Darah and I have been having frequent conversations about her baby sister, and how it won’t be too long before she is out of my tummy and living with us. I have started to feel a bit worried about how Darah is going to feel when she realizes just how much time mommy has to spend with the new baby, and I’ve been trying to explain to her that little babies need a lot of help.
Disney Publishing has just released a new picture book that is really helping us talk more with Darah about the upcoming changes in our house. It is called, One Special Day (A Story for Big Brothers and Sisters) by Lola Schaeffer. In this sweet story, a little boy with lots of personality is celebrated throughout the book, as are all his wonderfully wild characteristics (page after page demonstrates all the ways he is similar to various animals by character…it’s really precious!). Then it talks about the day he gets a new sibling, and how it gives him a brand new personality trait; he becomes gentle!
The author of the book has weighed in on just how this book helps expecting parents with older children. She says, “Preparing older siblings for the birth of a new baby is always a bit tricky. As mothers we don’t want to spend too much time talking about the coming baby because we don’t want to send the wrong message that this will be a major disruption of everyone’s life at home. On the other hand, we want to ease our other children into the fact that the family dynamics will be changing. I’m hoping ONE SPECIAL DAY is a playful, yet comforting, book that will ignite questions from the older siblings. I believe those conversations that begin with the reading of a good book are wonderful opportunities to allay fears and build relationships that will help bridge any “new” event in a child’s life.”
I believe Lola is right. Darah frequently asks to read this particular book and she asks questions about her baby sister and even about herself and how she will act when baby sister arrives. We are so glad to have this book and I highly recommend it!
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a signed copy of the book for your own collection!