What to Expect When Mommy's Having a Baby

by Heidi Murkoff

Book Overview

Growing Up Just Got Easier ... With the help of Angus, the lovable Answer Dog, best-selling author Heidi Murkoff extends a hand to children and parents as they tackle life's first experiences... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060538023
• ISBN13: 9780060538026
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: HarperFestival
• Length: 24 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 8.1" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

We love this book!

I love this book for helping explain to my children about how the baby got in mommy's tummy and how it will be coming out. Some reviewers have complained about the book being too in depth and having too many details (some call it 'sex education'), but what I do is only read the sentences that I want to read and leave out the others. My son was only 2 when I started reading the book to him this way. If you read it through yourself first, you can get really good at this and tailer it to your child's level of understanding and the amount of knowledge that you want him/her to have about the subject. Now that I am pregnant again, and my son is 4, I will read it to him and include a few more details that I think he is ready for. It talks about such good topics like that the baby is in the uterus where it stays nice & warm, how the baby gets food, why mommy isn't feeling well sometimes, and that mommy will go to the hospital so that the doctors can help the baby come out. It includes pictures (illustrations) of the baby in the tummy which are of particular interest to young kids. It really is an excellent book if you use it this way.

The best book I have gotten for my older child....

This book has really helped in preparing my older child for his new sibling. We read this just about every night now and he is excited to mark the milestone of which month I am in and what the baby is looking like according to the cute little pictures. I highly recommend this book to anyone dealing with preparing their child or children for new siblings!

Excellent book for kids 3 and up

I got this book for my daughter last spring, when I was pregnant with her sister. The book is wonderful. It answers kids' questions in a way that they can understand. My daughter was 3 1/2 at the time and the book was a favorite -- it satisfied her curiosity in a more "grown-up way" than most other sibling stories, but without giving too much information. I have found that many books just treat the pregnancy as a very vague and "untouchable" topic for kids. This brings it home in a sensitive and caring way.The questions asked (Where is the baby? How did the baby get in there? How can a baby fit inside Mommy? What makes the baby grow & how can I help? How does the baby eat? Can the baby see and hear me? What does the baby do all day? Why doesn't Mommy feel well sometimes? Why does Mommy go to the doctor so much? When will the baby come out? & How does it come out?) cover most aspects of pregnancy. The "How did the baby get in there?" section does use correct terms (sperm and ovum) but does not get too "graphic" -- it explains conception as pieces of a puzzle fitting together. The book also uses terms like umbilical cord and birth canal, but in a way that is not intimidating to kids. The book gives a good overview and makes the sibling feel connected and part of the process (each section refers to something they can do to help out or experiment to help them feel what the baby may be feeling). I would have loved if the book had covered what happened once the baby came home -- but I see now that topic is a whole new book! I highly recommend this book! Enjoy it with your soon-to-be big brother/sister! It can promote a lot of discussion & create some special moments together before the baby comes -- it did for us!

Answers Kids Questions!

This book helped me answer my 4 y.o. son's questions about how the baby eats, why mommy may need rest, and how to help take care of the baby... Just what we were looking for!

amazing

thank you what to expect when mommys having a baby! it helped me so much. i am pregnant with my 2nd child.. and my 2 year old daughter was having a hard hard time dealign with it. but with alot of help from this book and angus.. she is finally understanding and even welcoming the new baby. i wish there was more than 5 stars to give it! i would give it 1000000000000 stars!