The New Baby at Your House

The New Baby at Your House is a book that prepares a sibling for all of the ups and downs of having a new baby in the house. With vivid full-color photographs, this book takes a child from a mother's pregnancy, to the first visit to see the baby in the hospital, to the arrival of the baby at home, and all of the new experiences thereafter. It's a great book for discussing the many feelings that a sibling will have toward his or her new brother or sister. I highly recommend this book for all parents to share with children who are preparing for the arrival of a new baby.

I bought this and started reading it to my son very soon after I found out I was pregnant (April 2007). He turned 2 in May 2007. He enjoyed the real pictures and the captions that went with them. I did too. I really think that it helped to prepare him for our daughter's birth. He is now 3 and our daughter is almost 8 months old and he still likes reading this book.

I read this book many many times to my children as they expected new siblings (we have three kids). Now I am buying it for my nephew. The reason this book is different from other "New Baby" books is that it gives young children a voice for the often strong negative feelings of having a new sibling. Young kids, preschoolers and younger, can't put words to their emotions. This book shows young children who are angry at their new baby brother or sister, feel they are being abandoned by their parents, feel ignored, feel they don't get any attention anymore, can't stand the sound of crying, hate the smell of diapers that need changing, and more. Your child may not tell you he/she feels these things, but believe me, they all do.
Many parents think that if they keep telling their older child how wonderful the new baby is, and what a big boy/girl their older child is, and "be nice to your new baby," that it will sink in. Well it doesn't work. Older kids are very hurt/threatened/scared but the entry of a new baby in the home. Many liken it to the feelings a woman would have in her husband came home one evening with a new, younger wife and said, "Look what I brought you! Don't worry, I will still love you, even though I love my new wife very much, and I will still have time for you, even though I won't have as much. I want you to love my new wife just like I do, and help her out, because you are older and can do more." HA! Once a young child can see that he/she is not alone in having negative feelings, and can put words to those emotions, they can work on them, explain them to you, and believe it or not, they tend to abate.

This is a GREAT book that talks to kids in their language and explains a lot about a new baby at home. LOVED IT!

We bought this for our daughter (along with the author's book "I'm going to be a big sister") and our daughter loves it. She loves looking at the photos of older siblings interacting with their newborn siblings. In fact, our daughter already wants to be involved with changing the diaper and giving baths.

Lets see how she feels in a few years when her sibling is three and follows her everywhere.