It’s such an exciting time when there is to be an addition to the family, but for some chidren, this can be a time of great confusion and uncertainty. There can be a lot of resentment and jealousy towards a new baby, so it is important for you as parents to talk to and involve older siblings in the entire process of the pregnancy and prepare them for the new baby.

A very thoughtful friend made sure that my daughter didn’t feel left out at the shower for the new baby, by bringing her a special gift for herself. It’s sweet little gestures like these that help older siblings feel involved. My daughter has also been helping me pack our bags for hospital and pack away all the baby’s clothes etc as we make room for baby. She’s proudest of all at the prospect of finally being a big sister, so I am making a T-shirt for her that’ll state exactly that, loud and clear… “I’m the big sister!”

For this project you will need:

o A plain T-shirt in a colour of your choice

o Iron-on transfer paper

You will then:

o Create the text in Microsoft Word or Publisher or other computer program, in a fun and playful text with fun clip art if needed in a size that will be clear and visible on the T-shirt and that can fit on 8 1/2″X 11″ paper

o Flip text by selecting “Flip Horizontal” to make it read backwards so that when it is printed it reads left to right

o Follow the manufacturers’ directions, but it basically is:

o Print text on transfer paper

o Cut out your design carefully, leaving a 1/4 inch border

o Set your iron to cotton or highest setting and make sure steam is off

o Iron garment and make sure it is smooth

o You can do a test to make sure it works well and you can also iron on a harder surface than an iron board to ensure that it transfers smoothly

o When ready, iron your design onto your garment

o Remove the paper backing from the iron-on transfer

And Voilà! You are done. You should involve your child as much as possible in this process (except for the ironing of course) so that they can be proud of what they’ve done and proud to wear their T-shirt. You can take the project even further by making a coordinating onesie for the new little sibling, photograph them together and really make big brother or big sister feel happy and proud.

You could also embroider the text onto the T-shirt/onesie to make them last even longer.

Have fun with this one, and good luck.