With sibling rivalry a tale as old as time, it’s heartwarming to see a close sibling bond—especially from day one.
An Instagram reel posted by the Hollister family (@the_hollisterfam) has gone viral for capturing one such unforgettable moment. It shows the adorable reaction of Brittany Hollister’s eldest daughter as she meets her newborn baby sister, Zoe, for the first time.
Hollister, 34, spoke to Newsweek about the experience, which left her emotional.
In the video, the little girl looked at newborn Zoe with wonder. “She came out?” she said.
@the_hollisterfam/Instagram
“This is Zoe,” Brittany responded. The little girl, marveling at her new sibling, continued: “She’s a real baby… she’s so tiny.”
Hollister told Newsweek about the significance of this moment for her family and why she began to cry in the video.
“Our oldest daughter is full of personality, and we knew she would have a big reaction—we just didn’t know which way it would go,” she said. “Seeing her be so curious and soft-spoken is partly why I got emotional.”
The video not only captured the tender moment between siblings, but has also resonated with viewers online, many of whom shared similar experiences in the comments. Some recalled their own experiences of meeting a sibling for the first time.
“I was seven when my baby brother was born, and I remember crying from excitement with my dad. This made me so emotional, what a sweet big sister,” one viewer said.
Others found the video healing, reflecting on more challenging sibling introductions. “My son was 20 months when we introduced him to his new baby brother, and it was so heartbreaking when he started to cry and get sad and walked out of the room. It took him a few months to warm up to him,” another person wrote. “Their bond grows more as they grow. Your daughter is the cutest and has the sweetest voice.”
A third commenter could relate to the Hollisters directly: “We have a video of [our daughter] walking down the hallway of the hospital calling out ‘baby brother, where are you?’ One year later, she is still absolutely smitten with him, and he is obsessed with her.”
Now, Brittany and her husband Grant are watching their daughters’ bond deepen as they begin to grow up together.
“Our youngest is now two, and our oldest is four. They love the company of each other,” Brittany said. “It’s been wonderful watching them bond as sisters and create a forever lasting friendship. They love watching this video of them meeting for the first time.”
