Reading to your baby - Question

Everyone says that the earlier you start reading to your child - the better it is - but everytime i put a book in front of my daughter - all she wants to do it EAT it!!

I have tried all sorts of books, (including the finger ones, books that make sounds, touch and feel ones) - all of them wind up in her mouth - she's 5 months. I try reading to her at different times of the day and she seems to be interested for a couple minutes and soon after - grab the book or start getting squirmy.

How have your experiences been? Any suggestions ?

Message edited 7/21/2006 2:58:01 PM.

Re: Reading to your baby - Question

I've read that it is part of thier development to eat books --- I was paranoid about this for a while -- I am a teacher and books are a BIG deal to me -- treasures -- so I didn't want her to eat them...

But I just decided one day to pick a few board books that it would be OK for -- not my FAVS like Goodnight Moon but some cute sesame street ones with the characters that she loves and some baby animal books and stuff like that.

Well, I left them out in her toy area and she ate them a LOT at first, and I'd read them to her and let her chew on them --- but now that she's a bit older (9.5 mos) I find her lookingthrough them. She can turn the pages (although she skips pages and it's sometimes upsidedown) and she finds stuff that she likes and tries to pull it off of the pages with her fingers...

Let your daughter eat them! Select a few that it'll be OK with -- make sure it's Board Books so she doesn't ingest pages, lol. And as she gets older eating them will turn into looking at the mand then hopefully one day reading them....I think it's all developmentally appropriate.

HTH!

Re: Reading to your baby - Question

Posted by Melbernai

I've read that it is part of thier development to eat books --- I was paranoid about this for a while -- I am a teacher and books are a BIG deal to me -- treasures -- so I didn't want her to eat them...

But I just decided one day to pick a few board books that it would be OK for -- not my FAVS like Goodnight Moon but some cute sesame street ones with the characters that she loves and some baby animal books and stuff like that.

Well, I left them out in her toy area and she ate them a LOT at first, and I'd read them to her and let her chew on them --- but now that she's a bit older (9.5 mos) I find her lookingthrough them. She can turn the pages (although she skips pages and it's sometimes upsidedown) and she finds stuff that she likes and tries to pull it off of the pages with her fingers...

Let your daughter eat them! Select a few that it'll be OK with -- make sure it's Board Books so she doesn't ingest pages, lol. And as she gets older eating them will turn into looking at the mand then hopefully one day reading them....I think it's all developmentally appropriate.

HTH!

Re: Reading to your baby - Question

Also pick up some of the fabric books....They sell them in Target, Book Stores, BRU/BBB, I've even seen them in BJs....

We have a great one called Goodnight Bear from Discovery Toys and there is a bear attached on a string and even though there are no words, on each page you make the bear do something different to get ready for bed -- Bath, PJs, Book, and finally you tuck him into bed.

Of course Emily can't manipulate him on her own but it's soft and she loves to touch all the different textures.

ANd since it's cloth I can throw it in the wash and don't have to worry about her eating the pages. As she gets older she can point to the different objects, label them, describe the textures, colors, etc. and then eventually make up her own story for them.

There are LOTS of books available like this!

Re: Reading to your baby - Question

I started reading to Bella at 2mts. I am book crazy since I am a teacher too. She loves the books that have songs that go along with them.. We read/sing

Baby Beluga

Chicka chicka boom boom

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

5 little monkeys

There was an old lady

I have the songs on CD and play it while we "read"

If you want a copy of the CD FM me your address and I'll copy it and send it to you. There are so many other songs on it that go with books.

Re: Reading to your baby - Question

Posted by kelly4

I started reading to Bella at 2mts. I am book crazy since I am a teacher too. She loves the books that have songs that go along with them.. We read/sing

Baby Beluga

Chicka chicka boom boom

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

5 little monkeys

There was an old lady

I have the songs on CD and play it while we "read"

If you want a copy of the CD FM me your address and I'll copy it and send it to you. There are so many other songs on it that go with books.

Message edited 7/21/2006 3:40:04 PM.

Re: Reading to your baby - Question

Posted by Melbernai

Posted by kelly4

I started reading to Bella at 2mts. I am book crazy since I am a teacher too. She loves the books that have songs that go along with them.. We read/sing

Baby Beluga

Chicka chicka boom boom

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

5 little monkeys

There was an old lady

I have the songs on CD and play it while we "read"

If you want a copy of the CD FM me your address and I'll copy it and send it to you. There are so many other songs on it that go with books.

ETA another great one that goes along with the sing-song rhyme or repetition books is We're Going on a Bear Hunt!

Re: Reading to your baby - Question

The best thing I did was leave a HUGE basket with board books and soft books in the living room where we spend most of our time and both my kids would just sit on the floor playing with the books for a long time.... it's paid off because my son who is 5 is a huge reading fan... we are constantly at the library for new books and we are sure to read a book or 2 every night (most of the time more)... I think it's something that is SO important!

A good book club is Babies First Book Club - they send you a book every month or so and they are all soft books and completely washable so it's ok for them to eat them

Re: Reading to your baby - Question

I received a lot of books at my baby shower and also put them in a big colorful bin on the floor where they are accesible to her.

I also wondered when she would actually want to "read" but now she is 2 and loves looking at books. We also read to her every night so reading a book is part of her routine. But in the beginning all she did was chew and close the book too but believe me they are taking it all in

Message edited 7/21/2006 5:03:18 PM.

Re: Reading to your baby - Question

As a children's librarian I always encourage my new moms to read, read, and read from birth and never stop.

With young children repetition is the key. You may go nuts reading the same books over and over but as the child hears the same story they start developing the skills they need reading readiness later one.

Here are some tips from the Born to Read campaign

Raising a reader

Begin when your child is born and
spend time reading every day.

Sing to your baby.

Repeat nursery rhymes.

Visit the library. Ask about storytimes. Borrow books to share with your baby at home.

Choose books with colorful pictures and simple words--or no words at all.

Read with expression--or just tell the story in your own words.

Hold the book so your child can see the pictures clearly.

Let your baby play with the book.

Encourage your toddler to point out objects, repeat words, and talk about the story.

Reread your child's favorite books over and over again.

Use the technique of dialogic reading to help a child stay actively involved with a story and develop reading comprehension. Instead of reading the story straight through, ask the child open-ended questions about the story: "Why do you think Goldilocks ate Baby Bear's porridge?" "What do you think will happen next?"

Read or tell stories in the language you are most comfortable with. It doesn't have to be English!

Help your child develop phonemic awareness --the understanding that words are made up of smaller sounds--by playing games with the sounds of words and repeating rhymes.

Tell stories about your family and your culture.

Encourage older children to read to their younger brothers and sisters.

Be an example to your children; let them see you read books too.

Set aside a special time each day, such as nap time, bedtime, or after meals.

Share books when you and your child are both in a relaxed mood.

Take advantage of "waiting" times to share books--on trips, at the doctor's office, in line at the grocery store.

Reading even 5 or 10 minutes a day to young children helps them get ready to read on their own.