to wonder whether mine is the only toddler who is impossible to read to?

[MotherofPearl]

DD2 is 2 yr and 4 mo old. She is our third DC. As with our other children, we have read to her at bedtime since she was about 6 mo old. However, she really seems to have almost no interest in stories, and in spite of our best efforts, she seems to get less interested as she gets older.

Because we have two older DC we have a huge collection of children's story books, but I can't seem to get beyond the first page or two before she starts talking over me, grabbing the book and rapidly turning the pages over before banging it closed etc. I long to read the Julia Donaldson's to her, but she just doesn't seem to want to engage at all! Anyone else have a story-refusing toddler? It's very strange to me, as both my other DC couldn't get enough of storytime when they were little, and are both avid readers now.

And before anyone suggests that screens may be harming her attention span - I can't interest her in screens either! She takes no notice of the TV - less than no interest in Peppa or anything like that. In a way it's even worse than the lack of interest in stories!

I hope this isn’t a complaint thread. Plenty of people would pay large amounts of cash for a kid who didn’t want to listen to what the fucking ladybird heard every night.

Mine have both been through phases of this. I have just railroaded the 9 year old back to having bedtime stories after 2 years of refusal. Both had periods of time in toddlerhood that they were like this too. I kept persevering but it made me feel terrible.

It's a long game....

Is it worth reading to the other two and ignoring her for a bit? Let her see reading with mummy is a nice, calm, close thing to share?

My 20 month old is very similar. No screens, no books. Unless they're books with single pictures. eg, "Aa Apple, Bb Ball". If I even try to engage with him over them he signs "enough". I translate this to - "piss off Mum!"

Mine aren't really into stories, more bedtime songs. Think it's whatever works for LO

I thought that was normal, I read to mine as he has demanded I do from about 6 months but none of my friends toddlers like being read to very often. I always loved being read to but none of my siblings did.

My eldest was like this but would listen to poems (children’s ones obviously), specially if I did funny voices!

@feedmecoffee
Yes, sometimes we do bedtime songs or nursery rhymes which she likes to join in with. It's just books themselves she hates! 

@SaucyJack
Well, I know what you mean - but as @deplorabelle says, it makes me feel bad that she doesn't like books! I feel like one of my jobs as a parent is to instil a love of reading.

Good idea @kitkatsky. DD1 is 10 so reads to herself, but we still read to DS, so letting her listen in or observe that might help.

Keep on at it, one of my little ones as a toddler would not tolerate being read to at all, would pull books from my hand and throw them on the floor, aged 9 is now an avid reader. we kept trying as a toddler and eventually she allowed us to read, but for ages all we could read were some basic board books with simple pictures and a few words. Nothing to do with parenting as sibling has been happy to sit and be read to from an early age (sibling is quite lazy though so think they just like sitting down not doing much!)

My dd (also 2) is exactly the same. Ripping the book out of my habds and shouts no mommy!
Ds 1&2 (11 &9) love reading but prefer to read to themselves now
I got dd some of those books that you move things around in like putting teddy to bed etc. She seems to enjoy those

My DS was like this. A total contrast to his older sister who loved story time. DS is now 10 and a total book worm and just been assessed as having a reading age of 13+ and comprehensive of a 12yo. Just keep trying, but with a v relaxed take on it and don't fret. Just relish that you can get down for a quicker

She's very little - she may not have the concentration yet.
Have you tried her with non fiction - she might like books about trucks or dinosaurs to animals, where she could interact a bit more and talk about the different things.

One of mine preferred me to make stories up at that age (all the stories had to feature a little boy called DS's name who got into various adventures)
or just retell well known fairytales in your own words.

Some children (and grown ups) just aren't into fiction and made up stories. My niece would dismiss any stories about invented animals who talked or similar as 'silly'. She's grown up to be a vet, so it didn;t do her any harm. She's still not much bothered by films or TV fiction

I think it would possibly not bother you if you hadn't had two story lovers before her. But she's her own person - she doesn't have to be like her siblings, she might grow into stories when she a bit bigger but she might juts go her own way.

DS2 was like this until he was just turned 3. Now loves stories and tries to say the words along with me.

Mine hasn't changed, he's 7yo.

I read 3 lines at bedtime and he'd rather sleep than hear any more. During the day - forget about it! He just isn't interested.

He likes DH's invented stories, but could spend 2 hours+ in bed listening to them as he's very persuasive that DH continues...

I've used a story telling approach with very little children: use a couple of characters to be children (wooden peg people cake toppers work really well, but lego or playmobile will do!), and some toy animals or other bits and pieces, and do a story with props and songs. The children get up in the morning and go for a walk. They see a sheep - sing baa baa; they walk down to the river and see a frog - sing 5 little speckled frogs; then they go home and go to bed - they can see the stars shining through the window - sing twinkle twinkle. I lay out a green cloth to tell the story on and just move the bits around as I go - it gives the child something to focus on and you can change the songs whenever you find a prop/get bored of the old ones!

Mine loves being read to but won't let you finish what is on the page - she starts asking a million questions about the pictures and the story (everything that is in the story just can't get a word in edgeways to tell her!!) She is slightly older than toddler years though at 3.

Mine was like that. Still is, he's 8 now. Only allowed to read him proper stories in the past 6 months.

Thanks for the reassurances that she's not the only one. As Kurri says, I'm probably feeling frustrated about it because she's not like her siblings in this area, and I should just let her be herself.

Also some great suggestions to try with her - thanks all. I love the idea of doing a made-up story with visual props and singing Piglet. I think that might appeal to her. She's very much a doer - very active and hands-on.

Is it mainly bedtime that is the issue? Maybe she's just not soothed by books. You could try having a hand puppet that tells her a little story, or giving her a back rub or something instead? It's just about finding a comforting ritual isn't it? Then you can keep on with books in the daytime.
She may well get into books in the fullness of time, but some people's brains just don't like the passivity of fiction and stories. Maybe she'll turn out to be a maths wizz or something instead!

She might enjoy those kind of story songs - like the Old lady who Swallowed a fly or the House that Jack built.
MIne liked sort of made up story songs as well - I'd just sort of recount their day to a made up tune (or as close as I get to a tune !), or make up a song about their toys and daft stuff like that.

Two of my big hits were 'Where shall we put all the plastic rubbish ?' and 'Richie is a little rice krispie'

My 21 month ds would listen to 10000 if I read them. At least you don’t have ‘more story mummy?’ over and over!

My three year old is just the same with the incessant questioning! He won’t accept that I don’t know the answer. This evening we read a peppa book and on one page there is a character in a wheelchair and it was question after question about their wheelchair until I had fabricated a whole backstory for them 🙈

Two of my big hits were 'Where shall we put all the plastic rubbish ?' and 'Richie is a little rice krispie'