Need a gift for the sibling of a newborn baby?
If you’re getting ready to welcome a newborn baby to the family you may be wondering how to celebrate your older child’s new role as a big brother or sister.
This is an exciting time for everyone, but particularly for your eldest child who is gearing up for a brand new role!
It can also be an uncertain time for older kids, who are unsure what a new baby’s arrival will mean for them.
Getting a big sibling a gift when the baby arrives can be a great way of celebrating them – helping to alleviate any anxiety and see this as a positive change to their life.
Many of these new sibling gifts are also great ways to keep them busy at a time when parents of an expanding family may be feeling quite overwhelmed themselves!
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What to get for a first time big brother or sister?
What you buy as a gift for a new big brother or sister depends on their age, but a fun toy is what’s going to be appreciated the most.
Something sentimental may be a gift they will treasure in some years to come. However one of the main purposes of the new sibling gift is to give them immediate happiness rush. This helps to counteract any feelings of anxiety or worry they may be having about a new baby arriving into the house.
The purpose of the gift is to make them feel special and super happy, so go for something that they will be super excited to open. A personalised T-shirt may be thrilling to some kids, however I know my youngest would label it “boring”. It really depends on your child’s own personality as what exactly they will love to receive the most.
When we welcomed our second child into the family our eldest was not even two, so it was important to help her feel a part of this change to the family.
We bought her a big sister top, but we also got her a new soft toy to give as a gift from her new little sister. She loved having something to unwrap and it made her feel important.
My favourite options for new siblings from the newborn baby are:
- Book about being a sibling
- A cool toy such as a baby doll
- Activity books and crafts
- Clothes
I’ve got a list of great new sibling gifts to give from the newborn baby that will help you pick the best present for your own child.
You may also like: How to prepare for baby number two
How to help a toddler prepare for a new sibling
New baby gifts for a sibling eager to help with a newborn
Most kids are keen to get involved with helping out with the newborn baby. This is something to encourage as it makes them feel involved!
They can fetch nappies and packs of wipes, or pass adults a snack. These toys are things that will help to nurture that enthusiasm for helping out, while also keeping the older sibling occupied!
Baby doll
Your eldest child may love to help out with the baby, but there are some things only the parents can do!
Getting them a baby doll means they can copy what you are doing with the new baby. They will love to change nappies, put them down for a nap and pretend to feed them.
A doll that allows kids to enjoy realistic play is a good choice, so look for something that has accessories such as a bottle and changes of clothes to keep them busy.
This Baby Born doll comes with lots of great accessories.
Dressing up clothes
Pretend play is great fun, but being the big sibling opens up a huge range of opportunities for imaginative play.
They could pretend to be a doctor who is visiting to make sure the newborn baby is well, or a superhero who is there to protect the family.
If your child is really into Frozen then an Elsa costume would be great – Elsa was a protective big sister!
Buy doctor dressing up costume here.
The Big Sibling Book
This is a good gift to give during your pregnancy. The big sibling can record all of their thoughts, feelings and memories in the run up to the baby being born.
It’s a good way to prepare them for the big changes of being an older sibling. It’s also a lovely way to record your family memories of this special time.
Buy a copy of The Big Sibling Book here.
Perfect sibling gifts from a newborn baby
It can be a nice idea to offer a gift to the new big sibling from the newborn baby. This helps to start forging the bond between the new siblings!
Look for something that your eldest child will really love, so that they will be excited to open it. The key here is fun!
A cuddly toy
My kids are always happy to have a new soft toy to cuddle up with. There are lots of cuddly toys you can personalise with messages (often stitched into the ear or foot for example) to mark the reason the gift was given.
I love the Jellycat range of toys, they’re so cute and the rabbits can have personalisation on the ear.
There’s a great range of gifts on Etsy, including this bunny that has personalisation options for the ears and tummy.
Shop for personalised toys here.
Matching outfits
Twinning provides wonderful opportunities for great photographs!
There are so many matching tops with cool slogans that big and little siblings can wear.
You can find lots over on Etsy.
A book about being a big sister or brother
One of the best gifts we received for my eldest daughter when her sister was born was a book focused on a character who had just welcomed a new sibling called Angelina’s Baby Sister.
It dealt with the emotions of feeling left out and ended with the important message that the older child is still right at the centre of the family.
There are so many books to choose from that follow a similar theme, just browse through some of these ideas and find something that suits your child’s age.
These are some of my top picks for new sibling books:
- Wonderbly personalised book. I love the range of books from Wonderbly – we have several. You can add your child’s name plus characterise the look of the main character to resemble them. I especially love this Me and My Big Brother/Sister personalised book.
