I remember when Little Brother was born, I couldn’t wait for Big Brother to come visit us at the hospital. Like most things, the idyllic pictures in my head did not prove to be reality…but instead the memories are so much more real messy (and precious). This was Big Brother’s reaction to meeting his little brother for the first time…
The face says it all, doesn’t it?!?! He is clearly not impressed with this “big brother” business. :)
When I really start to think about it, meeting a new sibling totally rocks a child’s world. Everything your child knew from just moments before completely changes (eventually for the good, but all change is hard). Even the sweetest-natured kids (like my precious firstborn in the picture above) have a hard time adjusting to things being different and no longer being the center of attention.
My goal as we bring Baby Sister home in February is to make the boys feel as involved as possible…and reassure them of our love in as many ways as we can. One simple way to do this is to give them a gift at the hospital when they come to meet their little sister. After all, becoming a big brother is a big thing to celebrate!
There are so many cute ideas for little girls sibling gifts (baby dolls and accessories, jewelry, etc), but very few practical yet meaningful gifts for boys.
Here are a few gift ideas that we’ve come up with that could be used for big brothers or big sisters:
On the Day I Was Born Photo Book
I found this idea from Life As You Blog It (via Pinterest). You can buy Stacey’s template, but you’ll need Photoshop (either the full version or Elements). I don’t have Photoshop on my computer (and didn’t want to pay $125 EACH to have her create our books), so I just used the design section of PicMonkey.com to create pages similar to those from the templates using our photos (you’ll just make a 2400 pixels x 2400 pixels square and then add text and images). I’ll be honest, it took me a really long time…but the end product is totally worth it!!!
I used one of the pictures we took of the boys announcing the news of the upcoming arrival of their sibling and had it made into a 25-piece puzzle. Little Brother will be especially excited about this gift as he is very into puzzles right now! And I love that the puzzle is simple enough that they can put it together themselves!
UPDATE: The 25-piece puzzle seems to be currently unavailable, but you can find a 30-piece puzzle here. I will update the post again when/if the other puzzle is available.
Digital Camera
I bought a used digital camera on Craigslist for Big Brother for less than $20. This way he can take his own pictures of the baby and anything else he wants to capture!
Other Fun Ideas
Big Brother or Big Sister T-shirts
There are so many cute big brother/big sister coordinating outfits available (especially on Etsy). I actually opted not to purchase “big brother” t-shirts this time around because I didn’t want to spend $60+ on matching t-shirts/onesies and only have them wear them a couple times. Instead, I’m packing some pink shirts the boys wore for Easter last year.
Books about Becoming a Big Brother or Sister
This is an especially good idea if you have a toddler who is becoming a big brother or sister. These are our favorites:
Babies Don’t Eat Pizza by Dianne Danzig: A great choice for older siblings (4 years and older)
I’m a Big Brother or I’m a Big Sister by Joanna Cole
The New Baby by Mercer Mayer
Things to Keep the Older Siblings Busy while You’re Tending to the Baby
When Little Brother was born, we gave Big Brother several Melissa & Doug puzzles (he was 22 months at the time). You could also put together some busy bags to give to your child. Having something new and exciting that will keep him/her occupied will be a blessing for everyone as your meeting the demands of a newborn. Color wonder sets, Ziploc bag books, and I Spy bottles or mats are also great ideas for younger children.
What gifts have you given to an older sibling?
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These are cute ideas. The photo books are a great way for them to see they were just like her once and help them realize how she’ll grow. We did the big brother books in the months leading up to the baby’s arrival to help set some concepts and ground rules. I took a slightly different gift route when my son became a big brother. “The baby” gave him a diggers sticker book. It was something he was receiving right away from her vs having the baby just suddenly taking mom and dad and it was something to occupy him when she did! :-) it worked out great and he remembered it for quite some time. Much longer than I expected…we did have to deal with the sticky question a year or two later of how the baby went shopping for it ;-) but I was just honest and said I got it for her to give to him and he was cool with that. I also often give the big sibling a gift when I bring a baby gift to friends and family. Helps them know they’re not forgotten when everyone crowds the baby for a snuggle picture.
Aww those are sweet ideas. When we had #2 and #3 we had gifts for the big brothers each day we were gone and in the hospital. Nothing big (action figures, bubbles, etc) but something so that they knew we were thinking of them and missing them. :)
Love these ideas Jenae!
Congrats by the way! When we had our 3rd we gave the “big” kids who were only 3&4 at the time, new books. Ones that we knew they would enjoy me reading to them while the new baby nursed.
Our son was 15 months old when our daughter was born and we didn’t give him a gift. Instead, he got time with Dada (who returned from Afghanistan the day before the delivery), and the spend time walking around pushing the basinet through the hallways. I did pack bubbles to occupy him and some simple snacks like applesauce.
Something a littler more personal that takes more thought than
any of those gifts would be happily received by any man. a mom of multiple babies would certainly need a good supply of burp cloths.
Obviously, the gift you choose will depend on your budget and
what your special lady likes.
My youngest gave my oldest a Mickey mouse necklace and every time she wears it she reminds us that her little sis gave it o her.
These ideas are great. If you are looking for something to give the big brother/sister BEFORE the baby is born, may I also suggest “Making Me: The Pregnancy Activity Book for My Big Brother or Sister” by Julie B. Carr. It is designed for the older sibling (4-10 yrs old) and helps them understand the baby’s development day by day throughout the whole pregnancy. Recommended by Child Psychologist and Pediatrician to help create an early bond between the sibling and the new baby-to-be.
It is avail on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Making-Me-Pregnancy-Activity-Brother/dp/0967142849/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463165617&sr=8-1&keywords=making+me+pregnancy
Congratulations to all the new mommas-to-be out there!