Congratulations on your pregnancy! As you are looking forward to having your second child, you might be wondering on how to prepare your older child for welcoming a new baby.
The transition from being an only child to welcoming another little one into their space can be quite threatening to kids. They need constant reassurance that mommy and daddy loves them. Thus, it becomes essential to make sure that they don’t feel left out. Let’s look at how we can help ease our elder child through this transition.
My eldest daughter was so curious to know about my baby bump and I tried my best to explain it. But I fell short and realized that I would need to tell her in a way that she understands. That’s when a friend of mine told me about children’s books about welcoming a new baby. When I got her those books, my daughter loved the perks of being the elder one and was very excited to meet her little brother.
Planning for the arrival of a new baby can be quite hectic. Here’s a list to help you with the newborn bedside essentials.
Why do you need books for elder babies?
One of the important steps in introducing a child to their sibling is to read them books about welcoming a new baby. This gives them a prior understanding of babies and makes them look forward to bringing their sibling home. The colorful pictures and fun activities in the books also help them to learn new words.
Most stories are short and the vocabulary is also simple. It helps your kids to read and play on their own. This inculcates reading as a habit to your kids along with learning about babies. Story books are the best to keep your older child engaged and curious. Other main advantages of books about welcoming a new baby are as follows:
- It makes your elder child to easily love their new born sibling as the books emphasize on the love and bond between siblings.
- Books for elder babies also helps them to understand what mothers go through during pregnancy.
Here are some of the best books I have found on welcoming a new baby. These books would help your child with exploring all the emotions that can come up when a new baby is on the way. I’ve seperated them into books for older brother and books for older sister. Let’s look at a brief review of each book!
Books are the classic way to keep your older children engaged when you are looking after your new born. There’s another way to do the same and that is through Activity Boxes. Here’s an unbiased review of the best activity boxes and their features.
Books For Older Brother before meeting a sibling
Books on being an elder brother will teach them about responsibilities.
Getting your 3 – 7 years old son to understand about his baby brother/ sister is quite a tedious task. To make him sit down and listen, you would need an engaging book. The books would in turn teach him how to be a good older brother. If you are looking for one such children’s books about welcoming a new baby, for your first born son, you must start with this one.
1. Hello Baby
Hello baby by Lizzy Rockwell Most popular
“Hello Baby” by Lizzy Rockwell is a beautiful book with colorful illustrations. It covers the course of pregnancy to child birth through the eyes of a little boy. A very interesting feature I found in the book is that it has a cute gestation period chart.
All the characters in the book including grandma and grandpa are portrayed with happy faces. It even has a section on visiting the hospital and the boy looking at the ultrasound scan of the baby. The book ends on a happy note with the boy sharing one of his toys with his sister.
2. I am a Big Brother
I am a big brother by Joanna Cole. best selLER
l’m a big brother by Joanna Cole is a celebration of brotherhood. It’s a simple story told by a new older brother. It lists down all the great things about being an elder brother. The words in the book like, “Mommy loves me, Daddy loves me, I am special to them” will be reassuring to a kid for sure.
The illustrations in the book are simple yet bright. It is also quite catchy to the eye. An important feature of the book is that the gender of the baby isn’t specified. This would help prepare your first son to meet either a sister or a brother. Overall, it’s a guarantee that your boy will love it.
3. It’s big brother time
It’s big brother time by Nandini Ahuja Highly recommended
This book by Nandini Ahuja is a must have for your elder son. What makes it different from the other books in the market is that it is by an Indian author. The sketches show a beautiful brown family which is quite hard to find cause most books are by white people. You could not ask for a better representation than the one in this book.
The story follows a family bringing home a new baby. The new older brother then tells the baby the rules of the house. It teaches about sharing, caring and the duties that comes with being a big brother. The book ends with the older brother telling the baby, ‘no matter what, we are a team’.
