I would like to get some books to read with my toddler (20 months old) to help prepare him for his new baby brother coming next month (I'm due in 5 weeks). Do you have any titles that have been helpful that I can search for? I would love to find some about being a big brother (or sister). Also - any other suggestions for preparing him, and for helping him make the transition when the baby comes? I've got some ideas and feedback from some other moms, but I'd like as many ideas as I can get.
Well, it's been 15 and 20 years, but my kids love the Berenstain Bears series and they do have one called "The Berenstain Bears and the New Baby" or something like that.
I also remember that my hospital (Sequoia) had a Big Brother/Big Sister class along with the Birth Preparedness classes, and the kids get a sticker and get to play with a doll and diaper it and all that stuff to make them feel important.
Good luck and have fun!
I found some really great books on amazon.com and bought several there is a "I'm a Big Brother/Sister" series as well as "What to Expect When the New Baby Comes Home" for kids. And there are 2 picture books (no text) that my son loves to tell me what's going on in the picture called "Waiting for Baby" and "My New Baby." If you plan on putting the baby in his crib you should get him his Big Boy Bed right now so he has some time to adapt the the new bed and no longer see the crib as his turf.
Talk about it and be sure to have friends and family bring Big Brother a gift and fuss over him as much as the new baby.
My older daughter was almost 3 when her baby sister was born, and although we did purchase a few cute books about being a big sister, none of it really sank in. She's a bright kid, but I don't think any child can fully appreciate just how much their world is about to get rocked when their baby sibling is born!
I think the thing that helped us the most was giving her a doll (Cabbage Patch Kids are about the right size) and having her pretend to bathe the baby, change its diaper, give it a bottle, etc, before the new baby arrived. Then when the real baby got here, she had some idea of what to expect. When her sister was born, she was thrilled for about 3 days, at which point she told me, "Mommy, I'm tired of this baby. Can we take it back?" I had to explain that Baby was going to be living with us forever and that we didn't buy her at the hospital! (Now that they're 4 and almost-7, they are the best of friends most of the time, so she did get over it!)
The other thing that I can suggest is to be sure to have somebody watch the newborn for a little while every day so you can play one on one with your son. That will go a long way toward reassuring him that he's still "your baby" too.
My son LOVED these books when we were preparing him for his new baby brother. He turned 2 a few days after his brother was born and we spent a lot of time at Barnes and Noble trying to find books that were age appropriate. We found many of the books were too advanced for 2 year olds. These are the ones we chose:
Mister Rogers' neighborhood The New Baby by Fred Rogers
(pictures are real pictures from the 70's but messages are great)
The New Baby by Mercer Mayer (this one has a hedgehog type of critter)
I'm a Big Brother by JoAnna Cole (very cute cartoon pictures with a section in the back with tips for parents)
If you are planning on giving the new baby your son's crib,
The Berenstein Bears New Baby is a good book but only for the giving up the bed issue not for really helping to prepare for a sibling.
I also bought my son a Little Brother doll so he could learn to be gentle with the new baby and carry "His baby" around just like mommy carries his brother.
We are expecting our second daughter in 6 weeks. I went on Amazon and ordered "I'm a big sister" (they have brother, too), "What a baby needs" and "the new baby". My daughter loves the "I'm a big sister" the best. The other two are good, too and go into a bit of different detail. Good luck!
I'M A BIG BROTHER by Joanna Cole. The Arthur series has a good one with flaps that lift.
Hi S.,
I do not have a book idea; however, I have another idea that has worked VERY well for family and friends, a baby doll – given to your older child when you return home with the new baby. I recently suggested this to a friend whose older child started to resent the new baby after about a month. Once he was given his own baby to care for he was fine and did all the same things mammy was doing. After a while he grew disinterested in the doll and began to give his attention to his new brother in a positive way.
Best of luck,
D.
I'm a Big Brother by Joanna Cole
What do you do with a New Baby by Mercer Mayer
Don't Wake the Baby... but I can't recall the author. the big sibling in it is a girl, but it has pictures for some of the key words (a rebus story if you know the term).
Congratulations!
Hi S.,
Congratulations on your soon to be new family member!
There are so many great books out there for new siblings! Here are a few of my favorites that are appropriate for your son's age and developmental level: 1) Everywhere Babies by S. Meyers 2) On Mother's Lap by Ann Herbert Scott 3) I Used to Be The Baby by Robin Ballard 4) The New Baby by Mercer Mayer and 5) I'm A Big Brother by Joanna Cole.
Buying your son his own baby doll to take care of is a great idea.Don't forget to include simple props such as a baby bottle, doll diaper and blanket, rattle, and doll stroller for him to use in his play, as well.
Try to allow, encourage, and help your son to engage with, and help you care for his new brother or sister as much as possible from the beginning without "forcing" the issue- can he hand you a diaper, sing a song for the baby, bring a blanket, choose a toy to show or share with the baby? The more your son feels a part of the experience- the better.Be sure to thank him when he helps, and to point out how much his sibling loves him!
One other tried and true tip to ease this transition- make sure (no matter how tired you are- and you will be- trust me!) that you and/and or your partner spend some "special" alone time with your son every week, without the baby. It doesn't have to be a long time- half an hour is enough- but this is his special time with you, when you are completely focused on him, and doing something together that he enjoys -without the baby.
Wishing you lots of love and luck as you grow your family, L. S.
I used "I'm a Big Brother" by Joanna Cole. My sons are 22 months apart (2 year old and a 2 month old). My oldest still asks to read it and I think it helped him transition.
I had a 22 month old when I gave birth to twins. I was so worried about how he was going to react since he was very close to me. I gave him a baby doll a few months before the babies were born. I made sure to speak in soothing words to the baby and would hug and kiss it before I handed it to him. He seemed pretty excited about the babies when they came home. Of course he wanted attention too so the first year was a bit consuming. The good news is that he was young enough to adjust just fine. He is 3 1/2 now and just starting to really play with the younger boys.would like to write more but babies are calling
