Question About Introducing Books

[krfrance07]

Hope this is the right place for this.  My LO is 11 weeks and I am a voracious reader and want to introduce books to her early, but am not quite sure how to go about it.  I have been "reading" to her from my books that I am reading while she lays on the floor studying her gymini or is in her swing or bouncy seat, but how do you introduce books at this age?  Do you kind of hold them on their lap and hold the books up for them to see?  I know that she doesn't really "understand" me or the book, but it would be a fun activity and her Dad is dying to add some stories to her bedtime routine when he rocks her right now.  Also, what kind of books do you all suggest?  Big picture books with lots of colorful pictures or board books with the thick carboard pages with pictures?  Do you actually read them or just let them look?  For others who read with their kids regularly, how did you introduce the book?  I know she is ready for more activities than she is currently doing, so I am checking the stickies on activities for 3-6 monthers and looking for ideas.  Any and all ideas appreciated!

[Mashi]

At that age we used cloth books, and sat DS on our lap with the book in front of him and let him look at the faces, the animals, etc. Most of them that we had were "touchy" books so things for him to touch on the page, etc. My DS loved them right from an early age and looking at a book together was part of wind down for naps and bedtime.

[Love, laughter, & PJs]

I read to DS for 15 min as part of our wind down for every nap and then one book before bed. (The same one, actually and he knows it so well that when I couldn't find it one night and just started reciting it - I know it well too! - he started beaming!)  I've been reading all sorts of picture books to him since he was about 2 mo old.  These days he tries to grab them often but I give him his lovey to play with and hold the book out of his reach.  We just lay on the futon in his room side by side and I read while he looks or plays with his lovey.  I like books like "Blueberries for Sal" or "Make Way for Ducklings" since I read mostly before bed and those pictures aren't too colorful or overstimulating.  They're also longer books and since I read for 15 min or so it means I have to switch books less often!  I also read "Big Red Barn" by Margaret Wise Brown (of Goodnight Moon fame) as our last book before naptime.  It has lots of rhymes and is a little sing-songy so he likes it. He always beams when I start that one too.

We do read board books and touchy books as PP said, during A time, although he prefers to eat those at the moment.    Lots of times I let him chew on one book as I'm reading him another.

I also read to him from my stuff when he's playing sometimes, as you do.  I think that's great, too!

So, in short, definitely not too early!  Just grab some books and go for it!  We love reading too and I'm hoping we're fostering that in DS. Good luck! 

[RachelC]

Here are some book title suggestions:

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=101611.0

[momtonb&ab]

we let them do whatever they wanted with cloth books - hold, eat, look at, play with, whatever.   just so they had books as part of every day.   and each night we would lay themon the floor, lay between them and hold the book up in the air while we read it to them.  did that from about 3 months consistently and have read to them ever since.  when they began transitioning to board books we started teaching them about being gentle with books, and although some still ended up being chewed on, mostly they have learned great respect for their books.   at not-quite-three they will sit for 70 pages of the Winnie the Pooh book without interruption, they LOVE reading. 

[Bryony]

We used to lie on our backs together on the bed and look at baby books together - ones with bright and simple pictures. I'd also give her cloth books to look at / play with, and sometimes read out loud to her from one of my books while she was cuddled up to me, so that I got to read some of it and she got to hear my voice

Katie LOVES me to read books to her now....  all the time....!

[We Three]

I am a total bookworm too, and have read to dd since day one!  I'd sit her on my lap, facing out, so her back was against my belly, and then just hold the book in front of us.  Goodnight Moon is great one...something about those colors!  When she was very tiny I'd read simple story books like that, and also board books with just one or 2 large pictures per page.  They love to look at faces, there are alot of board books with baby faces in them. There are ones that show animals too, colors, shapes.  If you go to a Barnes & Noble to the infant section you'll see how much there is out there!!  As soon as my dd could sit, her absolute favorite thing to do was to look through her books...and she still adores books at 3 years old!

[Shiv52]

I read books to Maeve from she was very little.  Just some basic board books and picture books.  She loves books now and will sit and look through them herself for ages.  Never  too young to start reading!

I also liked it when she was little as it would be a nice activity for us to go together when she couldn't really do much else!  I love Goonight moon too.  Peepo and Each peach pear plum were always favourites too!

[greenteamomma]

We love books too and wanted our LO to love books.  We have books he can do what ever to and keep them out for him to touch, eat, gum, rip etc.  We also have books that are not for now, we read to him and put away or just admire the cover.  The idea for us is that we wanted him to explore books and his sense. So eating and gumming them, some fit just perfect for those mollars.  Others were more delicate and tore (usually from yard sales) and it was ok.  We want him to learn what is delicate and not too.  They like anything forbiden so we could teach him to be gentle with things he attempted to be gentle with but actually just couldn't but we didn't mind cause they were old books.  We have a few magasines with pics we liked but didn't mind him tearing too.  Board books with lots of strong flaps are fun and so are those with different textures.  Those make him giggle!  We have several pics of him from a very young age laying down looking at books.  We just let him explore.  Now, he's 12 months, we put our hand out and sign book and he comes right over and gives us the one he wants to read.  We also are a tri-lingual family so language is very important to us.