Books About New Sibs

If your family is expecting a new addition sometime soon, you may find yourself scrambling to help your first child cope with and understand the huge change coming their way.

When I was looking for picture books for my toddler about new babies, I was surprised how hard it was to find books that weren’t about how awful that was going to be (books about how much babies suck, for instance). There is no doubt that it is hard to be upstaged by a new baby, and the difficult feelings the older siblings undertake do need to be acknowledged and honored, but I really wanted to introduce the whole topic on a more positive note (you know, stories that didn’t involve throwing a cat in the crib).

Here are a few that will help older sibs understand what it means to be a big brother or sister and that they will still be loved, too:

Will You Still Love Me? by Carol Roth

Big Brother Now and Big Sister Now by Annette Sheldon

I’m a Big Brother, I’m a Big Sister and The New Baby at Your House by Joanna Cole

Babies Don’t Eat Pizza: The Big Kids’ Book About Baby Brothers and Baby Sisters by Dianne Danzig

And one on adoption: Jin Woo by Eve Bunting

Another local resource that I found helpful was Penny Simkin’s Sibling Class. That my 2-year-old got to hold a baby before our baby was born really made an impression on him and made him more excited and prepared.

Congratulations to all of the growing families out there!

~Misha, Central Library