Need Good "Big Sister" Gifts

At this age, they don't really need much. If she does not have a baby doll, that would be good, but even a few trinkets from the dollar store - at this age they just love to open gifts!

I gifted a book once to a 3 yr older brother, "And After That..."
It's a lift the flap book, my mom friend reported that he loveloveloved it and she had to read it a LOT.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1929132247/ref=lst_llp_s...

Something just for her to use with her new sibling might be fun, too!
Good job K.!

My sister in law gave her daughter twin babies when she(my sisterinlaw) had her twins. She gave her a toy baby bed, stroller and diapers and bottles. It really worked out well. also the big sister was there right agter the baies were born and got to be part of the bonding and stuff.

You have gotten a lot of good ideas. I just thought I would add an experience to it. My daughter was 26 months when my son was born. My sister in law gave my daughter a package of earrings. My daughter will be 7 in a few weeks and whenever we talk about when my son was born she remembers what her aunt did for her. The other thing that my dr. recommended was that we have a baby doll for her to "nurse" and take care of while I was taking care of the baby. My dr. said that they have even done that for their sons. That seemed a little weird to me, but it was great for my daughter. She did it for a little while and then got bored of it and we started reading while I was nursing and other things so that she didn't feel neglected.
I think that she's going to have to learn that she doesn't always get a gift when someone else does but it is important to make sure she feels important and that she is just as important to everyone as the new baby! Good luck!

K.,

My oldest (of 2) daughters is turning 8 and we just had our second. I was afraid that she'd be left out and feel like the baby was hogging all the love!! And she did feel that way, but she was given a few gifts that have taken on new seniority in her toy collection. She was given a doll, not a baby doll, but a small loveable hugable doll. That was the knock out gift. It of course was extra special because of who gave it to her, and that she hand made it but she loved getting something, ANYTHING. With each gift that has trickled in since then, there is always that question: IS there something for me mom? I have had to reply in the negative, but she also isn't going to get gifts EVERY time her sis does and vice versa.

Get your niece something she'll remember came from YOU (okay she's 3 though, so that will be hard on her long term memory), and not something she'll likely grow out of. What about taking her somewhere special, like the local zoo, kids water play park, or do something special that is just you two?

Have fun with this. It isn't very often you get to spoil someone just because they get a baby sibling!!

V.

My girls received a princess dress up and it was wonderful. I have a contact that sells them for a fairly good price if you are interested then message me and I would be happy to get you her website. She has all the disney princesses in really great and easy to clean fabric.

When my youngest was born we got her big sister a film camera (the Disney Princess one). She LOVED it and still takes pictures with it. I would suggest buying extra film for it, that goes pretty quickly.

My son had some big brother envy when his lil brother was born but he was also the most helpful child ever! What about a baby for her too? Hers could come the same day as Mommy's & with a pack of diapers-just remind her that she can only change her baby's diapers & not "our big baby's"
Depending on how much time you have, maybe a scrapbook of her & her parents... for those "nobody loves me" days...

Hi K.,
When I was about to have my second child my daughter was also 3. I bought her big sister books and a doll and tried to give her things that related to the new baby. All of the women at my shower thought those gifts were so neat. HOWEVER, my 3 year old then received a really cool bubble-blower and some other fun toys from her aunt and those are the things that she really loved. It made her feel like the gifts really were just for her and not all about the baby. The point here is to remind your little neice that she is special and worthy of gifts just because she is, not just because of the baby. Have fun with it.
Take care, B.

my sis always got her older kids a doll so that they could dress, change and feed the baby when she did. a little carrier (basket purse or something) with the doll and a change of clothes and some "diapers" usually handkerchiefs--
a bottle that looks like it drains and a blanket for their "baby" and they get the baby the day mommy brings her baby home from the hospital

Hi K.,
What about an inexpensive kid friendly camara and a little photo album. She can make her own memories and other people will be taking pictures and she can be part of that too.
L. P

My 3 yr old received this doll last christmas:
http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Alive-Go-Bye/dp/B00160GKX4/ref...

She absolutely loves her! It was her first doll....but has been her favorite toy for ages.

My parents got my kids bubbles when #4 arrived. It was something they could all do and that they were excited to take outside to give mom some much needed rest.

Whe I had my baby I gave my toddler a toy stroller and doll sling, just like the kind I use. She loves playing mommy to her stuffed animals while I'm mothering the baby.

It was a huge hit. When we brought the baby home and said that he had brought a present, she was more interested in the present than in the little brother.

It doesn't need to be something that says "I'm a big sis." It may even be better if it isn't (so it's a gift for her for being her, not just because she is a big sister). Some big-girl toys could definitely do the trick - things she can play with but baby can't. Simple puzzles are great at this age. So are kitchen sets (tea party sets) and playdough.
We gave my daughter (the oldest) some baby dolls to play with a couple of months before her little brother was born. When he came along, we were mommies together.

