My daughter Georgia is 22 months old and we are expecting another little girl on June 13th. Georgia does really well with the babies at her day care providers, but I am at a loss for explaining a new baby. She kisses my belly and talks to her sister and feels the kicks. We also took her with us to see the ultrasound. She made the association that the picture on the tv was a baby, but I don't know if it clicked that it was the baby in mommy's belly. This weekend we had friends over with their 3 month old. This is the first time we have had a baby at our house. She kept touching the baby and wanting to play with the baby toys, which was alright we just warned to be gentle or soft. Overall I think she did well. She will not sit still to read books yet so I was wondering if there are any videos out their explaining about a new sibling coming home. Preferably something colorful and fun.
Thanks for all of the wonderful advice. I have gotten Georgia a baby doll already...She is just not that interested in it :( And from being at a great day care for most of her life she understands about babies...Just not them being in her house :) We shall go to the bookstore tomorrow and pick out a new baby book and maybe a new book for the baby. Thanks again :)
My kids are also 23 months apart. I didn't have a video but my daughter LOVED "I'm a Big Sister Now". T.
Hi S.,
And congradulations! I dont know much about videos..but may I sugest getting her a small life like baby doll? We did that for my kids and it was so helpful. It gives them something to cuddle when you have arms full of baby and a way to work through all the new activities she will be seeing around the house. Look for one that can be feed and diapered and has a little bed. It will help you explain the new baby.
Best wishes
V.
Hi S.,
I thought this was an interesting request so I ran it by my sister who specializes in early childhood development. She suggests that YOU make her a book about her in particular. Starting from scratch, mommy and daddy were in love, they got married, they had a baby #1, they played with baby, they loved baby, it was wonderful. They now are going to have baby #2 and baby #1 is such a good sister already! have pictures of the family and of her and her with the baby belly and leave a section on the last page open for a photo of her and the baby and keep telling her that in 4 weeks you will put a in new picture of her and her new baby sibling. This should help bring reality to the swollen belly. good luck!
T.
p.s.
I know its hard to keep her still for a book but apparently books about themselves are much more interesting... ;)
S.,
I am the mother to 4 beautiful little boys, ages 9,6 and twins that are 4. I can honestly say you will NOT need a video, and I don't think one even exists. Just find times through out your day to point out that this is your sister in my tummy. When she plays with your belly, that's a great time to plug it in again, this is your sister honey, say hi. She'll be coming soon, and she'll get to stay with us! You're going to be her big sister, and the two of you will be great friends! It doesn't have to be much, just a constant part of everyday conversation, and she'll begin to make the connection. Mine did, and that was even after explaining the twins! Boy was that funny! Let me know how it works out for you, and congratulations on your new little one!
A little about me:
I am 34, and am happily married to my best friend. I am a stay at home mama to 4 boys ages9,6, and twins that are 4. I love to sing,cook, hike, camp, and spend time with my family and friends.
Hi S.~
Congratulations on baby #2!! I have 3 of my own and luckily each of them transitioned with the new baby very well. I know that my boys like Dora and Diego. Dora had a show where she had twin siblings born..that might be something to look for if your daughter is at all into Dora. I would also think about getting your daughter a baby of her own that she can feed a bottle to and change the diapers. Interaction is always the key!! Good luck to you and your family.
I strongly recommend a big sister book, or a waiting on new baby book. There are so many out there in book stores, Target or Walmart. Plus, your daughter can thumb through the pages over and over. Congratulations and best of luck! If you are in Alameda County, you should consider joining the Second time moms group in Alameda, CA. Check out New Parent Support Group (http://www.alamedafs.org/index.php?id=5) to sign up. It is a TERRIFIC program.
It's been quite some time, but I remember Sequoia Hospital offered a sibling course for various ages when I was pregnant with my 2nd child. I didn't go through the course with any of the others, but it was beneficial for my 1st child.
Mom of 4 (4th expected 10/1/08!)
Enjoy!
S.,
I had 3 babies in 3 years... and what worked for me was GREAT... make sure that the new baby brings a gift home for your daughter and it is from the new baby. My oldest thought it was so cool! Her baby sister brought her a beautiful sterling silver necklace with a heart on it and it says "big sis" on it. I also involved her with changing the diaper, etc. Also, make sure you make time for her and JUST her after the baby comes at least once a week.
T.
Hi S.,
There is a VERY simple book called "The New Baby" by Mercer Mayer. Great and interesting illustrations. My daughter turned 2 the week my son was born and she loved this book. It's a sweet, simple book. If your daughter can sit through a video, she certainly can sit through this.
Other than that, try not to worry (easier said than done, I know). Focus on her being the big sister. Buy a gift for you to give to her in the hospital - a new big sister gift. Have her choose a gift for the new baby.
Good luck and congratulations on #2.
Congratulations!
I know you're looking for a video and not a book, but I strongly recommend the book, "I'm a big sister" by Joanna Cole. My eldest daughter loved it and it really helped explain the arrival of the new baby to her. (My kids are 23 months apart, like yours will be.) She is almost 4 now and still loves it, and especially her baby brother.
