This is part two of my Raising Readers series. Part one is here.
Babies enter our lives in all sorts of ways. Perhaps you're a new parent, just home from the hospital, exhausted and proud. Perhaps you've returned home after a long international trip with a newly adopted son or daughter. Perhaps you're a new grandparent, uncle or aunt, excited to hold a new baby whom you've been anxiously waiting to meet. Perhaps the new baby belongs to a friend or neighbor. Or maybe you're a babysitter or nursery employee who's trying to fill hours of time with a sweet little one. No matter how a baby enters your life, one thing is certain. You want to do right by them. You want to make sure they're happy, healthy and have the best chance possible to grow and develop into the child they have the potential to become. Books can help you do that.
Infants don't actually need very much to be happy and healthy. Once you've taken care of the basics -- when they're clean, fed and rested -- then you have a bit of time to fill. They're only awake and alert with all their needs met for a few minutes every few hours in the beginning, but you can fill those minutes with all sorts of activities that are good for them. I think that reading books to them during those times is just as valuable as snuggling with them, talking to them and letting them observe the world around them.
You can start reading to babies really, really early. No, they won't really have any idea of what you're doing, but they like to listen to your voice, and eventually they'll be able to focus on the bright colors of the pages. It just naturally progresses from there. They're awake and alert for longer and longer periods as they grow, and if books are part of their lives from day one then you don't really have to work very hard to get them to like books. You have a few months before they become mobile, so you might as well read to them while they're trapped on your lap, in the bouncy seat or lying on the floor. Books that have lots of bright, primary colors or photographs of other babies and familiar things are a good choice in the beginning.
Charlie at 3 months...
It's even easier when they can sit up on their own. I used to keep small baskets of books and toys in every room and would prop the boys up next to them. Books are just another kind of toy when they're really small. If you're consistent about saying "not in your mouth" over and over, you can even teach them not to chew on their board books. It takes a lot of repetition, but it's worth doing. Babies are very tactile during this time, so letting them hold and touch the books is important. If they're never allowed to touch the books because you're afraid they'll put them in their mouths, then they'll lose interest in them.
Tommy at 5 months...
It does get a bit trickier once they start crawling. If they're really familiar with books by the time they learn to crawl, then you don't have anything to worry about. They'll crawl to the books just like they crawl to everything else. Yes, you have to continue teaching them to be respectful of books, but that sort of repetitive teaching is just part of having a mobile baby. They figure it out eventually. Some parents are tempted to put all the books up out of reach at about 9-months, and I think that's a big mistake. If you want your mobile baby to become a toddler who loves books and reading, then they must be accessible. They'll only choose books if books are available for them to choose, after all.
Tommy at 6 months...
Speaking of supervising babies, I really think books work best as an interactive toy for them. You can set a variety of books and toys in front of an older, mobile baby and he will be able to entertain himself for a few minutes. However, he won't really enjoy the books to their fullest unless YOU read with him. Books for babies are meant to be read, and the more animated and interactive you are, the more receptive your baby will be to them. Vary the sound of your voice as you read. Whisper, sing, point, clap, get excited. They take their cues from you, and if they see you loving the book you are reading to them, then they'll love it too.
This is important, because the days of passive acceptance are over. The older they get, the more OPINIONS they have, and babies with opinions choose their own favorite toys. If you've worked hard to make books available to your baby and spent time sharing them with your baby in an active and animated way, then they will stay interested in books. Once they fall in love with their books, then you'll find them choosing to look at them on their own, stopping their mad dash across the room to turn some pages, pointing at whatever captures their interest, and mimicking the sounds you make when you read to them. Priceless!
Charlie at 8 months...
So what kinds of books are the most interesting to babies? I have a list for that! Come back tomorrow for my list of Ten Types of Books for Babies.
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