Adding a new baby to a family is a big step for everyone, parents and children alike, and getting big brothers and sisters ready for all the changes ahead is an important part of the process. When I was researching how to get B and E ready for the arrival of their baby brother, everyone I spoke with had positive experiences reading books with their children. There are many books that explain different aspects of adding a new baby to the family, from mommy and baby being at the hospital to the fun of being a big brother or sister. Here is a quick run-down of some of the books I've enjoyed, as well as one commonly recommended by other parents.


What Baby Needs by William Sears, Martha Sears, and Christie Watts Kelly

This book is one of my favorites on the subject of new babies. The focus of What Baby Needs is on helping big siblings make friends with the new baby, and it addresses all the things that big siblings can do that babies can't. The book is especially good for nursing families because it includes a picture of the baby nursing and talks about mommy providing milk. The foreword at the beginning of the book addresses how to personalize the book to your own family, and it is fairly easy to use the sidebar topics to make the book more on the level of elementary-aged children, too.


I’m a Big Brother and I’m a Big Sister, both by Joanna Cole

Written at a toddler level, these books talk about the fun of being a big brother or sister. They also stress the fact that mom and dad will always love the big brother or sister.


Mommy’s in the Hospital Having a Baby by Maxine B. Rosenberg

This is the only book I found to really address mom and baby being in the hospital for the baby’s birth. I personally think this book is most valuable for the photographs of mom and baby in the hospital, including pictures of a mom nursing and a baby with its blackened umbilical cord stub (which both of my boys immediately asked about). It is a bit outdated in that it talks about the baby spending a significant amount of time in the nursery, which isn’t the case in most hospitals today. But it does address many other hospital issues like the special bed mom gets to sleep in, the baby bassinets that roll up and down the halls, calling mommy (or having mommy call you) when she is in the hospital, and what it will be like to visit mommy. This definitely wouldn’t be my only baby-preparation book, but it has been great to give my fellas a glimpse into what will happen when I am in the hospital with the new baby.

Have you found books that have been especially helpful in preparing for the new baby? Share them here! - Sara I.