given there has been so much change with the arrival of Baby Louis and Charlotte’s birthday tomorrow. At the Parent Practice we say you need to treat children uniquely according to their needs and not equally.'
Elaine adds: 'For Charlotte it’s a special day tomorrow being her birthday and all the focus will be on her with a party perhaps and gifts. William and Kate will need to make sure George knows he still has an important role in the family as the eldest, so build up his sense of self worth and his contribution to the family so he feels a valued member.'
Kate and William could say things like: 'George, I love the fact you are helping get the balloons ready for Charlotte’s party tomorrow. I’m going to call you my helping hand!', to reassure him and make him feel fully valued. Elaine also suggests that Kate and William get Princess Charlotte a gift 'from' her little brother Prince Louis so that she feels he has made her day special too.
How did you make sure your elder children adapted to life with a younger sibling? Let us know in the comments box below!
