To not want to read really shit books to my baby?

[CooCooCaChu]

I've got an eight month old baby. We've got lots of really basic baby books. You know the kind, red circle on one page, blue triangle on the next. Or the endless 'that's not my ...'.

I find it incredibly boring to keep going 'oh look, this is a cow. Moooo.'

If I don't read these basic books, will she miss out on something important developmentally? Or can I skip straight to things with more of a narrative so I don't feel the need to stab myself in the eye just to create a bit of excitement?

Yabu you need to spend hours reading 'here is a car, brum brum'
Yanbu read something more fun, your baby will probably enjoy it more anyway

Yes!

A few nursery rhyme books too

I said up thread, dated talkabout books were the only books I'd binned, jigsaw books may have come to the same fate.
They are horrendous blinking things.

Noisy books are charity shop fodder

NEVER let a book with puzzle pieces built into it enter your house. EVER.

Solid parenting advice here

Yeah those books are much more fun when they’re toddlers and copy what you say and then remember some. To a baby… blergh, boring. Not to brag but… I can recite Julia Donaldsons stick man word for word without opening one page, so yeah.

We mixed in the That’s Not My style of books with things like The Baby Who Wouldn’t Go to Bed, Aliens Love Underpants and Hairy McLairy (these are grand for the rhythms of speech), The Tiger Who Came to Tea. Anything by Helen Cooper, Julia Donaldson & Axel Schaefer.

(I deeply loathed the Biff, Chip & Kipper books they read at school)

Exactly. Read your baby whatever you’re reading. I was writing an essay on an Irish mid-century short story writer while I was on maternity leave, so baby DS got a lot of rural angst and smalltown widowhood, with visual stimulation courtesy of whatever was on in Tate Modern. His dislike of spiders might be from too much Louise Bourgeois.

Layer we moved on to Enid Blyton edited to be less sexist. ‘No,’ said Anne, ‘Why don’t YOU make nice heathery beds in the cave, Ju, while George and I track the villains?’

Those of you who hate Biff, Chip and Kipper have obviously never had the joy of the Read Write Inc reading scheme books, where every word has to be phonetically decodable. I miss Biff, Chip and Kipper.

I will follow up some of the suggestions as there's a few I've not heard of.

I'm not sure if I was clear in the original post, as some people have misunderstood. I'm absolutely fine with reading picture books with some semblance of a story, nursery rhymes etc. Love Hairy McClary, Mog etc and have happily read these millions of times to older DCs.

It's specifically the ones with no words, just a picture of a ball on one page and a kite on the next that I hate. I have been given/acquired loads over the years and a recent visitor (being vague for anonymity) was outraged that I wasn't spending time going over them with my baby and was very certain that just letting them listen to books I'm reading the older DCs would be really harmful. Glad for the reassurance this is not the case!

We read both baby books and slightly longer more interesting kids ones… to be honest at that age they would’ve been more than happy for me to just read them my book

The basic baby toddler books with “no words- a picture of a ball on one page and a kite” are designed for babies to play with or look at when they’re amusing themselves really. That’s why they’re made from thick sturdy (indestructible) cardboard.

I can’t imagine many parents read them as a bedtime story for an 8 month old.

Once your baby is able to identify a simple picture, form some basic one syllable words and link that word to an image of the object, they have some educational use, in the same way a “flash card” is used to teach the basics of language to a beginner.

Simple sounds repeated and linked to an image can help develop the first attempts at speech.

Mine used to love You Choose by Nick Sharatt & some of the others are good.

Try the Julia Donaldson ones. Things like Gruffalo & Stick Man.

DD used to love the Maisy books. Lift the flap one was good.

That being said, baby books aren’t essential for speech or language development!

Parents naturally point to everyday objects and repeat the noun for babies to learn, as I’m sure you do.

Do use the library to ease your boredom. But toddlers have favorites often - books read to them since they were babies, so I would keep a few of the better ones on repeat.

Try Peepo! , Dear Zoo, Each Peach Pear Plum , DS loved these from very tiny. The pictures and the rhythm of the text. He loved the pictures in much ‘older’ books like Beatrix potter even as a 1 year old. Just read what you like to them. I found the very tiny baby books dull and I think DS did too at a very young age. I honestly don’t think it matters as long as there is something colourful to point at and discuss . It’s the act of sitting and reading together that is the most important thing. A great one is ‘first thousand words’ there’s hundreds of things to point at and name. Google usborne toddler books there are so many.

Same! Beatrix potter from a few months old, DS loved them

I had a pair of guinea pigs who loved the political broadcasts on radio 4. Seriously. My other piggies have all preferred music stations.

Exactly- and I'm sure children learn better that's a cow when one is pointed out in a field than they do from seeing a cartoon picture in a book.

But also things change and those books date very badly.

I read the Mr men books to mine.

So basic, but they do cover basics like colours, shapes, position (under over in), and the ones with a single word change are dealing with language, rhyme.
I loved this one

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Owl-Babies-Martin-Waddell/dp/0744531675/ref=asc_df_0744531675/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310871971371&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12800798191382052506&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007877&hvtargid=pla-486868348260&psc=1

I think a lot of babies aren't that interested in books, and it's find not to read them if that's the case. You can just talk and interact in other ways. Singing IMO is as good for babies as reading.

But there are some great kids books, I would keep a look out and try those. Don't read crap books.

They might seem crap to you, but some of them have words that interest babies, its something about the sound and repetition. Whatever you read, read to your baby. And therr are so many great books out there! Babies grow to have a love of books early and it is really good for them later in life as well (avid reader since being a baby myself!), my DS also loved books since he was born, he started crawling at four months to get to his bookshelf 😅

At the moment, you are in control and can choose. As long as you are reading something to her and talking to her, she'll be fine.

Wait until your dc can decide what she wants to hear. You'll get to the point you can recite Room on the Broom with your eyes shut. Which means at least you can rest your eyes. 😁

I’m very grateful DD has memorised lots of her books: she reads them to the baby while I have a cup of tea and piss about on the internet.

Current favourites in this house are Barbara Throws a Wobbler and Beast Feast. Also one written in made-up insect language in case you want to develop your baby’s language skills into bug speak.

At this age you read them ANY kind of book YOU want

Alice and wonderland. Or Harry Potter.

Fudge all these ridiculously boring baby books. And even when your kid is a bit older you still don't have to read all these simple mind-numbing books.

You can do it for playtime I guess

But for bed time. Read whatever
You are not limited to only good night moon or what noise the cow makes :)

But also things change and those books date very badly.

Yeah we've been given some older story books where I've gotten to a point in a story and just though 'oh god' and made the rest up as certain parts are just no longer appropriate