When could you read with your baby? - Page 3

[Llyra]

My kids have all been regularly read to since the day they were born. You gotta understand, though, that we are HUGE book people in this house. Seriously, we're up to our EARS in books almost all the time, and DH and I regularly drag huge piles of new ones home. So I think that my kids have grown up with the idea that books are the center of family life, in a way-- it's just our household culture. And it's the same way at my mom's house, too, which is the other place they spent a lot of time when they were very young.

I didn't read "baby" books really, though. My kids weren't interested in the pictures as young infants. They mostly just wanted to be near me, and to hear my voice. I started reading out loud to DD1 when she was a newborn, because I wanted to read for myself, but I felt guilty about the hours of silent time we spent together-- felt like I should be talking to her. So i started reading my own books out loud. Her first book, then, was a really good biography of Catherine the Great.

I think we started with the board books around the time she started crawling, and pointing at things to ask what they were called-- I looked for books with clear, simple photographs that she could point to.

But the Golden Age for reading out loud, with all three kids, started at about two-and-a-half years old. That's when they started getting REALLY into reading, and having their devoted favorites read over and over and over.

I don't worry too much about books being torn-- I keep the really important books out of reach when I can't be there to supervise, but otherwise they've had unrestricted access to piles of books right from the start. We have SO MANY, and I think a few torn books are a small price to pay for a child who thinks of books as good friends. DD1 did go through a short paper-tearing phase as a young toddler, though, and during that stage I restricted her to sturdy board books, and to magazines I didn't mind having torn. Then we slowly brought back the other books, as she moved past that phase.

FWIW, DD1 (6) was an early reader, too, and is now able to read nearly everything her interest leads her to. DD2 shows signs of being the same. DS has absolutely no interested in letters or words or the mechanics of print yet, but he loves him some books, yes he does.

[ErinYay]

Originally Posted by Llyra

Her first book, then, was a really good biography of Catherine the Great.

Hahaha. V and DH are both really enjoying The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which is my current "family read-aloud book."

DH and I are both big read-alouders, and I remember my mom reading aloud to us, even when I was in high school. The four of us ranged from 16 (me) down to 6 at that time, and she'd read us anything from Junie B. Jones books, to The Pearl, to The 5 Little Peppers.

I still love to both read aloud to people, and to be read to. It's just so comforting!

[newmamalizzy]

Originally Posted by ErinYay

I still love to both read aloud to people, and to be read to. It's just so comforting!

Ditto. When DD gets older I'm definitely going to volunteer to read at the library story hours. I, too, will read her adult material, like a magazine article about fungus and how to grow mushrooms at home. She laughs and laughs, at all the "wrong" moments. It's fantastic.

I was a voracious reader as a little girl, but somehow I completely missed this Sandra Boynton thing. I checked out her webpage and found it kind of overwhelming. Richard Scarry and Ezra Jack Keats were definitely my favorites and I'm looking forward to introducing them to Bea.

[katelove]

We started reading to J when she was a few days old, some baby books, some older children's books and some adult books.

When she was really little I would read in a soothing (I hope ) rhythmic type of tone regardless of what I was reading. I felt it was more about hearing my voice than anything else at that stage.

Now she's 4 months old and I read with more expression. I've found that laying on the bed with her is good way to read. sometimes with a toy to play with, sometimes not, depending on her mood. I also read to her when she's lying on the lounge/floor with a toy.

She is very much in the rip and chew everything phase so she doesn't get to hold her paper books but she has three cloth/crinkle books which she loves to chew and we read her the words sometimes although the ones she has are just labeled pictures not stories.

For people looking for book recs, we like anything by Mem Fox (quite a few are published as board books). Diary of a Baby Wombat by Jackie French is my current favourite and she's also just released Baby Wombat's Week. I also like Josephine Wants to Dance by Jackie French. All the JF books are published in both board and hardcover versions.

[Abraisme]

My DS was close to 3yo before he liked books (I tried many, many times). My DD is just starting to enjoy short books now at 13mo. I too find it silly to read to a baby that just wants to grab and eat the book. Once my kids are old enough to enjoy reading and follow along I start reading to them..