Tips: The why and how of reading to your baby

Do you wonder if there’s any point in reading aloud to a newborn? I love the answer Jim Trelease gives to the question of when you should begin reading to a child in his incredible resource The Read-Aloud Handbook. He asks parents when they began speaking to their child. Right away, any parent will answer. That’s true even though the parent doesn’t expect a week old baby to understand what he is saying. He speaks to his baby in what is still a “foreign” language, never feeling silly for doing so. “If a child is old enough to talk to, she’s old enough to read to,” Trelease asserts. “It’s the same language.”

This is just one of the reasons that experts including the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend reading to babies from birth.

Why read aloud to your baby

If you have read to a baby on a regular basis, you know one of the benefits to your baby is also a great pleasure for you: bonding with your child. There’s no substitute for snuggling your baby close on your lap and seeing him respond to the sights and sounds of a book.

The best way to help your child associate reading with warmth, love, and fun throughout his lifetime is to develop a daily read aloud habit as early as possible. If he acquires a love of books at a very young age, he’ll be much more willing to persist at the challenging work of learning to read at an older age.

Finally, reading aloud to infants exposes them to a much richer vocabulary than we might use in our day to day speech. Whenever you read (or speak) to your baby, you’re teaching her the sounds, as well as the words, that she’ll need to develop her speech.

Tips for reading to your baby

1. Make sure your baby understands that he is more important than the book. Snuggle him close and read with warmth. If you're worried your baby will rip a particular book that is special to you, don't choose that book to read yet.



Big and Small by Britta Teckentrup has simple, boldly colored illustrations perfect for infants.

2. Choose book formats that are especially suited for babies. For babies 6 months and under, look for black and white illustrations. Next move on to bright colors, but with scenes that aren't too complex. Look for books that will hold up to babies' enthusiastic touch, such as plastic books (which can be read in the bath), sturdy board books, and soft cloth books.
3. Keep books within your baby's reach in several rooms of the house. Wherever baby can access toys, make sure she also has a bakset or box of book within reach.
4. Babies love books with the three "R's: rhythm, rhyme, and repetition. Nursery rhymes are perfect for this purpose. The plot of a nursery rhyme may not always make sense to you, but the sounds are pleasing to young children. They help them find order in a world that often sounds chaotic.

   

   Nursery rhymes such as those found in Clare Beaton's Animal Rhymes are the perfect first books for babies.

5. Infants thrive on routine, so find a predictable time to read to your baby each day. At the same time, baby's attention spans are very short. You may only be able to read to your infant for about 3 minutes at a time before he loses interest. In that case, try to find several short times a day in which to read.
6. All of us learn best when we are relaxed, and  babies are better able to relax when hearing something familiar. This means being willing to read the same books over and over, even when you get tired of them yourself.
7. Know when to put a book away. If your baby doesn't seem to be enjoying the book, try it at a different time or try a different book. In two or three months, your baby may love the same book she refuses to look at right now.
8. If your baby is at the stage where he wants to eat books, give him a teething toy before you begin reading, or another book (such as a plastic bath book) to chew on.
9. Pause to ask questions as your read and give explanations even if your baby isn't speaking yet. This helps her to make sense of the story and predict what will happen next. 

What other ideas do you have about how to introduce books to babies?

Want to gather together some friends with your babies to talk about reading, explore Barefoot books, and introduce new stories and music to your children? Ask me about hosting a Barefoot Babies party, where we'll read and play with your little ones, and you'll earn free books as a host.