A few months ago a friend told me about a class offered at Spectrum Health for children ages 3-5 years old that are expecting a sibling.  When I told Sophia about it she said she “wanted to go to baby school” so we signed her up.  We took the class with her a few weeks ago and I wanted to share a little about our experience.

The hour and a half class started with each of the kids getting a lesson in how a baby is born and then explained what they can expect around the house.  It touched on things like lots of crying, babies being up in the night and new rules that you might have at home once the baby arrives.  Then the kids all got to practice some basic helping skills on dolls.  They were each shown how to swaddle a baby, properly hold them and even fed the baby a bottle, all while being reminded that they need to be with a mom or dad to do these things.

The class ended with a tour of the birthing unit at Spectrum Health and showed the kids where the baby would be born.  This was also a great way to get the kids familiarized with where they’ll be visiting their mom, dad and new sibling. 

Sophia had a great time and my husband and I had a lot of fun watching her as a big sister in-training.  This class really opened my eyes to the huge amount of resources offered by Spectrum Health and their Healthier Communities program.  You can learn more about the Siblings Class by watching Maranda Where You Live on Friday, October 21 and Saturday, October 22.  Maranda and our crew tagged along with my family to the class and documented things, so you can get a look at it for yourself in just a few weeks!