Depending on her age, this gift was a big hit with my niece. Granted I got it for her for being the flower girl at my wedding but she LOVED it, carried it around and showed everyone in the family and has it still proudly displayed in her room. It is a solid acrylic clear star that was engraved with her name, the wedding date, title of “world’s best Flower girl” and small note from my husband and I. I got mine from PersonalizationMall.com, I included the link below if you want to check it out. She was 3 at time, but she still talks about it. We also got one for our Ring bearer, he was equally smitten with it and still has his displayed too. It’s not a toy, but it’s recognition! To be honest I do not know if they have them that don’t say flower girl, but I would think so!

http://www.personalizationmall.com/Personalized-Star-Awar...

Do you think she has the dexterity for a disposable camera? Maybe a scrap book that's simple where she can put pictures in (using double-stick tape or paste) of her favorite things and the new family group?

My son was 2 when his baby brother was born. My sister surprised me and sent a toy for him to open at the hospital. It was awesome, because he had something to do while we were all oohing and ah-ing about the baby. It was a wooden toy with three different shapes of nuts to screw onto bolts. It kept him busy and quiet.

I usually think that "being left out" is a kind of dumb reason to give somebody a gift. Kids need to learn that they don't get a present every time someone else gets one. My son certainly never made any comment about the baby getting gifts and he didn't.

The one thing I provided was a doll. We borrowed a doll car seat, too, so he could take home his baby in a car seat when I brought home mine. Of course, we had no dolls in the house before, whereas a 3 yr old girl probably has lots. To tell you the truth, my son really didn't care about the doll at the time. He made sure it was sitting between the real car seats on the way home, but that was it. He didn't really play with it after that, for about a year. Now both my boys play with it occasionally.

So I'd just advise a toy your niece would enjoy, that she can play with by herself, and that will keep her interested and quiet for a few minutes in the hospital.

My in-laws gave our daughter a doll so that she could take care of it while I took care of the baby.

It depends on how old she is. My 1st was almost 3 when our second came along. We took her to build-a-bear and she got to pick out her new friend.

If she's a little younger, balloons are a great idea. Any kid likes balloons. (Just as long as she doesn't still put things in her mouth.) The best bet is to find out what she is really into. My niece loved elmo, so they got a simple elmo doll that she carries everywhere now.

Anyway, as long as its something that the child will like, it will be wonderful.

Hope this helped. :)

Some friends of ours got our little girl (almost 3 1/2) a set of games. It was a Reader's Digest "box" set of games, that included Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Hi Ho Cherry-O, and Memory. I'm not sure where they got it, but it was a huge hit! Our daughter felt all grown up with her "grown-up" games, and it helped to ease the transition from being an only child, to being a grown up big sister. I just made sure that I would play one game once a day with her while her baby brother was napping. That way, we'd get some mommy & me alone time, and she could learn at the same time. I also like the idea of getting her a camera. Our daughter got a camera for Christmas and LOVES taking pictures of just about everything. It is funny to see things through their eyes when you look at the pictures she's taken. Good luck!

What about a doll that she can take care of while mom is taking care of baby. One with bottles and diapers, etc. Or I also like the idea of something just for her that is a big girl toy that she can play with when mom is taking care of baby, just make sure it is something she can do on her own that won't require too much of mom's help.

My son got a doll from my mom with a diaper bag that had pacifiers, bottles and diapers. It is great, when I'm feeding his little sister he feeds his baby. It's a way to make him feel included with out him "helping" me feed the baby. This also kept him from climbing in the crib or baby swing as he would put his baby in there (he learned his baby had to take turns with his sister. He also got a lot of "Big Boy" toys/gifts that we made a big deal out of they were "Big Brother" toys and babies could not have those so he felt even more special. We also had his sister share her new stuffies with him until he lost interest in them. I think also asking the older sibling to show them their new brother or sister is important as it was my son's favorite thing to do when company came over to visit.

If you can afford to get it Graco makes a toy called a room full of furniture. It has a lot of things that she could use to take care of her own baby (a new doll) while her mom takes care of baby brother or sister.

Other wise some of her favorite toys that are quiet. Does she like toys like Little People or Weebles those both have several sets that could be added to her collection.

Also if you live close enough to spend the time with her include some homemade gift certificates for such things as an afternoon at the park with aunt K., lunch at McDonalds with Aunt K. and other things like that especially if you can arrange for your husband to have some one on one daddy time with your own little one.

T.

I was going to say a doll, so that she can feed, change, and put baby down for a nap just like mommy. You could also get something so that she can help mommy...like baby soap or something so she can help with bathtime. If she were older, I would say a necklace or cahrm bracelet with charms to represent herself and the baby, maybe even mommy and daddy. But she might be a little young for that.

Good luck!

My kids have always loved legos. You are a very thoughtful person!

I would get them a postpartum doula for a few hours. Someone who can help ease the transition by giving mom some time to spend alone with her daughter and someone who can hang out with the big sister while mom takes care of the baby not to mention take care of the house! Memories mean more than gifts and a postpartum doula gave me and my family great memories! You can find some by going to www.doulamatch.com and entering her due date and zip code.