Ideas for Sibling Gift - New Twins to Older Sister

I'm so glad that you are planning ahead. When I had my second child I felt terrible everytime I asked her older sister to do something for me. (Like I was using her for slave labor!) 12 years later I regret not asking for her age appropiate help. She always wants to help and I think it made her feel like she wasn't good enough to help. My recommendation is make her feel special and let her help to the best of her ability. Praise her to the extreme when she does help.

Why not something pretty that will last forever. A little girl bracelet engraved that would say "Big Sister - we love you" or what ever you may want.

I think her going to pick out the twins something that would be special from her would be great. Take her shopping and make getting the gift something really special for her.

She will remember this for a log time. Congratulations!

When my granddaughter was born, I gave her 2 yr old older brother a cabbage patch baby boy doll. I gave it to him at the hospital the day she was born. So this was his baby. He is 20 and still has that doll.(no he does not play with it...he just values it enough to not throw it away) When mom was busy taking care of the baby, she encouraged him to take care of his baby also and they talked about "their babies" as they cared for them. Making him feel part of the process. It worked. He also helped mom take care of the baby, his sister. Encourage your son to talk to the one you are not taking care of at the moment. You "need" his help to get them taken care of. etc.

Wow! That sure is exciting!! =0) I would try to ask that all family members and friends try to bring a little something special to big sister when they come to meet "her" babies! I requested that from my friends and family when my son was born and it really seemed to make my daughter feel important. She got Big Sister t-shirts, coloring books, flowers, balloons, etc. I'm not sure if you have these where you live, but we have a place called Cookie Boquet (www.cookiesbydesign.com). When a neighbor of mine had her second baby, I had them make a cookie for the big brother. It was a big star and said "I'm a big brother". To a two year old...that cookie was the best thing ever! You could even do a special cake and have the bakery write a special message to her on it from her new babies! =0) It doesn't take too much for a little one to feel important. I think it's wonderful that you're already thinking about her feelings as this big transition comes her way! As long as she feels like her help is a necessity for mom...she'll be just fine. (and those extra surprises from friends and family won't hurt the process either...wink) =0)

Congratulations! My first son was 26 months old when his brother was born. He received a lot Big Brother books that were a little too old for him. He enjoyed the big brother shirts (we had 2 - one for delivery day and one for coming home day) and he enjoyed the gifts he thought he could share with his little brother. At 2 yo, children are just leaving some of the baby toys themselves so we had a few baby toys that the boys could share. Big brother thought he was "teaching" his little brother to roll a ball, put objects in holes, and turn the pages on a book. In reality, baby brother was just drooling but he was a captive audience to big brother.
We also discussed most of what the baby was doing so my oldest was integrated into the baby routine. We compared diaper sizes, clothes sizes, and beds. My oldest was in charge of getting the lotion after bath. I nursed so there was no bottle prep but I tried to keep my oldest as involved as possible.
Good luck and congrats again!

Our daughter was 2 1/2 to the day when our son was born. We had him give her a one of the stuffed animals that you get to name a star with and she gave him one as well. Her grandparents also got her a big sister book and a friend of ours got them big sister/little brother shirts. When I found out I was pregnant, we had also gotten her a "I am going to be a big sister" shirt that she insisted on wearing every week. We also made it a point to talk about the baby and the fact that she was going to be a big sister and that mommy was going to need her help once he arrived. I had a scheduled c-section, so she had a special trip to her grandparents where she stayed while I was in the hospital. She came each day to visit and was brought home the day I came home. We have her help get diapers, wipes, keep him occupied while changing, feeding, etc. I also made sure no matter what, that each day I spend at least 15 minutes of alone time with each of them. He is now 13 months old and they adore each other. And she still helps with him getting diapers, trying to feed him, etc.

Congratulations and good luck!

