Lovevery New Sibling Course Pack

With a new member of the family joining us in a few months, I've been wondering how to help my little girl, Lena Rose, get ready for her new role as a big sister.  And what great timing, because I found out that Lovevery recently came out with just what I've been looking for: a New Sibling Course Pack!  I pretty much jumped on it, having really enjoyed Lovevery's engaging and developmentally-stimulating play kits in the past.

Now that Lena and I have explored a good chunk of the pack together, I'm excited to share about my honest thoughts and impressions! 

(The crocheted baby doll pattern is not mine, but I highly recommend it for making a realistic newborn! It just so happens to fit in the accessories that came with Lovevery's cotton doll.)

The New Sibling Course Pack is both comprehensive and well-designed for busy families to digest in easy, bite-sized chunks. 

Here are all the elements included in the pack: 

• Parent Guide: Reference this guide to help answer questions you may have before and after the baby arrives, and find advice on how to incorporate the supportive playthings.
• Lovevery Board Books: Connect with your child through relatable stories that support and prepare you both for each stage of the first year.
• Sibling Activity Guide: Find suggestions and ideas for stage-based activities and ways your older child can interact with their new sibling.
• Guided Script Cards: Turn to these phrases when you find yourself searching for the right words to help your older child understand complex topics, reduce meltdowns, and feel connected.
• 'My Book About the New Baby' template: Create a personalized story about what your family will experience before, during, and after the new baby arrives to help your older child process this big transition.
• Singalong Song: Listen to this song together about still wanting to be the baby as your older child becomes a new sibling and works through their big feelings.

Board Books

Lena immediately gravitated towards the board books! She loves seeing the real-life photographs of other children who are experiencing very relatable situations, and learning how they overcome their problems.  

I personally enjoy the diversity and representation in these books as well, and applaud Lovevery for being very inclusive in this aspect.  

As with Lovevery's other stories, these are great for social-emotional learning because we encounter a lot of different perspectives and emotions in these books. Including, really BIG emotions!  Here's Lena's "uh-oh" face.

Oh, and she found her favorite page in the "Baby is Born" book... 

A smelly diaper!!

Supportive Tools

What's also awesome is that you can customize your course pack with some supportive tools.  I got the baby doll and accessories, so that my toddler could see what caring for a new baby might look like as we roleplay changing, feeding, carrying, and swaddling. 

As you can see, all the items are scaled down in size for your child to easily hold and use in a functional manner. 

Lena's pretty hyped up about changing diapers.

 

'My Book About the New Baby' template

As a pediatric speech-language pathologist, I am ALL ABOUT social stories! They are such a great way to teach learners various social skills, as well as what to expect and what to do (or what not to do) when problems arise. The 'My Book About the New Baby' template is a great way to create a personalized story about what your own family will experience before, during, and after the new baby arrives. It includes sentence starters to be personalized, and you can add in your own photos as well, making it concrete and more easily understandable for your older child to process this big transition. 

In addition, I must also say that the finished product of this personal and beautiful story will certainly be something your family will want to keep for generations to come! 

Digital Course Pack

The digital portion of the course pack also includes expert advice from professional educators and therapists. I found it to be incredibly comprehensive, yet delivered in a very well-organized and bite-sized manner through short videos. That's important to me, because our busy family needs an easy way to digest new information! I'm also impressed by the topics that are covered -- they are spot on for second-time (or more) mothers!  It definitely helps ease the parent's anxiety, because knowing how to navigate challenging situations and understanding the cause and effects of certain word choices or actions is invaluable. 

Final Thoughts

All in all, I am thoroughly impressed by Lovevery's New Sibling Course Pack.  Like their developmental play kits, the information, materials, and supplemental add-ons are all very well-designed to serve its purpose: to prepare your older child (and yourself!) for welcoming and integrating a new member of the family.  I see my daughter gaining more knowledge, perspective, and empathy as we continue reading the books and playing with her baby doll and accessories.

It's truly an amazing resource, and in my opinion, a must-have for second-time parents.   

We are thrilled about the adventures that come ahead with our new little one joining the family, and look forward to further preparation with anticipation!