Big Brother Gift Ideas

My son was 9 when he became a big brother. But we did buy him a gift. We bought him a stuffed animal (webkinz) and some art stuff. He loves to color and make things. Then he could keep himself busy while sitting in the hospital. I think it is crayola that makes those crayons that only work on their special paper, they won't write on the walls or anything but the special paper.

A.,
I am a big fan of this idea!
When I had baby #2 we got my son a "gift" from his new brother. It was a small construction truck set. He LOVED it. He thought his brother brought it with him outta my tummy rofl! But not only did it make my son feel just as special but it also kept him busy and outta trouble while he was at the hospital. We also got him a ribbon that said "I'm the BIG brother" he was on cloud 9!
Congrats on the upcoming new bambino!!
S.

I just bought little things from Target so that each time my older child came she would she would get a present. This also kept her busy while visiting.

We made our oldest son a Big Brother shirt and our new little guy a little brother shirt and gave them to them at the hospital. My oldest son was also 2 1/2 when our new addition joined our family and he was very proud of his big brother shirt

You should certainly get him somthing from the baby. Also get a card and write something like I am glad your my big brother. As I grow up I will need someone to talk to about my fears and to ask questions of. I love you. You could scrible it and read to to him because after all the baby cannot wtite yet. Get him a stuffed animal or something he can play with the baby with. Maybe one of those shirts that say I'm the BIG Brother. We did that with our sons and even though there was 7.5 years apart it made the new baby more welcome. Mike even gave Greg his favorite Teddy bear in return. I put the T- shirt that I was given in the hospital on the bear. It was Greg's favorite stuffed animal and we still have "Billy" Bear. I wanted to pass it on to the grandkids but Greg wants me to wait for his child. He's not married or dating much so it'll be a while.
While I do agree with your husband it's not something you have too do you want your first to still be special. By having the gift from the new born it creates a bond. It's h*** o* little ones for Mom's attention to be taken away.

We just had baby #2 3 weeks ago & we did this for our 21 month old & I think it went really well. My problem was that since my kids are the only grandchildren on either side, they get a ton of toys so I was stuck on what to get. I finally decided to get some bubbles which have gone over great. My mom also had a great idea, she bought some of my son's favorite snacks & wrapped those up for him. Just some different ideas if you're feeling overwhelmed with toys. :-)

I think it is a great idea. We did the same thing. It eases the jealousy factor and helps the two of them bond. We did simple things. One day he got a car, another day it was a few books or coloring books and crayons. Little things, but it helped our oldest through the transition.

Hi A.,

My oldest, Benjamin, was 3.5 yo and very into dinosaurs when his brother Philip was born. Philip "got" Ben a small stuffed-toy dinosaur. Benjamin picked out a cute light switch cover with a handle on it so "the baby" (this was done before Philip's birth) would be able to turn the light on/off even before s/he could reach the switch.

Congrats on your little ones!

K. Z.

There are several books that deal w/ the arrival of a new baby. Very appropriate. Franklin the Turtle also has video/DVD about the same.

I'd get them something matching in bigger and smaller that they can "give each other". A little teddy bear that he can give the baby and a bigger one that you can say is from the baby.

I read alot of the replies below. Some were very sweet. I gave each of my children a new stuffed animal. They loved holding it up to their new brother to see. And we also go them each a t-shirt saying who was the big brother, middle brother and little brother. They still have those shirts put up in their baby things. I plan on turning that shirt into a pillow for them or album cover.
I am sure whatever you and your husband decide on will be great. It is the thought that counts. And I am sure your son will love whatever it is you do. Just be sure to take some extra time to do speicalthings with him once the new bundle of joy arrives. That way he doesn't feel left out. Best luck in the birth of your new little one.

We had the new baby get our son a gift - a flashlight. Not expensive and he LOVED it and told her thank you. More important than a "thing" is just making extra sure to SHOW him that nothing has changed in your relationship. It's kind of a "duh" thing, but while he loved the gift he loved even more the extra time that his father or I would spend with him one-on-one. Good luck.

