Using Fantasy to Help Your Older Child(ren) Adjust to a New Baby Sibling

Kindle edition will be free on August 22, 2015.

Sibling Rivalry usually starts right after, (or even before) the arrival of the second child. The older child often becomes aggressive, “acts out” or even regresses.  Regression means acting more like a baby—for example, by wanting a bottle, or peeing in their pants.  It’s important to prepare your older child when you know you are expecting a new baby.  Kids need to know what to expect, and they need time to adjust.  After your baby arrives, there are many things you can do to make the adjustment easier.  

Having a new baby in the family may be one of the tougher things your older child has to deal with. However, it may eventually be one of the greatest gifts you can give them.

Reading books with your child will help them prepare for and understand what is happening in your family.  Books about feelings will help your child know that all their mixed-up feelings are normal and okay.  Books can spark conversations between you and your child about their worries, questions, and feelings about the new baby.   Not an Egg! is a book that you can read to your young child during the pregnancy to prompt conversations to help your child work through these very normal emotions. It is woven into the premise of a bedtime story book and after all, there is nothing better than a friendly dragon.  For those with kindles, tablets and smartphones, you can get this short little tale for free on Amazon at the above link on August 22, 2015.

Follow Seafaria, a young fledglings, as she learns of a new egg, the changes that an egg brings, and then the joys and wonder of a little brother. 

For more information on how to help prepare you child for this large transition you can visit the following Website:  http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/newbaby.htm 

This website has great ideas on helping your child with this transition. 

Last week for Free Copy of "Not an Egg!"

In celebration of the success of Dragons' Geas Children's books, Rebecca and I are giving away five copies of Not an Egg!

We are currently in the process of story-boarding our next children's book as well. Sign up to win a copy today before it ends! Last day will be April 8!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Not An Egg

by Cheryl Matthynssens

Giveaway ends April 08, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

2nd Children's Book is Released

Artwork by Rebecca Hunt 

NOT an Egg! hits both Amazon print and Kindle Select!

Rebecca Hunt, one of the illustrators at Dragons' Geas, has outdone herself with this children's book. Her unique rendering of dragons insures that they are not frightening for a child's book.  The little dragon Seaferia shows emotion in her tears, her surprise and even her feeling of dejection.  This brings the tale to life in a way that words alone could have never achieved.  I am proud as the author to have had her at my side for this book and though she will blush when she reads this, I am not ashamed to shout it out to the world.

"Not an Egg!" is both a touching tale of a little dragon's reactions to a new baby but also is a great way for children to learn that what they are feeling is normal.  Research has shown that a child's personality will affect how they react to a new baby.  With this is how close the older child is to their mother, the closer the relationship to the mother the harder time they have.  This is why father's are encouraged to work in developing that relationship when a new baby is expected as it helps children transition when the mother's time is taken up by the needs of a new born.  

Preparing your child is another important step.  "Not an Egg!" has plenty of places to stop and discuss how your child is feeling.  Are they adamant it be a boy or a girl? My grandson was so adamant that his upcoming sibling be a boy that when I asked him, "what if its a girl?"; he answered.  "you can have it."    In addition to reading books such as "Not an Egg!", you should get out baby pictures of your child and talk about what it was like when he/she was a baby.

Most importantly, "Not an Egg!" is about dragons and that is our favorite topic here at Dragons' Geas.

We hope you will enjoy it as much as our own children and grandchildren did.  You can order it on our website at dragonsgeas.com .