Let's Talk To Mummy's Tummy
by Helen Lacey
illustrated by Carla Moreno
Ebony is eight years old, so I wanted a book that would show her how the baby was developing inside my bump. I knew she'd be curious during the pregnancy, and I wanted somewhere she could find answers to her questions. I searched high and low for a book that contained just the right amount of information. Some of the books looked too basic for an eight-year-old, and others contained way too much information because they were designed for adults.
In the end, I settled on Let's Talk To Mummy's Tummy by Helen Lacey. If you have a child who is about to become a big brother or sister, I strongly recommend this book. My eight and three-year-olds both love it and checking it has become a weekly routine. The information is simple enough for my three-year-old to understand (and repeat for the rest of the week), and my eight-year-old reads it to herself.
The book features lots of questions which are great conversation starters to help you and your child talk about the new arrived. The book asks how they are feeling about getting a new sibling, as well as prompting questions about when they were a baby in your tummy. Each page features a new question as well as information about how the baby is developing.
Each page is dedicated to a different week of the pregnancy, starting with week 12. We gave the girls this book when we'd had the scan and told them about the pregnancy. Each week gives them a fact about the baby's development, information about the size of the baby, and an illustrated image of a baby at that gestational age.
I really love the illustrations and colours in the book. The illustrations feature a diverse mix of families. The book suggests ways your child can bond with the baby both before and after birth. It's the perfect way to prepare your child for life after birth. The book talks about what the baby will eat, how it will wake in the night, and how your child can help to look after their new sibling.
It doesn't shy away from difficult topics and addresses big emotions your child may be feeling as they prepare for the birth. The book talks about how you will always love your child and the baby equally, which will be useful for prompting discussions around these difficult emotions as you transition to life as a bigger family.
I'm really glad I bought this book, it is perfect for preparing my girls to become big sisters. Sometimes we sit together and read the whole thing from cover-to-cover, and other times we simply dip into the relevant week to learn how the baby is developing.
Do you have this book, and if so, what do you think of it?
Let's Talk To Mummy's Tummy by Helen Lacey is available from Amazon for £14.99. This is an affiliate link, if you use it, you won't pay any extra, but I will receive a very small sum from Amazon for sending you their way.
