There are so many amazing ways to prepare your older children for the birth of a new sibling. With my due date creeping closer and closer, I have started bringing out our pregnancy related books again. I had these out right after we told the kids I was pregnant too, but now things are feeling a lot more real to them and for me!
Here's a look at the books we have been using with our kids to help them understand pregnancy, birth, and new babies. This is by no means an exhaustive list of books that could be introduced, it's just what we have been using.
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Pregnancy and Birth
Waiting for Baby: This book is very simple and cute. It's perfect for a toddler that might not have a huge capacity for understanding pregnancy.
Nine Months: Before a Baby is Born: This book is amazing. It shows true to size images of the baby at different stages of development. The story is simple enough for a toddler, but includes additional information that satisfies an older child's curiosity too! This is a must have for me.
It's Not the Stork: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families and Friends: This is a much more detailed look at pregnancy, getting pregnant, and how babies are born. Our family chooses to be very honest about these things from a young age, but it may not be appropriate for every child.
How Was I Born?: A Child's Journey Through the Miracle of Birth: This is a vintage book (I found at a thrift store) but it's a really straightforward, child focused account on pregnancy. My kids love the real pictures of fetal developmental and the story of how a family prepares and changes for a new baby. But, it is a bit dated.
How You Were Born: Another great book with accurate detailed information about how babies are made - but more of the science while skipping over they "how" the egg and sperm get together. I like that they use real pictures, and cover the mechanics of birth. The pictures are a bit dated, but this book includes a lot more diversity than some of these other books.
Where do Babies Come from?: This is another vintage book we use. Now, it's not without it's issues - it's very 1970s - but it's also very straightforward and simple in it's text. This is one we take out occasionally to be very honest with our kids about the mechanics of how babies are both made and born. I wish I could find a more up-to-date version that was this simple and clear. Again, it leaves out medical advancements (like ultrasounds to find out sex before the birth), and only addresses traditional situations.
What Makes a Baby: This is another scientifically accurate and much more inclusive book about how babies are created. I wish the pictures were more realistic and less cartoony, but it has good information and fits a wider variety of baby-making situations.
New Babies
Lola Reads to Leo: One of our favorite series of books, it's wonderfully accessible for toddlers and preschoolers. An honest look at life with a new baby. I love that it includes a child that does practical work, and a breastfeeding mom. It does include a little pregnancy/baby prep too.
Everywhere Babies: A classic, simple look at the joys of having and taking care of a baby. Love the diversity in this one and it's simple rhyming text.
Littles: And How They Grow: Another fun rhyming book celebrating babies. Perfect for toddlers.
Babies: A super simple look and the things that babies need. I wish it included a more generic "milk" instead of "bottles" but overall it's good.
Do you have any other books you would recommend?
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