Expecting another bundle of joy is exciting for parents, but bringing home a new baby may be difficult and upsetting for young children. To help ease the transition from only child to big brother or sister, a Canadian mom has created Great Siblings: A Sibling Preparation Film for Preschoolers.
Anna Huk, the creator of Great Siblings and owner of One Time Around Productions, is the mother of three young children. She knows all too well the difficulty parents face when adding another child to the family.
“I found it challenging to find books or films that showed real babies and real siblings,” she says. “I didn’t think showing a young child a cartoon of a baby was adequately preparing them for what life with a newborn is really like.”
Great Siblings is presented in two short, engaging films: Victoria and Sebastian Visit a Baby; and How a Baby Grows. Through the eyes of the older siblings, children learn the size and sounds of a newborn, how a baby grows and changes, and how brothers and sisters can play with the baby and help mom and dad.
A unique aspect of Great Siblings is that it features real families, not actors, so children are provided with a truly realistic picture of life with a baby.
“The film is a great tool for parents to use when talking to their kids about the new baby,” says Ms. Huk. “Many children aren’t exposed to families with more than one child and have no concept of how brothers and sisters interact, let alone what a baby is like.”
In addition to the Great Siblings film, Ms. Huk created www.greatsiblings.com, which includes sibling preparation and parenting resources for parents.
Great Siblings: A Sibling Preparation Film for Preschoolers, is available for $14.99 at www.greatsiblings.com.