Favorite Books About a New Sibling
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If you’re about to welcome your second (or third or fourth or…) child, congrats! Welcoming a new sibling is such an exciting but huge transition. One of my top tips for easing that transition is to read books about a new sibling. This blog post shares my favorite books about welcoming a new sibling. My preference, especially when using books to prepare for a big event is realistic books- bonus points for real pictures. These are our favorites including ones we used to prepare my son and a few that have come out since then.
Becoming a Sibling: Preparing for a New Baby Arrival: This is a great book for preparing for a new sibling. I love that it is realistic and addresses not being sure about the change. The toddler in the book is unsure about the new baby in the house but her mom does a good job inviting her to be involved. It addresses that the baby cannot do a whole lot at first, but the toddler is excited for when he will be able to do more. I think that is an important aspect to prepare your toddler for as it can be a bit disappointing for them when the baby isn’t ready to interact or really play yet. I also like that it addresses how babies cry and can be loud. This is often a hard part of the transition for toddlers. Another aspect I appreciate here is that it is a younger toddler. My two are 21 months apart and many books about the transition feature older toddlers or children. The real pictures are a huge plus for me, especially for younger toddlers. I find it makes it easier for them to connect to the book and the characters. This is a great book to help prepare a toddler for the arrival of a new sibling. Code OnTheWay10 gives a discount on their site.
Baby is Coming / Baby is Here / Baby is Born: These books are wonderful with one major catch. They are only available in the Lovevery course packs. The course pack in general is great and I love what else it offers, but obviously, that’s a huge bummer if you just want the books. The course pack comes with four books to prepare your child for different parts of the new baby transition. My son loves these books and I think they are some of the best for preparing for a new sibling. They address the big changes, the nerves, and the fact that the baby cannot do a whole lot at first. We also love the crawling one that comes with it and I feel that has helped my son through the later transition.
My New Baby: This is a simple board book that my son still loves a year later. It is great for younger toddlers to introduce them to the idea of a new baby. The toddler in the book asks many of the questions your toddler might be asking such as why the baby is crying and why the baby is always drinking milk.
Lola Reads to Leo: I love how this book offers ways for the toddler to be involved with the new baby. In it, big sister Lola loves to read to her little brother. She reads to him during different parts of the day and different care tasks. It is sweet to give an idea for your toddler to be involved even though they can’t yet read.
It’s Big Brother Time / It’s Big Sister Time: These books are great for introducing some of the tricky feelings around being a big sibling. The older sibling makes rules for the baby to follow including things like not sleeping with their big kid blanket or knocking down their blocks. It is a great way to address some of the frustrations your older child might have while at the same time gently showing the conclusion that there is more good than bad in the transition. The big rule in the end is they always stick together because they’re a team now. We love using that language for our two babies.
Now that Baby is Here: This is another great book with real images. It helps big siblings understand what babies need and how the transition will go. This new sibling book addresses the emotions and concerns of the older sibling. The child in the book asks a lot of the questions children are likely thinking. I feel this is so helpful for younger toddlers who might not be able to formulate these questions themselves yet! I love how it addresses the hard parts but also the joys and opportunities to be involved. It came out after my daughter was born but we will definitely be using it in the future preparing for new siblings! As I mentioned previously I love real images for books about transitions as I find it helps children understand better and connect to their own experience.
I’m a Big Brother Now / I’m a Big Sister Now: I have mixed feelings about this book (we have the big brother one but I assume they are similar). I do like that it addresses some of the tough things about becoming a big sibling. However, the sibling in it is way older which might not be easy to connect with for a toddler. The bigger issue for me though is the dad very much blames the baby in one of the sections, saying that no he can’t play because he needs to care for the baby. This is language we try our best not to use in our home. The conclusion that despite the challenges he still likes being a big brother is sweet though. It might be a particularly good book for an older child becoming a big sibling.
Social Stories: I am a huge fan of personalized social stories as well. You can make these fit exactly what is right for your child and your family. I have templates for the ones we made so you can customize them but you can also create your own from scratch! We printed on sticky paper and pasted on a blank board book.
The bookshelf in the top photo is here and code OnTheWay10 gives a discount.
