When should I start reading to my baby at bedtime?

[HolidaysQueen]

This is a daft first timer question (and I've still got 4 months to go before the baby arrives!) but it's something I've been wondering about a lot.

When should I start including a bedtime story as part of my baby's night time routine, and what sort of book should I read? I was thinking that reading during the day won't be until the baby has some kind of attention span etc., and the books then would be fairly basic and involve touchy-feely bits etc. But I figured I might be able to start reading a proper bedtime story much earlier - it wouldn't really be for the baby to hear the story as such but more getting him or her used to being read to and be a way of calming down before sleep and then later hopefully they will just enjoy having a bedtime story.

Sorry if this question is really naive - I'm envisaging you'll all tell me that I won't have time or it will be pointless until the baby is 2 years old! - but I did just wonder when other people started to include it in the routine.

Thanks!!

[NAB3littlemonkeys]

I think we started with our eldest at about 10 months. Just short stories and picture books.

[beanstalk]

I started when DD was about 10 weeks! For all the reasons you have outlined - I just read her the same book with rhyming verse so we had a cuddle and she listened to mine/DP's voice. Have to say it made a massive difference and completely calmed her down after her bath (which used to make her scream!). Start whenever you want to, I don't think any age is too early, even a newborn will be reassured by the closeness and your voice! Now she is 10 months we are starting to expand to more typical story books.

[MioMao]

agree with beanstalk, whenever you want to.

I think we started around 5-6 months, I'm not exactly sure. Before then bedtime was always a bit chaotic and I was too knackered to be bothered. We used to sing to her rather than read stories. Then when she started taking an interest in baby board books we would read a couple of those to her in the evenings, then eventually we moved onto bigger picture books.

Just go with the flow, you will figure all these things out as you go along!

[MaeWest]

For us it was when DS stopped crashing out on the boob at bedtime - this was embarrassingly close to his first birthday (gosh, rod for our own backs etc etc). He's now nearly 16 months and our routine is bath, bf, then DH comes in and does quiet stories.

Make sure the books aren't too exciting, as the generally idea is to calm down (did have to remind DH of this ). Also be prepared to read the same ones over and over and over.....

[FrostyGlassSlipper]

we did it at about 6 months and it was at 8-9 months that she seemed to appreciate it.

[karen999]

I started at 4 weeks!! It has been the same story ever since and if we try to change it she goes mad!! It's a short book so we now read it twice to her. She smiles a lot, which is lovely. I think she really loves it!

[bozza]

I think about 4 months with ours. DS got a tooth at 4 months so I used to do bath, breastfeed, teeth, story, into cot, pat back and sing song. Definitely the most important part of bedtime routine for both ours (now 6 and 3) is the story.

[lucyellensmum]

You mean you havent started now?????

I didnt but you could if you wanted too, just some quiet time with your lo getting used to your voice, then i bet the whole reading thing at bed time will be extra lovely. So whilst i was teasing with my orignial comment its worth a thought - or is it a little too new agey and alpha mummy?

I cant actually remember when we started reading to DD, she is 2.4 now and certainly long before her first birthday and she loves it soooo much, and so do i for that matter.

I remember a book for DD that was called baby sees, just black and white pictures of flowers as that is pretty much all babies can focus on when very young so that is a good early intro, apparently stimulates visual development and introduces book as something exciting - apparently. My DD still looks at her flower book though

[HolidaysQueen]

You are all fab - thank you! I really didn't have a clue when would be good to start - sounds like I should just give it a go whenever I fancy starting (or whenever the baby lets me!)

Lucyellen - interesting idea, but I'm not very good at talking to the baby at the moment as I find it very weird and end up talking in a really silly voice. I figured that for now I'll just assume he/she is listening when I talk to DH (am trying not to swear any more!) and then maybe nearer the time I'll feel a bit more normal about talking directly to him/her. We find out on Thurs if it's a boy or girl, and we have names picked out so I might find it easier to talk to the baby then as I can use his/her name etc. But I'm not sure I'll actually be reading aloud before the birth - not sure they'll enjoy murder mysteries or Tony Benn's diaries which seem to have become my reading of choice while pregnant!

[Kewcumber]

I started at about 12 months with very short picture books. Prior to that he would fall asleep drinking his milk so no point!

[MuffinMclay]

I started at about 12 weeks. I did it more for my benefit that for ds. It was part of his bedtime routine and was something to do to fill in the time between bath, milk, bed.

[dorawannabe]

First night I bought her back home. In my opinion you can't start too early.

[millie865]

I think we started at about 4 weeks. When they are very small you can read more interesting stories than when they get older and start being aware of what you are reading. I remember my mother reading to my DD from the newspaper when she was about 2 weeks old. I don't think you can start too early. And the same goes for reading during the day too, it doesn't really matter how much of an attention span they have really.
enjoy!

[MrsBadger]

dd is 3 months and we don't have a bedtime routine as such, so I just read to her as and when during the day.
IMO (and in dd's) the high-contrast, crinkly or touchy-feely books are way too exciting for bedtime - the rythmic rhyming ones (eg Peepo, Gruffalo et al, Dr Seuss) are more use, and she enjoys the poetry I know by heart just as much atm.

[Piffle]

Not a silly question and here is another perspective
WhenI was pregnant with ds2 - dd was 4 and had a story every night without fail at 7pm.
Now ds2 is 8 mths and from birth he has always settled best sitting in with dd (now 5) having her story then him going to bed.
He will now happily turn pages in bigger books and loves laying there being read to!
So you can never start too early

[bohemianbint]

I read "Now" magazine to DS when he was about a week old. It was the body survey issue. I hope he hasn't unconsciously retained any of it.

[fullmoonfiend]

I started very young. He liked the sound of my voice (and I do remember dh used to lie with him on his tummy when he was fretful and shouty - 2/3 months? - and read Lord of the |rings aloud to him. He used to quieten and go to sleep. Must have been all those ridiculous fantasy names ). My eldest is almost 10 and struggles to find joy in reading by himself (dyslexic) but still loves having books read to him....

[bobblehead]

With dd1 I think she was around 18 months. Before that it just seemed to rile her up and she liked to crash out in our arms while drinking her milk.
Dd2 is 7 months and doesn't seem too interested in anything other than grabbing the book and chewing it. The nights she sits in on dd1's bedtime routine are terrible cos she just crawls all over the place singing and shouting over all the stories and trying to rip the book out my hands!
We always read books at other times though so I suppose you just have to see what works for you and your lo