One of the great ways I foudn to prepare the older child for your new arrival is books! There are tons of books all about being a Big Brother or Sister! I found this great book
Making Me: The Pregnancy Activity Book for My Big Brother/Sister by Julie Carr. Julie was nice enough to send me a copy of her book to giveaway to one of my readers.
Making Me: The Pregnancy Activity Book for My Big Brother/Sister is great for children who are 5 years-10 years old. And it is best to get it when you first find out you are expecting beucase the acitivtes take the big brother/sister through the entire pregnanacy.
Here is some more information about the book.
CONGRATULATIONS! You're going to be a big brother or sister!
I want to teach you about me, the baby-to-be, and make this pregnancy as fun as possible for you. Every day, from the time I'm just a single cell to the day I'm born, I will let you know what's happening with me. I'll also have something fun for you to do each day, whether it's coloring, counting, measuring, jumping, journaling, or something else. Wow! Learning *and* having fun. What a concept.
You'll be able to see how big I am with the Mighty Measuring Tape and can track the days to my due date with the cool Countdown Car on every page.
Bonus features!
- Includes 4 colored pencils to help you write, color, and draw.
- Includes the 24" Mighty Measuring Tape to track my growth.
- Hard cover, 286 pages.
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Hear what the big-shots have to say about this book:
"Making Me is a creative one-of-a-kind daily calendar that teaches siblings about fetal development in a fun and interactive way." - Jodie Oltmans, MD, Pediatrician
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"As a child psychologist, I highly recommend this book to parents who wish to nurture a healthy sibling relationship as early as possible by involving their child in the new baby's development... This book is packed full of engaging, age-appropriate, multi-sensory activities that are perfect for children of all ages."- Robin Malinosky-Rummell, Ph.D., child clinical psychologist, school psychologist, and author of " Bring Your Own Children: South America! A Family Sabbatical Handbook"
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"Just as Countdown to My Birth is a charming way to help expecting mothers form an emotional bond with their unborn child, Making Me is an ingenious way to help older siblings form an emotional bond with their unborn brother or sister.- Bruce Lansky, author of 100,000+ Baby Names
To enter to win a copy of this book comment on your due date and how many children you currently have. Entries will be accepted through March 15, 2009 and I will pick the winner using
Random.org. US readers are only eligible. Make sure you leave an email address in your comment or that you have one accessible on your blog so you can be contacted if you win! I will also list the winner on PRIZEYwinners so if you are a subscriber to PRIZEYwinners you do not need to leave your e-mail address. If you do not send me your mailing address within one week of notice of winning I will give your prize to someone else.
To get extra credit
Bloggers - Blog about this contest and link back to me and leave me the link in your comment.
Non Bloggers (or bloggers) - subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry! Must be a NEW subscription, current subscribers may not use this as extra credit.
Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
Another great gift that you can buy or even make if you are crafty is this great Crayon Keeper. You can find them all over the Internet. This with some paper or coloring book will help keep your Big Brother or Sister occupied at the hospital or even at home. You can have it personalized with their name to make them feel extra special. 
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