Books to Prepare Toddlers for a New Baby

    

I have recommended many books on this blog...so many that I'm sure I'd be hauling in the cash had I become an Amazon affiliate long ago, but I'm too much of a journalistic purist to do that. I basically only recommend things that I really, really like, things that actually have helped me in my own life, and I don't get paid for it.  So, you know I'm a legit source and will tell it to you straight when I recommend something to you!  This list of recommended books is no different.

The first book I'm recommending is so ridiculously cute, even you will want to cuddle and tickle and feed and change and finally tuck in the baby found inside its toddler-proof pages.  

It's called "Snuggle the Baby" by Sara Gillingham.

Next up is a book which I believe might be out of print, but is easily found used online. 

It's called "See How You Grow (A Lift-the-Flap Body Book)".

Whenever we are pregnant and expecting a new baby, we like to talk with our children about how this baby came to be.  I've recommended other books on this topic in the past (more specifically about growth & reproduction), but I recently discovered this one, and I really like it.

The neat thing about this book is the lift-the-flap aspect.

Here's just one example of how the life-the-flaps really tell a thousand words!

This book discusses changes in the body and development from baby to adulthood as well as giving insight into how a baby is made and brought into this world.  Really a cool book.

*(Another book, which I have not check out yet, but seems to be similar in format and newer is called "Before Your Were Born" by Jennifer Davis.)

Staying in this vein, I recently discovered this book by Joanna Cole who has a whole line of sibling/new baby books.  This one called "When You Were Inside Mommy" is a little different.  Instead of focusing on how a children will help after a baby comes along, it reassures the older sibling with the knowledge that he or she was once inside Mommy and how truly special that is.  It talks a bit about how a baby is created, and is just a really sweet book.

"On Mother's Lap" by Ann Herbert Scott is a really tender book that helps to reassure children that there will always be room on Mother's lap.  The illustrations show an Eskimo family and has this really calm feel to it.  It's different than most toddler books, but definitely one that you'll enjoy sharing with your child!

And here's a bonus share for this list, intended for the Mother-to-Be and spouse, not for children.  It was given to me by my doctor with my first child, which I largely ignored, but in recent pregnancies have relied more on it, because it's brief and explains things really well.  It also is where I found the recommendation for two of the books on this list.

It's called "Prepared Childbirth: The Family Way" by Debby Amis and Jeanne Green.  Since it came from a birthing class that I took during my first pregnancy along with a load of papers, it's just one of those things I ignored and took a little for granted, but I like that it gives you each step of labor with helpful ideas for mother AND father/support person.  Yes, I made my husband re-read it even though this is our sixth child.  The ideas are presented with brevity, so it's like a quick reference manual.

Ok, that's my list of recommendations.  Now tell me, do you have a favorite baby book you'd like to share with me?