In the initial days and weeks, when your baby is still getting used to sounds and stimulation, reading is more about the shared experience, than about vocabulary or language.

So, when you begin reading to your baby, approach it with [...]]]> Pick Shakespeare or People magazine if you want. Your newborn couldn’t care less about what you’re reading.

In the initial days and weeks, when your baby is still getting used to sounds and stimulation, reading is more about the shared experience, than about vocabulary or language.

So, when you begin reading to your baby, approach it with this idea in mind. When you think of reading time as one-on-one bonding time with your baby, the experience is refreshing, fulfilling and rewarding, even.

- Create pleasant, positive associations with reading – This begins with ensuring that your baby is in a good mood. Make sure she is not hungry or uncomfortable in any way. Pick a comfortable spot for reading together. Consider the light, posture, ventilation and other aspects that impact your reading experience. If you wish, you could have soft, instrumental music playing in the background as you read. Or read in your patio, with the sounds of nature accompanying your voice. Look at it this way – if you had the entire afternoon off and all you wanted to do was curl up and unwind with your favorite book, which spot would you pick? In all likelihood, your baby will share your view, if she could express herself.

- Touch and feel – Now that you’re in the perfect spot, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t make the best of it. With very young babies, reading together translates to cuddles, hugs, kisses, rubs and tickles. Babies thrive on caring human touch and studies show that babies who are held and touched in a loving way grow up to be healthier and less aggressive than those who are not. Reading time is a wonderful way to nurture your baby with touch. Choosing books like Counting Kisses or Ten Tiny Tickles could get you started.

- Communicate - You probably can’t tell but from the moment your baby is born he is constantly learning, forming connections in his brain, making associations and picking up language. So, when you read to your baby, remind yourself what you’re really doing – forging bonds and communicating with him. So, don’t just stop at reading. Make eye contact with your baby. Smile at him. Speak to him. Ask him questions (even if you have to answer them yourself). Sing to him. Joke and laugh. Be expressive. Treat reading to your baby as a conversation.

- Make reading time a priority – Reading and keeping your baby engaged may seem like a chore, especially in the initial weeks or months, when you’re sleep deprived and probably haven’t settled into a routine yet. But, if you treat it as an opportunity to forget about everything else and unwind with your child for a few minutes, you will begin to see how rejuvenating it can be. So, give reading time the importance it deserves. When you’re reading to your baby, avoid interruptions and distractions like the urge to answer the phone or check messages. Let your baby know that the time you read together is special and that all your attention is directed at her for those few minutes. Soon, you and your baby will start looking forward to those precious moments to relax and bond.

A librarian friend was telling me about how it makes her crazy when she hears people tell her their babies are too young for books or story time. I see what she means.

* After all, researchers agree that 75% of brain development – emotional and intellectual- happens in the [...]]]> The short answer, of course, is No.

A librarian friend was telling me about how it makes her crazy when she hears people tell her their babies are too young for books or story time.
I see what she means.

* After all, researchers agree that 75% of brain development – emotional and intellectual- happens in the first few years. So, babies actually begin to learn the moment they are born.

*During this time, nerve connections are being made at a rapid pace in baby’s brain. The more a baby is nurtured and stimulated, the more intricate the connections in his brain, thus improving the chances that baby develops to his full potential.

* As mentioned in this Babycenter article, studies show that a baby’s language skills and intelligence are directly related to the number of words he hears every day.

* The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reading aloud daily to your baby starting at 6 months of age. But, the fact is, you don’t have to wait. It’s never too early to read to or play with your child. (I know many parents who started when their baby was just days old. I am one of them.)

“But my baby doesn’t seem interested!”
Newborns may not respond to your reading, so it may be difficult to tell if they’re really even listening or benefiting from your efforts. But, you will see that with time, your baby will begin to understand the routine, be curious about the book you’re holding, show interest in the pictures and generally, begin to enjoy reading time. The advantage of starting early(if you want to) is that by the time your baby is 6 months old or ready to observe pictures and register words, she would already be familiar with the books. She would already have a head start and you will actually have to put in very little effort to get her interested in reading with you.

When M was an infant, we lived in a small town. I used to drive her to story time at a book store about 50 miles away every week, since our library did not have a children’s program then. The story time lasted 30 mins, the drive took 45 minutes each way. You might wonder if it was really worth taking all that effort with a 3 month old infant. And I have wondered too.

But here’s why I think it was worth it -
- I picked up useful tips and tricks on reading to my baby from the professional at the book store
- M enjoyed the visual and verbal stimulation. She watched other babies, stared at the picture books, listened to the storyteller and peered curiously as she read. I bet her brain was busy making dozens of connections every time I made the trip.
- We began to form a routine – just the two of us. It became our special Mommy and baby story-time date that I began looking forward to, maybe a wee bit more than her!
- It became a habit. Going to story time and reading events at the library or book stores is something that’s as much a part of our lives as going to the park or shopping. We make time for it, no matter what.
- And because of that, reading, checking out books from the library, returning them once we finish- have all become part of M’s routine too.

So, when you start early, you actually don’t have to work too hard to raise a reader. It just happens.

And it probably is.

