Manifestations of sibling rivalry Sibling rivalry is manifested in various, sometimes subtle, ways. Some children are openly hostile to their new siblings, while others are more diffident about expressing their negative feelings. Some older siblings give the baby a good pinch or try to hurt the newborn while your back is turned. Another child may seem to be responding favourably to the new entrant in the family until she politely queries when the baby is being taken back to the hospital. Some older siblings show no animosity to the newborn at all preferring instead to turn their anger on their mothers.
Some children go to another extreme attempting to suppress their jealousy.
They develop a kind of obsession with the newborn. The new baby becomes a point of reference for everything that they see or do. This is neither natural, nor healthy. It is much healthier if your child s hostility is out in the open and she expresses the way she feels. However, don t dwell on her hostility.