10 of the best books for children welcoming new siblings
Filed under: Advice And Health, Staying in
As a parent, even a second or third time parent, it's hard enough to get your own head around the mind-blowing occurrence of producing another child, so for a child, getting to grips with the idea of a baby joining the family can be even odder.
Luckily there are several books to help even the youngest member of your family get used to the idea. Here are 10 of the best...
More on Parentdish: Three into Four - our columnist is expecting baby number two!
As a parent, even a second or third time parent, it's hard enough to get your own head around the mind-blowing occurrence of producing another child, so for a child, getting to grips with the idea of a baby joining the family can be even odder.New sibling books
- <p> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Baby-Usborne-First-Experiences/dp/0746066651/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351516699&sr=1-1&tag=aolpdishedit-21 " target="_blank">The New Baby</a> by Anna Civardi and Stephen Cartwright (Usborne).</p> <p> This book features the rather traditional Bunn family, which consists of Mr and Mrs Bunn, five- year-old Lucy and three-year-old Tom. Mrs Bunn is expecting a new baby and this book helps introduce children to what might happen when she goes into labour, is at the hospital and when she comes home. It would be ideal for families expecting number three.</p>
- <p> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Theres-House-Inside-My-Mummy/dp/1408315882/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351516407&sr=1-1&tag=aolpdishedit-21 " target="_blank">There’s a house inside my mummy</a> by Giles Andreae and Vanessa Cabban (Orchard).</p> <p> When I asked friends with more than one child which book they’d recommend on this subject, the one that came up time and again was this one. I remain unconvinced by the description of the door to mummy being rather tight, but children, and other parents, like this rhyming story lots and it does well at getting across to toddlers the less nice bits of pregnancy, such as exhaustion and sickness.</p>
- <p> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Miffy-New-Baby-Dick-Bruna/dp/1405219033/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351522920&sr=1-1&tag=aolpdishedit-21 " target="_blank">Miffy and the new baby</a> by Dick Bruna (Egmont)</p> <p> Like all of the Miffy books, the words (in the English translation at least) are faintly ridiculous, the rhymes dubious and the story rather odd. But the pictures, as ever, are endearing and toddlers seem to love it and Miffy takes the arrival of a baby bunny with good grace.</p>
- <p> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-New-Baby-Rachel-Fuller/dp/1846432766/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351523092&sr=1-1&tag=aolpdishedit-21 " target="_blank">My New Baby</a> by Rachel Fuller (Child’s Play). </p> <p> Really a set of four, consisting of Waiting for Baby, My New Baby, You and Me and Look at Me, these books work together or separately to spark conversations about the new baby. With simple to understand pictures and questions to spark discussion, they are an ideal book for sharing and getting very young children used to the idea of a new baby. </p>
- <p> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Our-Baby-Inside-Mick-Manning/dp/0749686715/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351523142&sr=1-1&tag=aolpdishedit-21 " target="_blank">Our Baby Inside!</a> By Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom (Franklin Watts). </p> <p> Aimed at children aged five to nine, helps children get to grips with what is actually happening inside their mum as the new baby grows, with plenty of factual information and accessible illustrations, it’s an ideal introduction to the science behind how babies are made and what happens in the womb, with flaps to lift and plenty of facts to keep children interested.</p>
- <p> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sophie-Baby-Anholt-Family-Favourites/dp/1408302136/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351516338&sr=1-1&tag=aolpdishedit-21 " target="_blank">Sophie and the new baby</a> by Catherine Anholt and Laurence Anholt (Orchard).</p> <p> The Anholts’ books are my absolute favourites when it comes to illustrations, and this book for slightly older children (it’s ideal for three to five-year-olds) looks at what happens when a new baby arrives one winter. Sophie experiences jealousy, but by spring she’s grown to love her new brother so much she offers him her most prized possession.</p>
- <p> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spike-Enson-Malaika-Rose-Stanley/dp/1848530234/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351516730&sr=1-1&tag=aolpdishedit-21 " target="_blank">Spike and Ali Enson</a> by Malaika Rose Stanley and Sarah Horne (Tamarin). </p> <p> This lovely story with a twist at the end is ideal for children aged up to about nine. It tells the story of Spike and his new brother Ali, who may or may not be an alien – after all, his poos are bright green and he seems to have enchanted even the school bullies...</p>
- <p> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Whats-Egg-Little-Karma-Wilson/dp/1847388221/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351516588&sr=1-1&tag=aolpdishedit-21 " target="_blank">What’s in the Egg, Little Pip?</a> By Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman (Simon & Schuster).</p> <p> If human beings make the idea of a new baby a bit too odd, children might like to first explore the idea through the world of penguins. Pip, the Penguin’s parents, look after their egg all winter, even though that means there’s less room for Pip to snuggle under her mummy’s warm tummy. Pip can’t see what the fuss is about when it comes to the egg, until it finally cracks and Pip’s brother arrives to make their family ‘just right’. Lovely for reading together from a young age but there’s enough of a story for children beginning to read alone too.</p>
- <p> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Whats-Your-Tummy-Mummy-Lloyd/dp/1843650916/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351516188&sr=8-1" target="_blank">What’s in your tummy mummy?</a> by Sam Lloyd (Pavilion).</p> <p> This beautifully illustrated lift-the-flap book looks at what might be growing in mummy’s ever increasing tummy. Is it a flea? Could it be a chimpanzee? What about an octopus? It’s a baby of course, as we find out at the end. This is an ideal book for young toddlers who’ll find the idea of animals in mummy’s tummy even funnier than the truth.</p>
- <p> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Babys-Catalogue-Allan-Ahlberg/dp/0141343362/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351522793&sr=8-1&tag=aolpdishedit-21 " target="_blank">The baby’s catalogue</a> by Allan Ahlberg and Janet Ahlberg (Puffin). </p> <p> Although not strictly about the arrival of a new baby, this book, which shows several different scenes under lots of headings such as mums, dads, accidents, gardens and breakfast, shows all the parts of a baby’s day, with lots to talk about for each one. It’s great as a first book for children who identify with the babies and as they grow it helps makes sense of what a new baby might do too. </p>
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