Birth of a Baby Social Story Ideas

Social Stories™ describe an event or situation with the intent of explaining the circumstances, perspectives, and expected behaviors that occur during the event or situation. To be effective, Social Stories™ should be highly individualized. Usually, they are written in the first-person, from the point of view of the child. They can be particularly helpful when preparing for an out of the ordinary situation, such as the birth of a baby. Once created, a Social Story™ should be read to the individual many times until the expectations conveyed in the story are well understood.

The Social Story™ should include photos or pictures. This can be done fairly easily using a digital camera. There are even iPad® apps designed to help families write Social Stories™.

To prepare your child for the birth of a new baby, consider the following ideas for Social Stories™:

• Pictures of the family as it is now
• A photo of Mom and Dad before the first child was born
• Photo of the family when the first child was an infant, noting how the family has grown
• Photos of Mom and how she has "grown" with the new baby inside
• Picture of the hospital - where Mom will go when it is time for the baby to be born
• Discussion of doctors, nurses, etc. who help deliver the baby
• Photos of the changes being made to the home, including the things that are being readied for the new arrival
• Pictures of babies crying, sleeping, nursing, taking a bottle, changing diapers, and other activities to be expected from the new baby
• Don't forget to include that when the baby cries, Mommy or Daddy will have to stop what they are doing to take care of the baby
• Sometimes big brother or big sister will have to wait for the baby to have his or her needs met
• Mommy and Daddy will always have time for me, but I may have to wait for Mom or Dad to finish with the baby first
• Discuss things that will remain the same and things that will be different
• End with a picture of the "new" family