Looking for Book to Introduce New Baby to Older Sibling

There's a little critter book for that. "the new baby" and " Just Me and my little brother" by mercer Mayer . Both are really good.

I think using books is a wonderful way to introduce your son to the idea of a new baby coming. Young children really respond to hearing a story and seeing pictures.

We got "I'm a Big Brother" by Ronne Randall. It is still my son's favorite book (and the baby is 6 months old).

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I think using books is a wonderful way to introduce your son to the idea of a new baby coming. Young children really respond to hearing a story and seeing pictures.

We got "I'm a Big Brother" by Ronne Randall. It is still my son's favorite book (and the baby is 6 months old).

I agree that you do not need a book, but because we like books a lot, we read A Baby Sister for Herry (a Sesame Street book) and Froggy's Baby Sister a lot when we had our second. We were already reading books a lot and happened to have the Herry Monster one (really cute and it covers a lot of the issues that "might" come up). Depending on your child's age, there is not always a lot you can do anyway. Our boys are 21 months apart and my oldest just couldn't understand and there was almost no way to prepare him for that. Once we had our second we just prioritized giving me alone time with him after nursing the baby, but I also let him snuggle up and read while I was feeding his brother so he could feel part of everything, too. Good luck! :)

"I'm a Big Brother" by Joanna Cole. I almost got this for you for your shower :)

I hope you get some great targeted suggestions. May I also recommend that you read Siblings Without Rivalry by Faber and Mazlish? I know a few young families who found the tecniques and advice priceless.

Congratulations on your growing family.

Hi Erin You do not need a book. My first son was 3 when I had my second son, I tottaly involved him in everything, for example I let him pick out the baby's wall paper, I took him shopping with me let him pick out baby clothes, blankets things like that. My husband and I talked to him about the responsibilities of being a big brother, with all this involvement he was just as excited about the new baby as we were, I also told family and friends that when they come over to see the new baby, ask Edwin (big brother) to show you his little brother, I also asked them that if they were going to bring a gift for the baby to bring him a little something too. Sweetie you don't need books. When I was pregnant with my daughter I involved both sons like i did with the first. J. L.

Some of the previous suggestions are great.

My children (at least the biochildren) are all 3 years apart.... with my children they were able to go to all the dr appts, ultrasounds, etc. Having them there so they could hear the heart beats, see their siblings in ultrasounds and just be apart of the whole pregnancy really seemed to bring them together.

There is a personalized book called The Sibling Book (something like that) that Create-A-Book dealers sell. It talks about the new baby, etc., and it uses the older sibling's name and the name of the new baby. I used to be a dealer, but there are dealers all over the place. You may want to contact Tibbenstales in Tucson to see if Niki (I think that's her name) has one in stock. Here is the link to the book from her Web site:
http://www.tibbenstales.com/a-new-baby-in-the-family--the...
It's around $13.50 to $14.95 plus shipping, I guess. But it's a nice keepsake. There are also personalized baby books that record the info from the birth of the baby. Another nice keepsake. There are different ones and they are all pretty cute. They are around the same price.
Having the child's name in the book makes it a lot of fun for them too when you read it to them. There's also a dealer in Flagstaff but I can't think of her name or her business name. There may be others local too, but I don't know them and I no longer do the business.

Congratulations and good luck.

We had a similar situation recently in our home as I had a baby 2 months ago and was concerned about how my 2 1/2 year old daughter would respond/react. I spoke with one of the librarian's at our local library in Chandler and she was an immense help! She helped us find numerous children's book that dealt with a variety of issues to read to my daughter ahead of time.

I'm a Big Brother by Joanna Cole. My daughter had to read I'm a Big Sister every single day several times, even for months after her baby brother was born. Congratulations on your new baby!

Like another Mom, I also recommend "I'm a Big Brother" by Joanna Cole. My kids Loved this book! It talks about what big brothers can do for babies and how they can help. It also talks about why it's good to be a big boy, which helps with some of the regression older sibblings go thru after a baby is born into the family. I bought the book at Toys R Us. Best Wishes!

Maybe a book for you. On sibling relationships.

But ideally... it is about building a relationship with you, PRIOR to the new baby coming.
When I was pregnant with my 2nd child, my daughter was about 3 - 3.5 years old (my kids are 4 years apart)... and I spend a LOT of time, with her, prior to the birth, prepping HER. I took photos of her with my tummy, we talked to her brother in my tummy, I kept her routines the same... I talked with her a ton, I told her that she would always be my first baby... that she is important.. .and that she express her feelings to me ANYTIME and I am always there for her... good feelings or not. I also explained to her about what a 'baby' is... that it cries, that it wakes a lot, that Mommy has to breastfeed him... but that is MOMMY's "job" and she doesn't have to worry or feel responsible.

I also told her, that being an 'oldest' child does not mean she has to be 'perfect.' That we will not suddenly change to her... that she is STILL just a child... and she does NOT have to 'share' everything... to a young child, the fact that they can keep things just for themselves, is important... I told my girl that her things is hers... and her brother will have his things. She has special things and if she does not want to share, that's okay.
She is not the default "example" to our 2nd child.
An 'eldest' child can be stressed... by feeling that they 'have to be' everything and perfect, suddenly, because baby. But that is not realistic.
They are still just a child.

Honor your eldest... and keep 'expectations' age appropriate... his age of 3, is not an easy age. And he has to be "allowed" to have feelings, good or bad, and be understood. Not just shown impatience or scolding/lecturing.
He will have TONS to adjust too... and in the roles his Parents take, with a new baby. Remember, HE is having a new baby too.

I also took my daughter to all my prenatal visits. My Doctor encourages that and even taught her how to use the Doppler heart monitor on my tummy. She felt important and included.

I spent a TON of time as well, after the baby was born, on just her. My husband did too. An eldest child needs that. They NEED to have their own routines... consistently so they don't feel like just a satellite revolving around baby.

Just some things I did for my eldest, when I was pregnant and then after the baby came home.
And always, ALLOW for transgressions... and regressions. He is only still just a kid. They can get stressed too. They have tiny shoulders and cannot bear the weight of everything sometimes. Validate his feelings... even if with a frustration tantrum. Its okay. Console him. Comfort him.

My daughter LOVES her little brother... and transitioned well. Because I spent tons of time on her prior and after. And talking with her and allowing her feelings to be expressed.

all the best,
Susan

I think books are a nice way to talk about life events with young children. When I was a preschool teacher, I did this a lot - especially with children who were expecting new babies in their family. There are nice books with the Berenstain Bears and the "Little Critter" character (Just Me and My Dad, Just Me and My Mom, Just a Mess, etc...) that I have read with preschoolers in the past. I just bought one with a little more detail to share with my son who will be a big brother in November called, "A New Baby is Coming: A Guide for a Big Brother or Sister," by Emily Menendez-Aponte. I chose it because it can be read in sections and because it is written to help children with the adjustment to a new baby and the feelings involved.

Congratulations to you and your family!

The book we used most was "I watched my brother being born" - it's a video and book set, and our son absolutely adored it. He watched the video endlessly and read the book hundreds of times. We had him attend our birth, and he had no problems with either that or accepting the baby. A great experience.

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The book we used most was "I watched my brother being born" - it's a video and book set, and our son absolutely adored it. He watched the video endlessly and read the book hundreds of times. We had him attend our birth, and he had no problems with either that or accepting the baby. A great experience.