Good luck!
There are so many books and videos for this subject. Does your little girl have a favorite tv show or character, such as Arthus, Elmo, etc. Most of them have videos on when they became the eldest sibling. My children are 22 months apart (my son is the oldest) I bought a doll for him that cried and that came with a binky and a bottle. We used it and pretended it was our baby before the real baby came along. When my daughter was born, my son would take care of "his" baby while I took care of mine. Of course as he became older he decided he didn't want baby dolls and passed it along to his sister! Good luck!
Congrats! There is a Sesame Street video -- I don't recall the title -- but it is about the little bear from the Goldilocks and 3 Bears story getting a new little sister. You might be able to check it out of the local library.
Hi!
Congrats!
I wouldn't worry about a video, it sounds like she's got it... let her help pick things out (especially a special gift for her new brother or sister) and lots of talks about what will happen and what to expect and that seemed to work for us. My daughter and son are two weeks shy of being two years apart... She was really excited about her brother coming and some of the best pictures we have just after he was born were of Grandma helping big sister hold him! She was great, always waited patiently for her turn. (One of the big things we talked about prior to him coming) They are 2 1/2 and 4 1/2 now and very protective of each other. They're both in the stage where they irritate the other right now and there are times I long for the easy days just after he was born! :) Good luck!
Have you tried elmos world babies, cars and birthdays, more? My daughter loved this movie when I was pregnant with my son. They are 30 months apart. My son was 5 weeks early. She watched that movie every hour of everyday 2 weeks before my son was born. They explain aout babies elmos way. The movie is about $6.99. I found it at target. Good luck. Congrats on the new baby. M. Petersen
Congratulations to you and your family! Babies are such a blessing. I have two daughters as well, 25 months apart. And although it has been nearly ten years since I was in your situation, I will tell you what we did.
We constantly talked to my youngest about her little sister. She talked to my belly and planned fun things to do with her once she arrived. Back then, she loved Barney, and they had a video on siblings. I am sure every character has such a video. My oldest was "so ready" for her little sister, that my mom always tells the story on how she was looking for her "Sissy" everywhere while we were in the hospital ready to deliver. She even looked in the laundry basket! "Where are you Sissy, I want to seeeeeeeee youuuuuuu!"
Once my oldest arrived at the hospital, her little Sissy had brought a gift for her. The reason, because she already felt loved by her older sister and was looking forward to joining our family. That just made big "Sissy" glow! A new family member and a gift!
Good luck!
I'm not sure where you are delivering, but many hospitals (Alta Bates, for example) have a 2-4 hour program specifically for siblings to help ease the transition. My daughter was 2 years old when my second daughter was born. We did not attend any classes with her but we did read some books. I'll send another posting if I can remember the names (my youngest is almost 6). We found 2 years apart to be great. Admittendly, it's challenging for a couple of years (2 kids in diapers, etc.). Once the youngest turned 2 or so, they have played together and gotten along really well. I strongly suggest you and your husband read the 'Sibling without Rivalry' book. It's very helpful as they get older. Best wishes during this exciting time!!
There is a TV show called "Bringing Home Baby" I think on the TLC network which was a great help for my daughter. It shows what the first 36 hours are like and then skips ahead to like 2 months down the line. It's especially helpful to watch a few of these so Georgia can see that things like crying are perfectly normal and that they do stop eventually (my daughter was very concerned until we talked about the fact that babies can't talk and it means they're trying to tell us something so we turned it into a game "what is the baby trying to tell us?").
Congrats and good luck!
Arthur's New Baby is cute. (From the PBS show "Arthur".)Honestly ,a 22 month-old will probably not make the connection between a video and an actual baby coming home. Just ease her into the transition and help her understand how to be gentle, etc. Before you know it she won't remember a time when there was no baby!
Good luck and Congratulations!
First off Congrats....we took our daughter to a sibling and baby class that was offered at the hospital. It was taught be a OB nurse and they watched a Franklin (he is a turtle and I think he is on Noggin) video about his new sister coming home. They brought baby dolls into the class and got to change them, plus got cute little t-shirts that said either I am the Big Sister, or I am the Big Brother. I would check with the hospital that you will be having your new little one at and see if they offer those classes. Best of luck to you!
Congratulations to all of you! You've done a great job in preparing her yourself. Even if your daughter doesn't understand the details, there's something nice in leaving a bit of mystery about it all. It allows her the opportunity to "wonder." And, indeed, to all of us the birth of a baby gives us a moment of delight and wonder--what a joyful feeling it is! Share your feelings of excitement and happiness about the new baby with her, and also let her feel your joy in being with her. Your feelings tell her everything.
Blessings to your family and the new little one!
Your kids are the same distance apart as mine. I don't have any video suggestions, but I think that you probably don't really need to stress about it. It sounds like your daughter will adjust just fine based on her current behavior. I noticed that my daughter really wanted to hold the baby all the time and touch him, so I just make sure I let her be a part of taking care of him and she does fine. Good luck :).
