When I was expecting my second child I decided that my eldest needed a special gift to congratulate her on becoming a BIG sister... I had a few mummies from playgroup comment that her baby sister WAS the gift she was going to receive but I wanted to make sure she felt special, after all the baby was going to be the main focus for a little while and becoming a sister was a really big milestone for her.
Trying to find something truly special however was much harder than I expected. Miss 4 ended up with a couple of books... one about a little girl called 'Ellie' who also became a big sister and she also received a new dolly. The book turned out to be a wonderful idea, not only was she getting a book but she was also getting one on one reading time with Mummy and the dolly meant that when mummy was busy attending to her new sibling she could look after her baby too! I continued this tradition when my 3rd baby was born... the new big sister received her big sister present and although things were a little harder seeing as I was on my own we still managed to sit and read her big sister book and make time to just be together.
This time around (Baby #4) has been a little more challenging... not only is my youngest becoming a big sister but all 3 girls are also getting a BROTHER, a little brother who will also have a different Daddy to them... This time I wanted to make sure they all knew how important they were in our little family and how special our little man will be too... I wanted them to know that he is not just a part of our family but also a part of them too!
And so I had Distinctly Ivy from Etsy make girls a necklace each. Each necklace is hand stamped with their name (I did think about having 'Big Sister' stamped instead but in the end decided against it) the necklace also has a flower charm to represent themselves and a little blue crystal that represents their little brother. I really REALLY LOVE them... though I must admit I am considering putting an extra 2 crystals for each of their sisters too, but seeing as though it is a gift 'from' their brother I will leave them be for the time being.
For the brand new big sister I stayed with tradition and bought a special book and a dolly. The book I bought for my little Ryali is called 'You're Getting a Baby Brother' and is by Sheila Sweeny Higginson and illustrated by Sam Williams. It's a gorgeous little board book aimed towards toddler and every time I read it I can't help but giggle at the cute rhyming story, with lyrics that read:
Your brother will poop, he will spit, he will cry.
and you'd better watch out - or he'll PEE in your eye!
Can you blame me?
The book even has a section on the last page to record the details of their new baby brother along with a photo! A beautiful keepsake for a Big Sister who is still kind of little herself. As if this all wasn't cute enough... It also comes in a 'little sister' version so no matter what gender your baby-to-be is there is a book for you!
Now this is the part of Miss 5's gift I love the most... her dolly. I looked high and low for the perfect 'baby' and as soon as I saw this gorgeous 'Mini La Newborn' baby by Berenguer Dolls I knew he was the one! He is only 9.5 inches and the perfect petit size for her little hands to hold. He comes in a gorgeous little gift box and comes fully dressed... nappy included and with a sweet little blanket that reads 'Newborn Baby' He's just adorable and he smells like roses!
I was searching high and low for a 'gender specific' doll and yes, this one is anatomically correct... he has a penis! Now if you are anything like my partner you may think it is weird that I specifically hunted around for a dolly with a 'doodle' but I think it is important that the girls can satisfy her curiosity some other way than staring at her brothers 'thing' all the time ;) The 'La Newborn' doll range includes a girl and a gender neutral doll with no 'bits' which is awesome for those with surprise babies on the way! There are also a few different facial expressions including a sleeping baby and they come in caucasian, african american and asian. So there are MANY babies to choose from!
So tell me, do you buy or make a Big Sister / Brother gift when a new sibling comes along or am I all alone with this one?
1 comment:
Oh Gabs! What beautiful gift ideas :)
All the best for the little man's arrival hun - can't wait to 'meet' him! xo
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