I know you've already got several replies giving you many ideas. I think the best "big sibling" gift you can give from a new little one is something personalized to him... something that they already love. My daughter was 2 yrs & 3 months old when our son was born. She was very involved in the pregnancy...meaning she went to all my doctors visits & asked to hear her babies heartbeat, saw the ultrasound with us, etc. She was at the hospital when he was born, in the waiting room w/ my parents. When she got to come back into the delivery room after he was born "he gave her" a couple small gifts.... a small doctors kit, a little stuff horse (b/c she loves horses) and a new book for her to "read" to him like she had been while he was still in the womb. All things were small, but things she loved. She also gave him a gift from her. About two weeks before he was born we had been at the mall and she was in awe over build a bear. I gave in and took her in and am glad I did. She picked a bear that was pink & white for herself....then picked up the blue & white one and said "for my baby". She named it baby boy for him. lol She gave that to him when he came home from the hospital. Now that he's older, 20 months, its cute to see them carry around their matching bears.

When my second daughter was born we our eldest a new movie, from the baby, to watch at Grandma's while we were in the hospital. We also got her a baby doll to practice with. Congrats!

I think it is a big deal to become a big brother or sister and a small gift is appropriate. I always give my friend's older child a "big bother/sister" gift that will give them something to do while they are hanging out at the hospital(an activity book, puzzle, or something else that is age appropriate)and a disposable camera to take pictures from their perspective and if I can, I will have the film developed. I also either get them an "I'm the big brother/sister" button or t-shirt to wear for their first trip to the hospital to meet the new sibling. I just go to the dollar store for the activity book/puzzle and camera and Factory Card Outlet for the t-shirt or button. Every big brother/sister I have done this for has loved it (especially the camera).

we got each one of our children something small when the new sibling arrived home. our oldest we got a precious moments dinosaur and our daughter got a new baby when our new baby arrived home. it doesnt hurt to get something small for them, it actually helped ease the transition into the new baby being here. also, my older two loved being able to share their new gifts with their younger siblings. hope this helps and congrats on the new baby!!!

Hi A.~ We did a "big brother" gift and it was a hit! My little guy (3yrs) was really into Toy Story so I was able to find several little action figures and wrapped those up and gave them to him at the hospital when he came to meet his new baby brother. To this day, he still has that memory of what his brother gave him at the hospital. Don't go extreme, as it's the thought that counts. Congrats on your new little one once it arrives.

I sell Usborne Books and we sell books for kids from Birth -Early teens. From dinosaurs, pirates, trucks and cars, crafts, hunt and find, touchy -feely books, books about siblings, and great books for Babies also. You might be interested in our Baby Scrapbook.

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Any questions let me know.
J. R.
Educational Consultant for Usborne Books and More

I highly recommend this! My son was 3 yrs and 3 months when we brought our baby home from the hospital and he loves gum. We got him a gumball machine and told him that it was a gift from the baby...he loved it. He hasn't shown much jealousy at all since the baby's come home and I'm sure the gift that the baby brought him helped in that area.

Our daughter became a big sister in November and we got her a t-shirt for being the big sister and had her little brother give it to her when she came to see him for the first time in the hospital. And just a couple weeks ago we took her to build-a-bear and she got to build-a-bear for being such a good big sister. We got a gift card for her to use because then she could pay. She was just excited about paying as with the bear that she got.

I think that is the best idea!! I stole it from a friend of mine when I had my second and third!!!

When my daughter was born, my son was into Shreck big time so we got him a talking donkey. He thought it was the best thing ever, he could have cared less about his new baby sister!!!

When our third was born I had a harder time figuring out what to get the kids. We finally settled on a talking Woody doll (girl and boy) for them.

I think what ever you get for him (and let him know that his new sibling looked long and hard for) he is going to be very excited!!!

Congratulations and good luck with everything

Not only is it a good idea - it is the best idea. When our daughter was born her big brother (4 1/2 at the time) had a gift for her when he came to the hospital to meet her. And she had a gift for him. That set up the bond that has lasted the test of time. There will always be times of differences and jealousies. The gift doesn't necessarily have to be big and expensive, but should be something he can play with either alone or with someone, and try not to get anything too noisy - for when the new baby is sleeping.

Best Wishes for you and your family as you welcome a new one !

