Social story topics
Social story: A new baby at home
A new baby changes almost everything at once: the noise, the sleep, who is holding whom, and how much of a parent is free. For many autistic and neurodivergent children the hardest part is not the baby but the unpredictability — crying that starts without warning, routines that bend, and rules that seem to have changed overnight.
This social story says plainly what a new baby is like, what will stay the same, and what the older child can do when the baby cries or a parent is busy. Read it in the weeks before the birth, then again once the baby is home, and keep the bedtime routine as fixed as you can — that is the page they will lean on.
A sample story
A New Baby Comes Home
- 1Soon, a new baby will come home to live with us.
- 2The grown-up knows the baby needs quiet because loud sounds can wake the baby up.
- 3Sometimes the baby will cry, and the house will feel very noisy.
- 4I can walk to my bedroom and sit on my bed when the baby is crying.
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Tips for using it
- Read it before the birth, while the house is still calm, and again on the first day home.
- Keep one routine exactly the same every day — bedtime is the usual choice.
- Give the child a real job in the story (fetching a nappy, choosing the song) and keep it real at home.
- Say honestly that babies cry a lot and that crying is not anyone’s fault.
Common questions
Can the story use the baby’s name?
Yes. Put both names in the topic — "Ava’s new baby brother Leo is coming home" — and the story uses them. Leave the baby’s name out if it isn’t chosen yet.
Our child is worried about the noise. Does the story cover that?
Add it to the topic ("…and the baby will cry a lot") and the story names the noise honestly, explains why babies cry, and gives one thing the child can do, such as going to a quiet spot or wearing headphones.
When should we start reading it?
Two or three weeks before the due date is typical, then daily in the first week home. Fade it once the new routine feels ordinary.