Miss Lace no longer an only child? This thought was absolutely terrifying for me. How would she feel when she first saw her new sibling no longer in mommy’s belly but rather now magically in mommy’s arms, leaving much less room for her? I was very worried about this transition. I would run through this moment in the hospital in my head frequently. The moment when Ems would first meet her brother. How would she react? Would she be happy, excited, upset, confused, or sad? I prepped myself and her for this moment as best I could, both mentally and physically. Knowing that she would need to feel important in her new role as a big sister, I collected a few items that I knew would make her feel special. I gave some of them to her at home and brought others along to the hospital.

When Playtex Baby™ asked if I wanted to partner with them and become a #PlaytexMom to make my life a little easier on my new journey with two babes, I couldn’t say no! Ems loves Frozen and Peppa Pig so receiving a Peppa Pig Playtex® Sipsters® Cup from Playtex Baby™ was a great surprise! The timing was perfect as she was just starting to adapt to her new sister role. Baby brother has received a lot of gifts lately and there’s been hints of jealousy from big sis who wants to now be swaddled, held or has even been caught stealing his soothers when no one is looking. Getting a new “big girl cup” as she calls it with a pretty blue lid made Ems feel proud and excited! As a #PlaytexMom, I can let her use this cup on her own because it is literally spill proof, which is great because I now have less time to monitor her closely like I used to. Annnnnd if you know our house, white couches + the potential of coloured juices spilling = not a great combination. Both Peppa and her little brother George are on the cup, an exact reflection of our new sibling situation at home and Ems loves being able to connect and relate to it. She also loves pointing out the moon everyday at home so the little moon peeking through the window on the cup was an added bonus!

I asked Miss Lace what she wanted from her little brother once he arrived to which she replied, “a garbage truck”. I ventured to Homesense, because they literally have EVERYTHING, (and once fall hits they fill their shelves with toys for Christmas) and purchased the best one I could find, with all the bells and whistles!In the summer time, we let Ems make a Build A Bear during our trip to Minneapolis, and we as a group picked out clothing that said “Cool Sis” for it to wear. We then put the “Purple Kitty” as she calls it, away, until baby brother was born.I am a big book lover so I sought out a book with the help of the Instagram world (thanks other moms for all your book suggestions!) which was titled “I am A Big Sister!”. The book talked about the arrival of a baby brother and the good (and bad) that comes with it. I decided to get her her first boy dolly since we only have girl dolls around the house. The boy doll I got is smaller than her girl dollies so her girl dollies have a little brother just like her!Another thing I am trying to do in general is ensure that I carve out weekly “Mom and Daughter Dates” where baby brother and/or daddy don’t come along. I had made this promise a long time ago to Ems and have done by best to honour it. Every Friday she and I go to a parent and me dance class together and she always looks forward to our special girl time!I know materialistic items are not going to make up for the fact that I have less time to spend with Miss Lace one-on-one but these items have definitely made #ForBetterBeginnings, helping her transition with baby brother coming into our lives, and as a first time mom of two, I will take anything these days that make life easier! Ems chooses to sleep with her new purple kitty every night, is so proud of her big girl cup, to show off her garbage truck to people who are visiting, and loves to mimic me giving her brother a bath with her new doll. Her happiness in these moments warms my heart and makes me so proud of how well she’s transitioned into her new role as big sister!

*This post was sponsored by PlaytexBaby but all opinions are my own.