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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

How many books is 'too many' at 8m old?

100 replies

AliceTheCamelHasFiveHumps · 19/08/2020 08:40

Ok, I'm not stealth boasting. I promise. Cross my heart.
My DD 8m has a collection of about 40 board books. Mostly for me really. Because I know she won't get bored of the same three books, but I sure do. She has some upstairs for bedtime and the rest down, on her shelf of the bookcase along with her box of toys.
My friend made a comment and said I was trying too hard :(

OP posts:

MaryShelley1818 · 19/08/2020 11:03

We love books! 2yr old DS has a huge collection, a bookcase in his room, loads of board books on our Kallax in the front room, a small bookcase next to the sofa full of large paper books and a few special collectables and early editions.

Books are amazing, his favourite part of the day is choosing his bedtime story book.

Notcontent · 19/08/2020 11:08

Agree that you can never have too many books!

This reminds me of when I was decluttering a while ago and offered a neighbour a box of lovely children’s books - she accepted them but said “not sure when we will get to use these as my girls can’t read yet...”

DCIHoops · 19/08/2020 11:19

@CentrifugalBumblePuppy

There is no such thing as too many books.

Having no books is concerning.

Your friend is an arse.

This ^^

Angelina82 · 19/08/2020 11:36

No such thing as too many books. I bought my grandson around a dozen by the time he was a month old. You friend is a dick.

yoyo1234 · 19/08/2020 11:43

It is up to you. You are the one that will be reading them out loud.
Personally, I do think it is possible to have too much ( seen what hoarding can look like) and this can be books as well. It depends on space/storage and priorities ( eg if exits were blocked and dangerous).

JammyHands · 19/08/2020 11:47

I’m sorry for your friend and her kids. Give it a couple of years and you’ll have a 3 yo who will spend an hour alone quietly looking at books. By the time she’s ten, she’ll be spending hours reading. Books are worth every penny.

Stackys · 19/08/2020 11:54

Friend is jealous and insecure.

RB68 · 19/08/2020 12:02

No such thing as too many, but kids that age will listen to anything. My DH used to read DD the economist in odd sentences as he read it at bedtime. USed to send her off no problem. We did other books as well but once she had been through 2 or three the big stuff came out lol

HunterAngel · 19/08/2020 12:08

DS is 18 months and has at least 50 books. Some were gifts or hand me downs, others o brought. He gets read to every night at bedtime and has sensory books scattered around for him to pick up and fiddle with during the day. He even has the Disney advent calendar of books for Christmas. There’s no such thing as too many books!

bridgetreilly · 19/08/2020 12:13

The thing that's nice about children's books is that when they start learning to read letters and words, these first books will get another go round because they'll be able to start reading them for themselves. Enjoy reading with your little one, OP, and I hope she it never once crosses her head that it might be possible to have too many books!

Letseatgrandma · 19/08/2020 12:14

We always had loads of books but not loads of board books-they take up loads of room. We had far more paperback picture books.

Strongswans · 19/08/2020 12:16

Books have a simple rule - you can never have too many books.

We always have a lot in our house, new and old, bought and passed on, read and unread.

cautionhot · 19/08/2020 12:21

I get bored reading the same ones too. I bought my baby some books recently with the animal sounds so I could he could push the buttons.

itbemay1 · 19/08/2020 12:23

My two had a lot of book choice when they small and they last, I was still reading books to them that I had at 1y when they were 5.

Cattenberg · 19/08/2020 12:24

DD loved books from a very young age, although it was many months before she could follow the simplest of storylines. I think she just liked words and pictures. As baby books are very short, she’d want me to read her 10-20 books a day.

Like you, I bought plenty of books, partly for my own sanity. There are only so many times I could read Baby Colours or That’s Not My Dinosaur without going mad.

Some babies aren’t very interested in books. That’s OK too. They’re all different.

Snowybean · 19/08/2020 12:27

I need more books!

Bellesavage · 19/08/2020 12:31

I have about the same for my DC and now my 5yo DD has hundreds of books. I'd rather buy a book than sweets and she's and avid reader now.

With lockdown and libraries closed its even more necessary, otherwise you'd go crazy reading the same few!

GrumpyHoonMain · 19/08/2020 12:34

@AliceTheCamelHasFiveHumps

Ok, I'm not stealth boasting. I promise. Cross my heart. My DD 8m has a collection of about 40 board books. Mostly for me really. Because I know she won't get bored of the same three books, but I sure do. She has some upstairs for bedtime and the rest down, on her shelf of the bookcase along with her box of toys. My friend made a comment and said I was trying too hard :(

No such thing as too many books. My son is 8 mo and has started to recognise his favourite books and brings them to me or DH to read - the HV thinks it’s great and a sign that he’ll enjoy reading.

Brakebackcyclebot · 19/08/2020 12:39

You can't have "too many" books!

I would judge your 'friend' for not having many though.

My DCs had hundreds of books. I was told off once when DC2 was in year 4 for allowing him to read books his teacher felt were too old for him (Harry Potter and the like, hardly 50 shades of grey ). I ignored her. He's 13 now and reads all sorts. His older brother is 16 and also reads voraciously, as do I. Reading is fab for vocabulary, imagination, brain development, and you can't start too young!

GrolliffetheDragon · 19/08/2020 12:40

Have to agree you can't have too many books. DS has loads, more than can fit in his bookcase. There's another bookcase of books for older children/younger teens from when I was young that he can start reading if he wants to in a few years. Plus my bookshelves.

I grew up surrounded by books and wanted the same for him.

lanthanum · 19/08/2020 13:17

We had loads, but rarely new. We were also lucky enough to be near the library, so we could go and get a new set of 12 every 2/3 days (and raid the ones they were selling off at 30p too). An annual toy sale locally meant we sold a lot of them on as she outgrew them (and bought more cheaply). One time I sent her to clear out the outgrown ones she gave me 75. The space was soon filled again.
The library is particularly useful at the learning to read stage, as you want plenty of books they haven't seen before (plus the earliest readers are boring enough you don't want to read them twice).

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 19/08/2020 13:30

There is no such thing as too many books!

I say that, sitting at my desk in my library - honest to God, I have a room full of books - and despite having shelving on three of the four walls, I still don't have room for all our books - there are two more book cases in the dining room.

cornflakegirl · 19/08/2020 13:33

I think you can have too many books. I went through a phase of buying anything that looked good from the charity shop. My kids would have preferred a smaller number of books that they had chosen. My worthy books were largely ignored.

Soon2bemummyof3 · 19/08/2020 16:01

Your friend is a dick! You can never have too many books ❤️🤓📘 🐛

Holothane · 19/08/2020 16:06

Good grief I have 100s on my kindle I’ve always loved books, I’ve told dh on 10th September I’m off duty, new Ken fillet out then in the kingsbridge series, so it’s treats and me with my book, the world, Covid 19 can fuck off that day. Your friends a dickhead.

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