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Dr. Becky Is Helping Peppa Pig's Family Adjust to Their New Sibling
Fact checked by Sarah Scott
Peppa Pig and her family are leaning on parenting expert Dr. Becky Kennedy to help ease the transition of welcoming a new baby into their home. With the arrival of Evie, Peppa and her brother, George, are dealing with a bunch of emotions while learning how to be supportive older siblings.
'Welcoming a new baby is a huge transition—especially for older siblings,' Dr. Kennedy tells Parents. 'To them, it can feel like their whole world just changed overnight. And when we only allow one kind of feeling—like excitement—we actually make it harder for them to process everything else they're feeling.'
To help Peppa's family—and the many others entering this new chapter—Hasbro, which owns Peppa Pig, teamed up with the clinical psychologist and founder of Good Inside for a three-part video series on the Muddy Puddle Parenting YouTube channel.
But this is just one part of Hasbro's parent-focused initiative. Here's everything families who love Peppa Pig can expect.
Through Muddy Puddle Parenting, families will learn about fostering strong sibling bonds, building emotional resilience, and encouraging healthy family dynamics through interactions with Peppa Pig's family and Dr. Kennedy.
'Peppa has always focused on helping kids name their feelings and build confidence through everyday situations. This series extends support to caregivers, too,' says Kristin McKay, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Global Brands, Fashion & Preschool at Hasbro. 'With Muddy Puddle Parenting, we're tapping into familiar challenges like morning chaos or tricky goodbyes, and offering small, meaningful ways to connect through them. It's about helping parents feel more equipped and kids feel more understood.'
In the first episode of Muddy Puddle Parenting (shown below), Mummy and Daddy Pig tell Dr. Kennedy, a mom of three, that Peppa Pig has been struggling to sleep since baby Evie arrived. Dr. Kennedy confirms it's totally normal for kids to exhibit sleep disruptions during family changes and offers advice.
On top of the collaboration with Dr. Kennedy, there will also be a new short-form series titled Peppa Pig: Pep Talks, launching on YouTube. It will feature conversations between Peppa and other guests discussing family dynamics, big feelings, and everyday family challenges.
Parents will also have access to download a free guide on how to navigate tantrums and ongoing parenting content designed to 'meet families where they are.'
McKay hopes the content helps families feel seen and that Peppa can offer support through difficult moments, as well as being a source of entertainment.
'We've always believed that Peppa's world reflects real life, with a bit of cheeky humor that helps us remember not to take everything so seriously, and this series deepens that connection by offering parents meaningful ways to show up for their kids, even when things feel hard (or Muddy—Oink!),' says McKay.
For Dr. Kennedy, collaborating with the widely popular Peppa Pig, which is available in over 180 territories, felt natural.
'My hope is that, especially during big transitions like welcoming a new sibling, we're helping parents feel more confident, more connected, and a little less alone,' says Dr. Kennedy.
Dr. Kennedy shares that when a new baby enters a family, it's totally normal for siblings to feel a range of emotions, including excitement, nervousness, jealousy, or sadness.
"It's a big adjustment, and kids often have conflicting feelings—like being happy one moment and feeling left out the next or feeling both at the same time," she says.
These are emotions Peppa is trying to get through. In the first episode, Dr. Kennedy encourages Mummy and Daddy to talk to Peppa and validate her emotions about her new sibling.
Dr. Kennedy also offers Parents a few more smart tips to ease the transition.
"After you've had a new baby, have your first moment with your older child without the baby," she shares.
In the hospital, you can ask the nurses if they can keep the baby with them when your older child comes in before introducing them. If an older sibling doesn't go to the hospital, you can enter your home and greet your other child without the baby in your arms.
"This way, your older kid doesn't feel like they are intruding," Dr. Kennedy explains. "Instead, they are firming up their version of their family up to this point and they have agency in welcoming in the new baby."
There's no need to spring older siblings into "big kid" roles after a new baby arrives.
"Here's the thing: our kids want to be both independent and dependent. They want to feel old and feel cared for," says Dr. Kennedy. "The more we push our child to identify as the 'big kid,' the more they may feel pulled to regress—especially if their needs as a 'young kid' aren't being seen or validated."
Again, it's important to validate any emotions big siblings may feel and know what to say in return.
"Let's do away with the narrative of, 'Isn't it just so amazing to become a big brother?'" she says. "To help your child process these emotions, we encourage open conversations about their feelings. You might say something like: 'It's OK to feel a lot of different things about the baby. You might feel excited and also a little mad or confused, and that's perfectly OK.'"
Dr. Kennedy continues, "By giving 'pre-permission' for a feeling, you're giving it a soft landing place for when it arrives—and this helps a child regulate the feeling instead of being overwhelmed by it."
Bottom line, welcoming a new baby into the home can be tricky for an older sibling. But with some love and understanding (and maybe a little Peppa Pig), this big change can be an overall happy experience.
"I always say: we can't take away the hard but we can take away the alone, and it turns out that taking away the alone makes things a bit easier to manage," says Dr. Kennedy.
Read the original article on Parents
