"Helping siblings cope with having a baby brother or sister in the NICU is an issue that has been near and dear to me ever since our second daughter was born 9 weeks early. Her 46 day NICU stay was hard on all of us, but one of the worst things was trying to figure out how to help our three-year-old daughter understand what was happening.
We tried everything we could think of, from pictures and videos, to letting Rachel come to the hospital to see her sister through the NICU window. One thing we didn’t have was Platypus Media’s Come Home Soon, Baby Brother! and Come Home Soon, Baby Sister! coloring books.
Come Home Soon, Baby Brother/Sister! is a coloring book for big brothers and sisters of babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. It tells the story of a boy whose brother has to stay in the NICU. It describes why the baby brother is in the NICU, what he looks like and what to expect in the NICU. It also describes things that the older boy does to be a great big brother.
The process of coloring the pictures and listening to the story gives parents and older siblings a wonderful opportunity to talk about their own NICU baby. It can guide conversation, and help siblings learn that they aren’t the only kid who has had a baby brother or sister in the NICU. At just $2.95, it’s a very small investment with a big payoff.
I really love this coloring book, and my kids are eager to get their hands on it to color the pages. I hope we won’t need it when their newest baby brother is born, but if we do, I’ll be ordering a copy for each of them!"
- Kristie McNealy, M.D.
www.kristiemcnealy.com
"There is a marvelous coloring book designed just for older siblings that I believe should be in every hospital to hand out to encourage hope. It is titled, Come Home Soon, Baby Brother.
This twelve page book contains easy to understand medical verbiage, fun drawings to color, and is written by a Registered Nurse, Debi Iarussi.
Debi Iarussi has had tons of experience in Maternal Child Nursing and Women’s Services and is currently a lactation consultant in Austin, Texas. (Illustrations are by Crystal Nobles a 16-year-old high school student in San Antonio, Texas.)
With a deep understanding of how older children respond to their babies being in the NICU, she set out to develop a book to make the experience better. With complete success this coloring book includes detailed drawings of a baby in an incubator and adorned with cords. It reminds a child that the NICU is a temporary step in their new baby’s life and educates them on simple ideas like washing hands and breastfeeding.
Truly this sweet and educational coloring book is a great tool that any child could learn from."
- Bobbi Hammonds
Evansville Early Childhood Parenting Examiner
"This NICU coloring book really captures the essence of the "sights and sounds" of the NICU that can bombard the preschool and school-age child when visiting their younger sibling. The process of having children color these pictures, while parents read the accompanying text, will help ease the older sibling's adjustment to having a baby brother or sister in the NICU."
- Susan Landers, MD, Neonatologist and Medical Director
NICU Lactation Support and Nutrition Services, Seton Healthcare Network, Austin, TX
"This NICU coloring book is a wonderful tool for siblings, as it helps guide them through an uncertain time. It explains in terms that children can understand, allowing them the enjoyment of coloring the pictures, as well. This coloring book has a true need in the NICU community for siblings of NICU patients."
- Elizabeth B. Mittiga, RN, BSN
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite.
"This was a great coloring book to make the difficult things about having a brother or sister in NICU easier to understand for young children! I know that my family has had experiences with NICU and the book clearly and effectively explains in words and pictures what is going on, while providing a creative outlet for any young child's distraction and relief!"
- Jacqueline Haronian, Amazon.com review