We bought our son a giant Tonka dump truck and told him it was from his sister. Before he opened it, my mom took him out to pick out something for his new sister (after he had met her). They "exchanged" gifts when she was about 4 or 5 days old. She's 16 months old now and he still plays with and talks about the giant dump truck his sister got him and the teddybear he got her. I think having them exchange gifts (rather than us buying him one) helped him have warm fuzzies toward her. He's been a great big brother.
Best of luck to you and your growing family!

Hi,and good luck with your expandig family. A really great gift is a baby of his own. That way when you sit and hold the baby he can too! It helps to teach tenderness and nuturing, so when it's his turn to hold the new baby ,he'll know just what to do. PS this does not work with stuffed animals, it needs to be a baby doll.
Best of luck and God bless you all.

When my son was born last year, we got a gift for his "big" sister. She was 4 3/4 years old at the time.
We got a t-shirt that said I'm the big sister and a small backpack(for use on our vacation) and she was THRILLED! She loved that the baby thought to get her something. And there wasn't jealous about the baby receiving gifts because she told EVERYONE that the baby got her something, also.
Hope this helps...and congrats!

I think it's a great idea for the big brother to get a gift! When our son was born, "he" brought his big sister a babydoll that she could feed a bottle to and snuggle with. He gave it to her when we got home from the hospital. We were hoping that it would help her with the transition, too. I think a stuffed animal, or even a doll, is a good idea for your son's gift. Then he can also be "taking care of" his baby while you need to be busy with his new sibling. I hope this helps. Good luck.

Get a photo album and title it "Me and My Big Brother". All of the photos in the album will be of the baby and the big brother and pages can be added all the way through high school, etc. A great continuing history for the baby to have from childhood. Memories are wonderful.

Alot of people give their child I'm the Big Brother shirts. My grandson received one and he felt so special (and big). Good luck on an easy delivery and healthy baby.

I agree with you. It can be a very hard having a new sibling, especially with everyone bringing gifts for the new baby. My sister has a 5 yo and is pregnant with her 2nd child. I have started picking up small gifts to give him so that he can feel special and included during this time.

When my second was born, my sister in law gave my daughter (29 months) a disposable camera and a small photo album. It was the best big sibling gift ever. She took pride in the fact she was a big girl taking pictures with a real camera. She couldn't wait to take pictures of friends and family with her new baby brother. We still have the album with the developed pictures. Some of which are of the floor or just the babies feet!

Also, we let her buy a stuffed animal to give the baby. The kids are 7 and 9 now and they still talk about the yellow bear, the first gift he got from his sister.

Congrats! What a fun time!

We had baby #2 when my son was about a week away from turning 8. We wanted to get him a gift that he would love AND would enable us to spend some special time with him. He LOVES to help out around the house and was showing some interest in cooking so we got him a little backing set. It had a chef's hat and apron, cookie cutters, a rolling pin, etc. HE LOVES IT! He thought it was so neat that the baby got him something and gave him the sense that he was a big boy so he could help out (and the baby couldn't). It really set apart for him how even though their relationships with us are different, his is still very special. She is 15 months now and they absolutely LOVE each other! He really took off with the idea that he was bigger so he could do cool things and knew alot more. She loves to follow him around and he takes every opportunity to teach her new things and explore with her. He still uses his baking set and is now attempting to show her how to do cookie cutters. It's great! Good luck and God bless!

Our son was also 2 1/2 when our daughter was born. We knew that I had to have a c-section and that I would be in the hospital for several days, so I bought my sons several gifts. Every day when he came to visit he had a gift to unwrap and play with. We got small items like books and cars (from the Cars movie that he was into), items that were small enough that he could sit on the bed with me to play with. The gifts really helped- he was excited to come visit, didn't seem bothered by all the attention the baby got everyone else and had a distraction when it was time to leave. Congratulations!

A.,
congratulations on extending your family. I hope all goes well for you. I think you are right, it is hard for children to get new siblings, especially at his age. My brother and his wife have 3 kids. when my nephew was born we got my niece a t shirt that said big sister. When thier baby sister was born they included both kids ages 3 and 5. They even let the kids in the room until it was time to push. Books are also a great idea they help a child learn how important it is to be an older sibling. You may ask grandparents and people you are close to, to bring a gift for the brother if they bring a gift for the baby. This way he won't feel pushed aside, but congradulated. Good Luck and god Bless you and your family.