4. There’s a House inside my mummy
This brilliant book by Giles Andreae explains how the baby lives in mummy’s belly. A young boy tries to make sense of the baby in the belly by comparing it to his home. This would teach your son on how his baby brother eats, sleeps, and plays in the womb. It is a great book to start reading to your son as soon as you know baby number two is on the way.
Apart from the beautiful sketches, this book is written in simple rhymes. You can sing it with your son and it would definitely be a sweet bonding moment. One thing about the book that touched my heart is that it talks about the fatigue that comes with pregnancy. The boy in the book sings that it must be tiring to house a baby and that’s why he cuddles with his Mommy.
The book ends with a happy family picture of the kid, dad, and mom in bed holding the newborn baby. If your son loves rhymes, this book would definitely entertain him as well as engage him.
Planning to buy the new Sticker Books for your kids? Check the List of Attractive and Best selling Sticker Books for kids and promote fun-way learning from now!
Books for older sister to prepare for a new baby
Books on being an elder sister will give them an introduction to sisterhood.
Girls between the age of 3- 6, strikingly take over a lot of motherly tendencies on seeing their mom. They love to play pretend Mommy and child with their plushies. It is thus comparatively easier to get them to understand about their little brother/ sister’s arrival. Here is a quick list of the best books about welcoming a new baby for an older sister.
1. It’s big sister time
My daughter absolutely loved this book penned by Nandini Ahuja. It is similar to ‘It’s big brother time’ as the story remains the same except for the change in gender. It shows a beautiful brown girl telling her new sibling the rules of the house. It is perfect for your elder daughter as the baby’s gender is not specified.
The sketches of a happy family along with grandma and grandpa will surely be a delight to your daughter. It’d teach her what it is to be a big sister and the responsibilities that comes with it. My daughter learnt the idea that her new sibling will always be her teammate after reading this book. That’s why I highly recommend you to get this book for your daughter.
2. My new baby
My new baby by Rachel Fuller Best offer
This book by Rachel Fuller is a short and sweet one. It is about an elder sister being curious about the baby whenever she does something. It’s written in such a way that there are a lot of questions. This gives you an opportunity to explain to your daughter about your new born in your own words.
It starts after the baby is born and brought home. The sketches are so simple that you can even ask your child to draw similar ones. It would improve your older daughter’s creative skills while also teaching her about her younger sibling. Don’t miss this children’s books about welcoming a new baby.
3. I am a big sister
I’m a big sister by Joanna Cole Best seller
I’m a big sister by Joanna Cole is from the same series of ‘I am a big brother’. The older brother is replaced by an older sister in the images and text. It’s a great book to reassure your elder daughter that she is loved by you.
The simple yet bright pictures will capture her attention. This book lists down all the great things about being an elder sister. Nearly 4 Million families have chosen ‘I’m a big sister’ and ‘I’m a big brother’ for their kids. In conclusion, through this book, your daughter will learn what it takes to be a good older sister.
4. We are having a baby
We are having a baby by Campbell Books Best price
I can’t end my list of children’s books about welcoming a new baby without sharing this beautiful book. It is a very short book but the most interactive of all. It’s about a litte girl called Nancy and how she plays with her new baby brother. It starts from when her parents leave her with her grandparents to go to the hospital. It ends with her hoping that her brother would soon grow up to be able to play with her.
It is a really fun book cause it has flaps for doors and windows. It also has a scrolling setup that changes the babies clothes and emotions. There are many other exciting activities in the book that would help your elder daughter to read it all alone. In short, it’s one of the really cute children’s books about welcoming a new baby.
Conclusion
With this, I’d end the list of the best children’s books about welcoming a new baby. Children are always curious and they are quick to grasp a lot of things. Thus, it lies in our hands to guide them through the transition of becoming an older sibling. These books for elder babies will help you reassure them that there’s plenty of love for them and their sibling during these times. I assure you that they are going to be the best big brother or sister!
If your elder child loves reading and you are looking for more children’s books, we have picked out the best Sudha Murthy books for you.
