To those moms who read to their babies

[Beemommy]

...how do you manage to do that?? I would love to read to my 10 month old DS but he won't concentrate on one thing for more than 20 seconds. He constantly wants to move around and gets bored with everything very quickly. He wouldn't even play with one toy for more than a minute even if it's new!! Is it normal?

[Flingmoo]

Even at bedtime when he's all snugged up on your lap in PJs with the lights dimmed etc? Mine has always been a lot more likely to sit and concentrate on stories at bedtime. He's 2.5 now and bedtime is now when we have the best conversations too - the only time when he knows there's no other distractions and no option to just run off and play with toys etc!

We've had bedtime stories every night from a few months old. Make it part of the routine. Daytime stories can come later when they actually take an interest.

It also helps to make it fun and interactive for them, getting him to turn the pages, skipping through the book quickly if you have to, singing the words, making your own words up to make it more brief, making animal noises etc. Touchy-feely and lift-the-flap books are also good at that age!

[catkind]

I think your mistake may be in expecting a book to last more than 20 seconds. Don't try to do stories, just simple board or fabric books, mine used to like ones with pictures of babies and usually a mirror hiding at the end somewhere, or things to touch or silly noises. Something he can hold and turn pages in himself. It doesn't matter if he looks at 2 pages and then wanders off. It builds up over time.
Also don't aim for the times he's actively playing so much as when he's been doing that for an hour or two and comes to you for a cuddle. How do your bedtimes work at the moment? After bath was always a story time here.
There will be phases when they've just discovered a new skill charging around crawling/cruising walking and books get less of a look in. If they're around most babies do come back to them and love them.

[Flingmoo]

Oh yes and some books are definitely more engaging for babies than others. I think at that age mine preferred ones where the pictures were either photographs or really clear illustrations which are easy to identify.

Lots of bright colours = good, but not so much visual clutter that they can't figure out what's going on in the picture. He was definitely not interested in the ones where the illustrations were abstract, arty paintings, with wishy-washy colours etc.

Here's some examples of what I mean. Obviously everyone has different preferences but when my son was this age, the pirate book in the picture would have been too busy and too hard to see what's going on. The 'on the night you were born' book was too wishy-washy as the text and the pictures were just not exciting for him at that age.

The Usborne books are a lot better at that age, as well as anything with actual photographs in!

[LegoCaltrops]

We started when DD was a few weeks old. At that age apparently they can't see colour very well, so black & white is better, we got a free monochrome book from Bookstart. Used to read the same few books & make up actions, usually that involved tickling or similar, things that she would anticipate & enjoy. Moved onto other books like this one then this one which we turned into a story with the pictures & numbers as prompts for the story which we made up.

[dailymaillazyjournos]

DGD really loved the books in this series.
She has Bib on Bunny and Bedtime Teddy. The reader puts their finger through puppet and reads book. DGD loves biting bunny on the nose and gets very excited about the puppet and squeals at him. At mealtimes when I put her in her highchair I always say 'Bib On Bunny' and she is happy to let me put her arms in the sleeves. Always smiles when I say it. (She doesn't like sleeves!). The puppet part brings the book to life for babies/toddlers I think.

[TenaciousOne]

We started young so by 10 months it was part of the bedtime routine. We only used board and cloth books at that age, as he would hold on to the book and help turn pages.

[willitbe]

With an active child I think that lift the flap board books are best, get them turning the pages, and lifting the flaps. A good starter is "Dear Zoo"


When reading:

• use the rhythm of the book with a tuneful rhythmic voice,
  
• make all the animal sounds,
  
• react to the words so when it says grumpy put on a grumpy voice and facial expression, when it says jumpy use a squeaky bouncy voice and if the child happens to be on your lap gently jiggle them bouncing on your lap!. EG use gestures (including facial) to interpret the words phyiscally.
  

• Encourage your child to lift the flaps and to turn the pages, getting them actively involved,
  

• show enthusiasm and surprise at what is under the flap or on the next page (fake it if you don't feel it!!!!).
  

Practical things:

To start with they may turn backwards as well as forwards with the pages, go with the flow! Read whichever page they turn to, they may like a particular page, being read to them. Don't force them to go through the book page by page if they don't want to, let that be a part of the fun later.

Just handling the books and having fun with mummy or whoever is reading is the key, rather than the story per say. The full story bit will come as the books change as they get older.

Also if you have a very reluctant child to sit with you to read, just sit yourself nearby on a comfy chair, with a fun book (like dear zoo) and read it out loud to yourself making all the noises and lifting the flaps showing that you are enjoying yourself (but not showing the book to the child). It is amazing how this works to pique the interest of a child to come over to see what you are looking at and having fun with......!!!!!!! Good old reverse psychology at work!

Most important is to find a book that you enjoy reading too, the more fun you have reading it, the more the child will have fun.


A rough guide to books to choose:

under 6 months board books stood up on view while they are on the floor looking around. soft books for looking at together (chewing on them is the usual reaction!)

6 months to a year, it is essential that the books have rhythm and something for the child to do, turning pages, touch and feel, lift the flap. Ideally things that they can learn to recognise too, animals, vehicles, and especially everyday objects in some books.

Children around the 12-18months mark, love doing books where they have to find things in the pictures. I have found "duck in the truck" a great book for this age after they start to enjoy listening to stories.

by around 2 years children are starting to show an interest in particular characters (often tv characters) so a few books in this line become popular, but it is sometimes hard to find them with good stories. But there are plenty of "silly" stories that they will love, in terms of "aliens love underpants" or "everyone poops"

The older children get the more preference they have to particular books / authors.

[AngelsWithSilverWings]

Read to my DS at bedtime from 10 months to about age 9 when we switched to asking him to read to us.

Mainly it involved him holding the book and turning the pages while I read. Usually the same book over and over again.He loved being read to but it hasn't turned him into a book worm unfortunately.He's 11 now and picking up a book is the last thing he wants to do 😕

[AngelsWithSilverWings]

Sorry that should day he's now 11

[Mrscog]

Definitely don't force it if they're not interested - DS1 wasn't interested, I would try a book a few times a week - picture books with actual photos hooked him in eventually (around 20 months).

I used to get terrible guilt sparked by 'you should read to them every night from when they're tiny' but we talked to him in lots of other ways. He's now 4.5, loves stories and is perfectly good at phonics at school so starting later didn't hinder his progress.

DS2 completely different, has happily sat and listened to books since he was teeny tiny, and at 18 months will actually sit through the Gruffalo and point out various characters. DS1 was 3 before he could do that.

[MrsWombat]

My nearly 2 year old still isn't in to stories yet, but loves the books where you point at pictures of different things like this: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1405370165/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 At 8 months he loved this sort of book: www.amazon.co.uk/Things-That-Go-Touch-First/dp/0241243262/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1479037884&sr=1-3&keywords=black%20and%20white%20baby%20book&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

My 8 year old was the same but grew out of it and I ended up having to read very long Thomas The Tank Engine stories to him as a pre-schooler. He is also a fantastic reader now.