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Prepare your toddler for a new sibling in the home with the best big brother books for toddlers.
Taking the plunge from one child to two is exciting, nerve-wracking, and a huge transition for any family. While you may feel overwhelmed by the challenge of doubling your parenting duties, your toddler is also experiencing a huge range of emotions, even if you haven’t revealed the big news.
According to the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP), toddlers can sense a shift in attention even before they announce the big news, which can bring a wide range of emotions. A new brother or sister means a huge change in the family dynamic-one that your child had no say in. The ACP notes that a new addition can bring feelings of fear and anger, resulting in undesirable behaviors. These can include reverting to babyish behavior and acting out to get negative attention.
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Preparing your toddler for a sibling
So, how can you avoid this huge potential pitfall of parenting? Experts at ACP suggest preparing your toddler for both the good and bad that will come with their new sibling can help.
They highlight the importance of giving a realistic and age-appropriate glimpse of what life with a new baby will be like. While it is tempting to say their new sibling will be someone to play with, in truth, a newborn won’t be able to play for many months.
Instead, preparing your toddler for the inevitable good and bad is recommended while snuggling, loving, helping, crying, and sharing their parent’s attention. Reading your child some books about the subject is one great way to literally ‘illustrate’ these changes.
Here are the best “big brother” books for toddlers:
I’m a Big Brother
Premium Pick
$8 $10 Save $2
The sweet storybook is written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Rosalinda Kightley features a simple but realistic view of what a newborn can and cannot do when they come home. Beautiful drawings accompany lines such as ‘The baby is so little. Too little to walk. Too little to talk. Too little to play with toys.’
- Age Range
- 2 to 3 years
- Print length
- 32 Pages
Big Brothers are the Best
Editor’s Choice
This book is told from a child’s perspective and emphasizes that there is plenty of love for everyone, an important reminder for any toddler about to share their parents. Sweet reminders that big brothers are not to big to ride on daddy’s back or sit in mommy’s lap make this story a must-have for any big brother to be.
- Age Range
- 2 to 4 years
- Print length
- 24 pages
I Am A Big Brother! Board Book
Best Value
$5 $7 Save $2
This classic board written and illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church is written specifically for the one to three crowd. This sweet rhyming story focuses on everything your big brother will be able to do to help with your new addition as well as the inevitable crying and quiet time that is necessary when a new baby comes home.
- Age Range
- 1-3 years
- Print length
- 24 Pages
I Am A Big Brother Activity and Coloring Book
This interactive story and activity book is perfect for any big brother-to-be that loves dinosaurs. This clever concept combines getting your little one ready for a new addition with fun mazes, coloring and other activities to make becomine a big brother fun for your little one. Let the big brother’ dinosaur guide your little one through 42 pages of fun.
- Age Range
- 2-5 years old
- Print length
- 42
You’re the Biggest: Keepsake Gift Book
$11 $12 Save $1
This story of two foxes takes the reader on the important journey of becoming an older sibling. The story highlights the importance of the role as a big brother or big sister and the rewards that come with the role. One highlight of this book is the special spot at the beginning of the book reserved for a special message to the older sibling-to-be from their parent(s). This story starts with ‘when the baby arrived your important job began’ so it may be a story to read to encourage your toddler after the baby comes home rather than prepare for the arrival.
- Age Range
- 2+ years
- Print length
- 32 pages
-
The New Baby
This delightful book from the ‘little critter’ collection by Mercer Mayer is a must-read for any brother to be. At 24 pages this book is the perfect length for a toddler and offers real solutions of what a toddler will and will not be able to do with their new sibling. The character of little critter has delighted children for decades and is sure to impress your little one.