When my twins were born I had found special matching t-shirts for their older sisters that said I am the big sister and the twins had shirts that said I am the little brother/sister. I also did it for the singleton I had after the twins and they always loved it. They felt they belonged to each other. I also always made sure to have my older one help get me diapers and wipes or whatever they could to feel a part of taking care of the baby. Fortunately we have never had any rivalry.

E.,
Congratulations. My son was almost three when my daughter was born. I had her bring him a gift a (truck) when she came home from the hospital. I looked at it as she was entering his space and she was going to be getting gifts from everyone else. I like the idea of asking others to include your oldest when bringing gifts to the new babies. Also, the cookie is a great idea.

Good luck,
L. D.

If there is something that she really likes, dolls, legos etc... get that. If she likes a lot of different things then just do whatever. Every time I was pregnant I did that as well. In addition to that I kept a box in the hall closet with some inexpensive gifts already wrapped so when someone came by with gifts for the baby(s)and not for the older child(ren) then I had something to give them so they did not feel left out. I realize that some will argue that just because one receives gifts does not mean that everyone does. It was just easier for us and a lot of family and friends brought gifts for the baby and the big brother(s). No matter how much planning you do ahead of time there is an adjustment period to new siblings. Good Luck!!

You've received a lot of great suggestions for gifts for your daughter. I did this also each time I had a new baby, and I think it helped build the bonds between them. Also, before they came to visit the baby and me in the hospital my husband took my older child to the store to buy something for the new baby. This gift exchange became a tradition in our family with each of my six kids.

There is a great book called "I'm a big sister"

http://www.amazon.com/Im-Big-Sister-Joanna-Cole/dp/068814...

My daughter turned 2 when my son was born. She is 6 and still has the book! I would give her the book and a new baby doll while your in the hospital and tell her it is a present from the babies!

My husband took my daughter out to the toy store and let her pick out something special for her and they got a little something for the baby too and talked about the new baby and had good quality daddy time. It worked really well for us. Once the day finally arrived all my girls were so excited to have a new baby in the house to help care for and cuddle. Congratulations!

When my second daughter was born, I got Mercy (my older daughter) a charm bracelet with two charms, a bootie and a "big sister" charm. I figured we can add a charm throughout life for the momentous occasions....

I was given this idea about a year ago and still plan to use it when I have my second child on the way. Fisher Price makes digital cameras for kids that are made tough so they can be thrown down a flight of stairs and still work. I think it is a great idea and it gives your older child something to do while you are holding the babies and since it is a digital camera, she will get to see the pictues she takes immediately. She can also look through her pictures and see the work that she did. And who knows, maybe you can get a couple of good shots out of it.
I know Toys R Us sells the cameras but if you don't have one of those, I am sure you can find the cameras other places or even order one. I think they are between $35-$45.
Betsy

I have a friend who has 4 children. When they had the 2nd, while mom & dad were at the hopital, aunt & grandma took the oldest to build a bear to pick and build a bear for the new baby. They stuff it & put in a heart from each one of the kids and dress the bear. Then make the birth certificate to match the new baby. They have done this for each of the following children. It gives them a sense of being part of the experience when they can't be at the hospital. They really look forward to doing it too!
Hope that this helps!!

Our daughter gave her older brother a T shirt that said,
"I'm the big brother" and he loved it! You can also do stuffed animals that match...different colors. Get her a pink one from them and them blue ones from her that they can keep forever.

I've started charm bracelets for several children... You can find the bracelets and a variety of charms for very little on eBay. Lot's of "Big sister", baby, birthday etc. charms and this would be a nice tradition as she grows older.

It's kind of an old fashioned thing but I cherish mine so much and continue to add to my "adult" one... it's fun to look back at them and remember where/from whom they came from.

What about giving your 2 1/2 yr old her very own 'twins' by giving her a boy and girl baby doll with clothes, baby stroller etc. Maybe she will feel like she has her 'own' babies to take care of while you are busy with the twins!
Best wishes for you all!