Let’s face it, babies are blissful! No one ever coos at an adolescent or blows raspberries on grandma’s tummy. Because bringing home a new baby can be a delicate transition for older siblings, you can make them feel important by giving them a special gift when baby is born.

Of course, no gift will take the place of talking about baby’s arrival and spending quality time with your child before the baby comes, but it can keep him occupied while you’re busy with diaper changes and long nursing sessions. Here are some top picks from moms, five gifts to give older siblings when baby is born.

One: A fort-building kit

Children from tots to pre-teens enjoy building forts and hiding out in their special “me-zone”. It’s inexpensive to put together a simple fort-building kit for your children so that they can play, read, and even nap in their own magical little space. This is one simple DIY fort-building kit perfect for tots and a more complex kit for older children. If you’d rather purchase a preassembled kit, this one is top-notch!

Two: Kid parenting must-haves

Every little girl looks up to her mom- you! She begs to smear on your ruby red lipstick, slip her toes into your peep-toed flats, and longs to nurture a baby, just like you. For the little girl (and boy) who are in love with baby care, pick up a set of Rumparooz cloth doll diapers and a baby carrier. They’ll be over the moon!

Three: Their baby album

Chances are, you’ve got boxes of baby photos of your older children stashed around the house. High fives if you made time to put together an album. If you still haven’t gotten around to it, find a pocket album and slip in a few photographs of your older children as babies. They’ll love thumbing through it day after day asking you questions about what they were like as babies.

Make sure to capture your family’s newest member by scheduling a family photo session with baby. We’ll photograph your family at ease in the comfort of your own home- the siblings, mom and dad snuggling your darling infant, the whole family giggling as dad tickles up a storm. And the best part: we’ll put it together into a baby album for you! How easy is that?! Schedule your family and baby photo session now.

Four: Countdown activities

Get your child excited about baby’s birth- make or purchase a countdown set. Whether it’s countdown-to-baby blocks, a DIY pocket calendar with goodies tucked inside, or a simple handmade paper chain countdown, he’ll be pouncing on you, pulling back the covers, and insisting on the daily countdown-to-baby activity before your alarm clock even wakes up. This post includes a fun list of quality-time activities to include in your countdown.

Five: Something for baby

This one isn’t exactly a gift for your older child, but involving an older sibling in choosing a “welcome home” gift for baby will speak volumes toward his sense of importance and help cement his role as a big brother. Allow junior to tag along on a very special outing to choose a gift for baby. Stroll the aisles and give subtle suggestions until your older child’s eyes light up when he finds the perfect baby gift. Boost his ego even more by boasting about his choice to the cashier as you check out. He’ll be beaming!

I’d love to know about the clever gifts you’ve given your older children when they became a big brother or big sister. Please share below in the comments!