- Age Range
- 2+ years
- Print length
- 24 pages
No Matter What
$7 $9 Save $2
While this book does not focus on becoming a big brother, it does focus on important feelings associated with this big change in your little ones’ life. At the beginning of the book, ‘small’ is experiencing some negative feelings which leads them to feel unlovable. Big assures small that no matter what, their love for them will never change, even if they become a bug, bear, or even a star in the sky. A great way to remind your child of your unconditional love for them at a time when they may be feeling insecure.
- Age Range
- 1-5 years
- Print length
- 24 pages
I’m a Big Brother: A Toddler Prep Book
One of the biggest highlights of this book from the toddler prep series is the fact that it uses photographs rather than illustrations. This is a great way to give your toddler a realistic view of the changes about to take place in their home. While your toddler may have seen and met babies, they may not know what a newborn baby looks like. Having images of an actual newborn baby throughout to book can give your child the extra preparation they need. This book is part of a 26-book ‘toddler prep’ series that is based on research from leading developmental psychologists.
- Age Range
- 2 to 4 years
- Print length
- 24
One Special Day
$16 $18 Save $2
This book is a hit with toddlers because it focuses on their favorite thing-themselves. While most big brother or sister books focus on the new addition, this book focuses on all the wonderful attributes of the older sibling-including their ability to be gentle with their new sibling. This book also uses animals to illustrate all the positive traits which is sure to be a hit for any little one.
- Age Range
- Preschool and up
- Print length
- 32 pages
Why I Love my Brother
This book is a great addition to your big brother-to-be library. This story features beautifully drawn animals and children’s own words to illustrate all the beautiful things possible with a good sibling relationship. This story is a great way to show your toddler what will be possible in the future with the new baby as well as all the reasons their new sibling loves them already.
- Age Range
- 2 to 4 years
- Print length
- 30 pages
Big Brother Daniel- Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
This sweet board book is part of the Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood 89 story collection.This is a great throwback to any Mister Rogers Neighborhood fans as the series inspired these books.This book is based on an episode of the series where Daniel must learn how to be gentle with his new sister. This is a great option for kids who already love Daniel Tiger and want to be just like their favorite character.
- Age Range
- 2 to 3 years
- Print length
- 16 pages
-
Andre The Best Big Brother
Based on a real family and told from the big brother’s perspective, this story validates the very real feelings experienced by a young child when a new baby enters the home. ‘Andre feels sad when he sees his mom holding the new baby in her arms.’ The family featured in this story is also multicultural, which is a nice representation which is not always seen.
- Age Range
- 2 to 4 years
- Print length
- 39 pages
When should you start prepping your toddler for a new baby?
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The decision of when to tell your toddler you are pregnant is a personal decision that may be influenced by any history of miscarriages and the timing of telling family and friends.
Dr. Jazmine McCoy, a clinical psychologist at The Mom Psychologist, explained in her blog post “How to Help Your Toddler Prepare for the New Baby” that a good option for telling your toddler you are pregnant is when you are starting to show…you are starting to show, typically around 12 to 20 weeks. This is a great option because you can show your child your growing belly to help illustrate your growing baby.
Dr. Jazmine suggests using correct terms like “a baby is growing inside my uterus” when explaining the changes to your toddler. While you want to use the correct terms, it is important to still keep the language simple and age-appropriate.
Invite your child to ask questions about what is happening. However, the doctor cautioned not to be surprised if you receive little to no reaction from your child at first. She explained it can take several weeks for your child to digest this information and begin to ask questions.
In addition to reading books to your toddler about the impending arrival, the doctor also suggests role-playing with your child’s doll or stuffies to illustrate what it will be like when their new sibling arrives.
I’m a Big Brother
Grab For Your Child’s Library
$8 $10 Save $2
The sweet storybook is written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Rosalinda Kightley features a simple but realistic view of what a newborn can and cannot do when they come home. Beautiful drawings accompany lines such as ‘The baby is so little. Too little to walk. Too little to talk. Too little to play with toys.’
- Age Range
- 2 to 3 years
- Print length
- 32 Pages
- Book Type [hard, paper, board]
- Hardcover
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