Maybe that’s one of the reasons why so many bedtime books for babies have similar themes and storylines. Because, obviously they work.

But, once in a while, it’s fun to throw [...]]]> Experts will tell you that when it comes to babies, being predictable is good. A bedtime routine. A daytime schedule. Familiar bath-time rituals.

And it probably is.

Maybe that’s one of the reasons why so many bedtime books for babies have similar themes and storylines. Because, obviously they work.

But, once in a while, it’s fun to throw in some unexpected excitement. Your baby will love it and maybe even begin to expect it!

Kitchen Dance is one such bedtime book that stands out in my memory. It’s completely different from the dozens of bedtime storybooks I’ve read with my daughter right from the time she was a baby through her toddler months. Now, many of those books were good, most of them well-written and illustrated. But, why does Kitchen Dance deserve a special mention?

Because, for one, you really can’t tell it’s a bedtime book. Think about it. Does the title give anything away? And the cover is equally misleading…in a good way, of course.

Kitchen Dance is basically a love story. It begins with the narrator, a little girl who wakes up to the sounds of dishes being scraped and scrubbed downstairs in the kitchen. But accompanying the mundane sounds of cleaning and washing is a soft voice humming a tune. Curious, she wakes her brother Tito up and they both tip-toe down the stairs to take a peek into their kitchen.

They stand there with door slightly open, watching wide-eyed as their parents tango around the kitchen, cleaning dishes, wiping plates and putting leftovers away – all to a magical tune that seems to float in the air and flow through their souls. The regular, almost boring stuff that mommies and daddies go about doing after the kids are in bed somehow take on a fairytale aspect. The kids stand watching, mesmerized by the graceful, yet light-hearted dance movements of their parents as they carry out the kitchen chores.

The parents catch the kids spying on them and soon pull them into their ‘circle of family’, as they all sway gently to the tune the father continues to sing, ‘¡Cómo te quiero! Oh, how I love you. Umm, hmm’.

Kitchen Dance depicts the strong bonds of love and affection that exist within a family that may not be always be expressed explicitly. In their own subtle way, the parents in this lovely bedtime tale, express their love for one another and for their children.  Cleaning and putting away dishes in the kitchen may seem like the least romantic of occasions for a couple to be enjoying one another’s company, but this story is a reminder that simple moments like those could be just as beautiful, if not more, than dinner at a fancy restaurant.

The musical lines in this book are matched by the cheerful illustrations that bring each member of this family and their home to life. Whether it’s the sway of the mother’s bright skirt or the father’s soft features or the sleepy delight in the kids’ eyes, Maurie J. Manning as the author and illustrator does a splendid job of making the book speak to you.

There’s something about this family and the way they enjoy each other and the place they are in, in life, that strikes a chord. Which is why it remains one of my( and M’s) all-time bedtime and anytime favorites.

But, you [...]]]> A lot has been said about the benefits of reading to your baby, starting as early as possible. Yet, you can never really overemphasize its power – reading enhances language, learning, vocabulary, imagination, emotional skills, memory and parental bonding among other things. Regular reading also lays the foundations for good writing and communication skills.

But, you already knew that. So I won’t go into it here.

Here are five other reasons why a book trumps other forms of entertainment any day. And these have nothing to do with stimulating your baby’s brain.

1. A book doesn’t run out of batteries. Now, how many of those ridiculously expensive, flashy ‘educational toys’ can claim that? They may sing and dance and jump out at you in the dark, but one day, they will stop doing all those things and they won’t be as much fun any more. A book, on the other hand lasts forever. (Well, theoretically, at least, until the imp figures out how much fun shredding is. For tips on protecting books from your baby, head over here.)
2. Baby books are far more affordable than baby toys. And if you’re a member at a public library, they don’t cost a dime. Imagine that. You have free access to countless baby books and you never run the risk of her outgrowing a book or becoming bored with one. You could just keep restocking her shelf every week.
3. A book travels with your baby Ever spent hours inside an airplane, in a car, a waiting room or a doctor’s office with your baby? I have. I’ve endured..err enjoyed an 18-hour flight, a 7-hour drive and several instances of waiting with M during the three years that she’s been in my life. I think those occasions elevated my appreciation of the value of the printed word by several degrees.
4. Books don’t make noise. Well, at least the old-fashioned ones anyway. And after listening to a multitude of toys programmed to sing the ABCs, 123s and a variety of rhymes and poems throughout the day, I can’t tell you how much the blissful silence of a book means to me. And I have a feeling babies enjoy that quiet too, once in a while.
5. Books are relatively safer. With the number of toys, baby foods and other items being recalled these days, can we ever really be sure if anything off the shelf is safe for our babies? So it follows that books are not completely free from risk either and I know that there is concern about the lead content in some children’s books. Not too long ago, Congress passed a law banning the sale of children’s books published before 1985. Also, you can’t deny the choking hazards associated with certain types of clip-on books or those with fancy accessories.  That said, I still believe that by far, a good old-fashioned, hard-cover book or cloth book is likely to be safer than many of the plastic and electronic toys we find today. (Safer on so many levels, by the way – but that’s for another post.)

So there you have it. Five fabulous new reasons to read to your baby even if she’s already a genius.