The Big Sibling's Secret Mission👶

A letter on the pillow reveals the mission: the baby won’t know anything about the world, and someone needs to teach them. The child starts gathering all the important things a baby should know: how a pine cone feels in your hand, what a cow sounds like, where the best hiding places are and which song is the loveliest. The mission also takes practice: being gentle, whispering when someone is asleep and supporting a tiny head.

The wait feels long, and somewhere in the middle of the book, there’s an evening when the child wonders whether there really is room for one more. The story makes space for that feeling and takes it seriously. What happens to the mission when the baby comes home is for the book to reveal.

This idea is lovely for the months of waiting, whether the child is expecting a little brother or sister, an adopted sibling or a new step-sibling. It can also be read in those first few weeks afterwards, when everything is new and a child needs to hear that their place in the family is just as important as ever.

A two-year-old gets a short, warm story about being the big one. A six- or eight-year-old can take the mission more seriously, with a list to tick off and thoughts about what it means to be an older sibling.

Add the things your child thinks the baby absolutely must know: a favourite game, a joke, or the fact that the dog is called Buddy and likes a scratch behind the ears. You can include the baby’s name or nickname, as well as a soft toy your child plans to give them. A parent or grandmother could join in as a secret helper.

Afterwards, you could make the list together and put it on the fridge. Talk about the exciting parts of having a sibling and the things that might feel difficult, and how both feelings are completely OK. Find more ideas for this big change at Becoming a big sibling.