- You’re the Biggest by Lucy Tapper. This is a cute book for a toddler or pre-schooler that teaches them about what it means to be an older sibling.
- My New Baby. This is a great book for a very young new sibling. It explains lots of things about new babies, such as how they only drink milk or why they cry.
- Noelle the Best Big Sister by Mikaela Wilson. The story follows Noelle as she learns what it means to be a big sister and figures out how she can help out her parents.
Toys that make great gifts for big siblings from a new baby
As you adjust to life with a new baby it can be difficult to make time to keep your older child or children busy.
This is where independent play gifts come in really useful. They keep your child occupied while you are feeding, changing nappies or trying to have a rest.
Make sure you choose something age appropriate, so that you know they will be safe playing with it while you’re distracted with the baby.
Ride-on toy
This is a great gift if your older child is a toddler to pre-schooler.
Depending on their age a trike or a rocking horse can be really great fun.
I love the V Tech Rock and Ride Unicorn, which can be used on wheels or as a rocking horse.
If your new baby is due in the winter then consider the rocking horse option as its better for play indoors. However if they’re being born when the weather is good enough to allow lots of time outside then a trike, scooter or bicycle is a great idea.
A toy camera
Lots of people will be taking photos of the new baby, so get your eldest child involved by giving them their own camera!
I recommend the V Tech Kidizoom toy camera as it has some cool features and is really robust. It features filters for taking pictures as well as games, so there’s lots of fun things to do with it.
This is suitable for kids aged three and upwards.
Pretend play toy
A pretend play set is a great way to encourage independent play for a new big sibling.
This type of toy may be a food set, a pancake making set, a shop set or drill/building kit.
It will not only be something they will love to open, but it has the bonus impact of keeping them busy while you get on with resting or caring for the new baby.
Activity books
Keep them busy with screen-free fun by giving them a selection of activity books!
I’ve found books that go down really well include sticker books, featuring scenes that require kids to add the stickers to complete the picture, and instructional drawing books.
These are a few of my favourite activity books that have kept my kids entertained for hours:
Melissa and Doug Reusable Sticker Pad Habitats for Animals
Sticker Dolly Dressing Book from the Usborne range
LeapFrog Scoop and Learn Ice Cream Cart
This ice cream cart from LeapFrog has been such a huge hit in our house.
It features several different flavours of ice cream scoops, plus some toppings, and the cart itself makes noises. There’s interactivity as well, with “order” cards that can be slotted into the till on top of the cart. These asks kids to make up particular ice creams using the magnetic scoop spoon.
My children have had this toy since they were toddlers and both still play with it!
You can read my full review of the LeapFrog Scoop and Learn Ice Cream Cart here.
Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition
If your budget can stretch to it then a tablet for your older child is a great option.
Not only will it provide entertainment for your little one while you’re busy feeding/resting/changing nappies but they will absolutely love it!
I have a full review of the Amazon Fire 8 tablet over on this article. We have one each for the kids and think they are fantastic. You can control the amount your child uses it via your own smartphone, which means you can set time limits if you’re concerned your child will use it too much.
Gifts for teenage siblings from a new baby
A teenage big brother or sister may appreciate a more sentimental gift that marks the occasion of becoming a big sibling.
However it’s also worth considering what they themselves might like as a treat. For example they may love to unwrap a new game for their favourite console or a new book in a series they’ve been enjoying.
Like with new siblings who are younger this is really about making sure you celebrate and treat them as well, so that they know they’re still an important part of the family.
Here are some additional gifts for a teenage sibling of a newborn baby.
Jewellery
There are so many gorgeous personalised jewellery options out there. Some may have the option for including an engraved message, or feature birth stones.
A piece of jewellery with the new baby’s birth stone and your teenager’s brith stone is a lovely option.
You could also get an item of jewellery and engrave it with a message such as “best big sister/brother”.
Clothes
A novelty T-shirt or hoodie with “Big Brother/Sister” written on it is a nice idea for a gift for a new teenage sibling.
Pick it out in their favourite colour and style.
Photo frame
A photo frame featuring a personalised message is a thoughtful gift. They can place a picture of themselves with their newborn baby sibling inside it.
Alternatively, if they love to make scrapbooks or albums of their own, then give them a blank photo book with everything they need to make up an album. All they need to do is take lots of photos to fill it!
This gives them the task of being the official family photographer to capture their newborn baby siblings first year, which they may really enjoy.
