Babies love books! But why are they important? Which ones should you choose for them? And what happens if they’re sick on it?!
Emily Pailing is the Early Years Lead at the Library and is here to try and answer some of the most common questions she hears when chatting to families about babies and books.
Plus, scroll to the bottom of the page for Emily's baby book recommendations to start your babies' reading journey off on the right foot.
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“He’s a bit little for reading.”
Your baby is never too young for a book. Babies have spent their time in the womb listening to their parents talking, and they love the sound of your voice. Sharing books and nursery rhymes with them is a soothing, calming experience for both parents and babies, and helps to nurture the special bond families have with babies in their early days.
As well as being fun, reading books and sharing rhymes is also crucial in boosting your baby’s brain power. Listening to the rhythm of the words and the tone of your voice sparks connections in your baby’s brain, and research shows that children who are read to regularly when they are 0-2 yrs are not only more likely to have better communication and literacy skills when they reach school age, but they are likely to be better at subjects like maths and science too. Turns out books are a powerful brain booster!
“She’ll just try to eat it.”
Interacting with a book, turning the pages and figuring out how it works, are all part of the valuable learning experience babies get from books. When they’re little (and especially when they’re teething!), one of the main ways they discover the world around them is by putting things in their mouth. That’s why books for babies are designed to be robust, and wipeable. If a baby book gets a bit chewed, it’s nothing a quick wipe can’t fix. And the learning she’s doing when she’s playing with a book is definitely worth a few wipes.
“He doesn’t really listen, he just likes the picture of the dog.”
When they get old enough to start turning pages and choosing which book they want, babies very rarely sit nicely and look at every page of a book in the right order. They turn two pages at once, they hold it upside down, they only want to look at their favourite page and they definitely don’t want to wait for you to read them more than a few words before they move on. Although as an adult it can be hard to shake the habit, try not to insist that your baby starts at the first page of the book and reads it all the way to the end. Reading the same page over and over (or the same book over and over) is still teaching them lots about language and communication; despite the fact it might drive you slightly mad, the repetition is fantastic for their learning. The best baby books only have a few words on each page. Never feel compelled to read every word. Sum up the story in a few words, or just make up whatever you like about the picture, it doesn’t matter. Your baby is still enjoying hearing your voice and engaging with the book.
Great books for babies - click the titles to reserve them or drop into the Library to browse and borrow.
Board books and black and white books (to help stimulate newborn's vision 0-3 months):
Touch and feel books (3 months onwards):
We also have parenting books and resources at the Library. Click here to search the catalogue.