Help Older Siblings Welcome a New Baby

Sibling Classes, Books about Babies, Gifts and Older Sibling Badges

Jan 30, 2009

Expecting a younger sibling can be stressful for children. Help prepare a new big brother or sister before the birth of the baby.

When a new baby is on the way, a child’s stress and uncertainty about the event can lead to behavior problems, sleep difficulties and anxiety. Reassure children by taking time to explain what life with a baby is like. Take your child to a new sibling class and read books about babies. Make a badge, necklace or other token that your child can use as a way to communicate his feelings. Finally, give the older sibling a gift after the new baby is born.

Take Your Child to a New Sibling Class

Some hospitals and doctor's offices offer new sibling classes. Enroll your children in a class a month or two before the birth of the baby. These classes are often held at the hospital or birth center where the baby will be born.

The instructor usually tells the children what a newborn baby is like, how much care the baby will need and ways the older siblings can help. Some courses will even have the older siblings practice changing a diaper on a stuffed animal.

Read Books about Babies and Pregnancy

Reading books to children that are expecting a new sibling can help them work through their own feelings of fear and uncertainty about the impending change in the family. Non-fiction books about pregnancy and birth will help a child understand the physical changes that are evident in the mother.

Likewise, fiction books about characters that are dealing with the birth of a new sibling can be comforting for children. Consider the following books for your children:

Gifts on the Baby's Birthday

Pack a gift for older siblings in the suitcase that you will be taking to the hospital. In the excitement about the baby, new siblings often feel overlooked, especially when they see the baby being showered with gifts. A small, thoughtful gift reminds your children that you haven’t forgotten about them.

Make an Older Sibling Badge

Children can have difficulty articulating their feelings when they are sad or lonely. Give them a way to tell you without having to put the feelings into words. Before the baby is born, create a badge or necklace that the older sibling can wear when he feels like he needs some attention.

Cut a heart out of construction paper and write “I’m Special, too,” or “I Need a Hug” on the badge. Punch a hole in the top and thread a piece of yarn through it. Hang it someplace accessible, like a bedroom door knob. Once the new baby has arrived, let the older sibling know that when he is feeling stressed, he can put the badge on and you will take the time to focus on him.

Welcoming a new baby into the family is exciting, but it can also be stressful for older siblings. It helps to educate your child about babies by taking him to a new sibling class at the birth center and by reading books for children about pregnancy and babies. Reassure your child that he is special to you by making an older sibling badge and giving him a special gift on the day of the baby’s birth.

Carr, Julie B. Making Me: The Pregnancy Activity Book for My Big Brother or Sister. Marylhurst, OR: Motherly Way Enterprises, Inc., 2007.

Murkoff, Heidi Eisenberg. What to Expect When the New Baby Comes Home (What to Expect Kids). New York: Harper Festival, 2001.

Meyer, Mercy. The New Baby New York: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2001.

The copyright of the article Help Older Siblings Welcome a New Baby in Parenting Methods is owned by Barb Hacker. Permission to republish Help Older Siblings Welcome a New Baby in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.