We are thrilled to be expecting our fourth child this September (you can find our super cute May the Fourth announcement photos on Instagram, for some reason the blog is not letting me post photos today . . . ), and while Gianna and William are old hats at the introduction of a new baby into their lives, Charlotte is not. So I’m turning to my tried and true baby books to help ease her into the role of a big sister.
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Here are our family’s favorite books to welcome a new baby:
Baby Come Out by Fran Manushkin
I didn’t know about this book until my BIL let us borrow it while I was pregnant with Charlotte. It is HILARIOUS! Mom, Dad, and siblings are all ready for the baby to come out (and who can’t empathize with that Momma!), but baby declares that he is staying in. Such a cute story, my kids love it.
Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers
Everywhere Babies is Charlotte’s current favorite. We read it at least 3x a day and every night at bedtime. I love this book because it is baby positive. It has tons of pictures of cute babies and the rhyming text is sweet and simple. If you’re looking for a book about what babies do all day, this is it.
Babies by Gyo Fujikawa
This is another baby positive board book, and is extra special to our family because Mark and I were both read this story as children by our moms, who swear by it. Clearly a winner and has lasted generations.
Lola Reads to Leo by Anna McQuinn
The Lola series is one of our family favorites. It centers around a little girl who loves to read, and each book is about family and books and just full of love. In this particular book, Lola is getting a new baby brother. She gets ready for his arrival by picking out the perfect books to welcome him, and when he comes tells him stories when he cries.
Baby Dear by Eloise Wilkin
This is my very favorite book for welcoming a new sibling. My mom read it to me before my brother was born (we still have that copy), and it was a favorite of mine my whole childhood. Gianna adores the book- it’s about a little girl who receives a special baby doll the day her new sister comes home from the hospital and how she cares for her baby while her mom takes care of her sister. So sweet. I’m also very partial to Eloise Wilkin in general (Baby Dear is part of her Golden Book Treasury, which I also highly recommend and is still in print and so less expensive).
As always, we are constantly on the lookout for new books, so if you have favorite books to welcome a new sibling, leave a note in the comments!
My siblings and I love Tomie dePaola’s The Baby Sister. To my memory he’s thrilled to have a sister, but has some stress and conflict over having someone besides his mom take care of him during the day while his mom is at the hospital, which gets resolved. It’s been a very long time since I’ve read it. I’m 8 weeks pregnant myself so I intend to get it for my older three. I remember it being handled in Tomie’s usually humorous, warm style.
the other is a Baby Sister for Frances, which has no objection to the baby per se, but rather her mom didn’t keep up with a few things that Frances wanted and as a result Frances questions her place in the family. The conflict is very minor but relatable to a child, and very completely resolved in a reassuring way.
I don’t like books that strongly state/imply that babies are OF COURSE nuisances that mean the older child will not enjoy them but have to put up with and the main message is Mommy and Daddy still love you though.
We love The Baby Sister! I can’t believe I didn’t put it on our list! And I’ll have to add A Baby Sister for Frances to our wish list- my kids enjoy the other Frances books. Thanks for the recommendation!