Reading

From Mommyplace.com WiKI Page

It’s never too early to start reading to your baby. I started reading to my son when he was 2 weeks old. I think he just liked the sound of my voice. But clearly exposing him to books so early did something because he loves to read books with us and now (at 2) will even “read” by himself.

There are nursery rhyme books with the ability to play lullabyes which my newborn seemed to like. There are also some books that cater specifically to newborns with black and white designs for the pictures.

Library storytimes for babies are also an excellent way to expose your infant to reading and to music. Most storytimes offer a mix of reading and singing. We started taking our son when he was 3 months old (and in hindsight I would now take him even earlier...but only after a baby is ready to be with other people/kids who possibly have colds!).

When you are reading to your child, don’t just read the words on the page, but also point to various objects on each page and identify them for your child. For example, if there is a cow on a page, say “this is a cow and it says moo”. Doing this repeatedly will help your child develop their vocabulary. When your child begins to talk, point to a picture and ask them to identify it.

Reading is a great ritual before bedtime or naptime. It’s a great way for children to wind down and if incorporated regularly will not only be a signal to your baby/child that it’s time to go to sleep but also something they look forward to. When my son does not want to go to bed, I bribe him by saying we can read his favorite book first.

Barnes and Noble’s website (barnesandnoble.com) has a wonderfully organized children’s section on their website. You can search by books for baby and then by board books (perfect for little fingers and also to prevent tearing pages!). B&N’s website also has a long list of bestsellers that are truly children’s favorites. B&N has a membership offering that allows you to get discounts on every book you buy. If you are going to invest in your child’s home library, the B&N membership is a wise investment.

Libraries also have a vast children’s section and most have bins and bins of board books. It’s fun for a baby/toddler to pick out new books each week and it also gives you some variety in what you read to your child! Better yet, you can check out books for free!

Some recommendations for newborns/infants/toddlers:

1. Any of the board books by Sondra Boynton
2. The Maisy Series
3. Where is Baby’s Belly Button (as well as the rest of the board flap books by this author)
4. Corduroy series
5. Good Night Moon
6. Good Night "insert city" series (Good night Denver, Good night San Francisco, Good Night America, etc)

Great books for boys

1. Dig Dig Dig
2. Trucks
3. Boats
4. Planes
5. My Truck is Stuck
6. Bob the Builder
7. Thomas the Train
8. I Love Trucks
9. Anything from the Pixar movie "Cars"
10. The Wheels on the Racecar go Round and Round"