Bedtime story - when?

[fizzpops]

My DD loves books and we are almost constantly reading to her at the moment. I keep hearing how important it is to integrate them into her bedtime routine but after her bath she is so tired and just wants milk and bed and before then we are reading anyway.

Do I need a specific 'bedtime' reading session? Can we do this when she is older instead as I can't see how we can fit it in at the moment?

Isn't the most important thing that she is 'reading' whenever it happens to be?

I can't fit it into my DDs (14mo) routine yet, shes too tired after her milk and i've only just been able to start reading to DS (3yo) at bed time. I read to them both during the day instead. Can't wait till i can sit them both in DS's bed to read to them together.

My DD is exactly the same, shes nearly 17 months and all we do is read books to her all day! I dont think you need to change her bedtime routine if it works for her and you.
How old is she?

Not sure what age we started with DD (or DS for that matter ) but we started by just telling stories rather than reading.
Did our own version of 3 Little Pigs or Goldilocks to a very dozy child. Was lovely AND really helped if they woke up in the middle of the night as retelling the story tended to send them back to sleep.

We didn't do it with ds as a regular thing until he was in a bed which was about 2.4. As long as you are reading books surely that is all that matters. I wouldn't worry about bedtime until it starts to help the routine rather than hinder.

Can you read to themduring milk time? We read to DS1 before his day time naps, before bath time and then before bedtime while he has his milk. DS2 basically just gets to listen to his big brother's stories at the moment (though he is only 8 weeks old..)

bedtime?

I read DSs story as he gets into bed. He doesn't have milk at bedtime anymore (unless he asks for it), so I take him out of the bath and dry and dress him on the bed, then tuck him in bed & brush his teeth. Then we read a story and I go out. Otherwise I'd do it when he was having his milk?

we started reading every night to DS when he was 4 mo. obviously he didn't understand a word of what we were reading to him, but still he was listening to the sound of my voice, which is something i suppose. he gets stories read to him throughout the day and just after dinner (before bathtime). so we don't read him a bedtime story as such, but I'm sure that will happen as he gets older and is able to stay up later.
I don't really see that it matters what time of day we read to our kids, as long as they are familiar with reading and books. it's a good start for them.

Can't see why you should have to read specifically at bedtime if you're reading to her at other times.

I'd imagine that advice is aimed at people trying to establish a 'bedtime routine'. Seems like you already have one of those and aren't having trouble getting your DD to sleep, so it doesn't apply in your case.

My gran told my mom to start reading 'early' to me, so my mom started at 6 months. Gran said 'I didn't mean that early!'. But I was reading alone from age 4 and still love it now, so am planning on early reading for mine!

Thanks for all the replies! She is almost 1 and I am very keen on making sure she loves books as much as me, but I think adding a story at milk time might be too exciting for her - she will be trying to sit up and get a better look etc.

She gets a lot of book time so hopefully she will naturally be a book lover.

I used to look at books with mine after mealtimes while he was still in his highchair - he had a full tummy and loved it!

I started reading to ds when he was about 8 months old, and I read to him as he was having his last breast feed before going to sleep. I kept it to a small number of books at first (to keep the routine calming rather than exciting).

We dropped the last bf when he was 2, but he still loves a story now, aged 9. So do I!

Ds is 6. We read mostly chapter books now. We are both loving The Faraway Tree at the moment. I love it that he's enjoying what was one of my favourites and still is!

I must say though that although these stories are fab they do not tend to have the beautiful, stunningly illustrated, extremely busy pictures that his previous picture story books had. When we used to be reading them he was sat up looking, pointing discussing etc which is excellent but very stimulating at a time when you're hoping they'll wind down a bit! Now we're on the chapters he does settle better - lying down absorbed in the story and almost ready to doze off too - he was never like that with Tatty Ratty, Duck in the Truck and the Maisy books. Hey - I've only just realised that! Thanks - ds went through an awful bedtime phase but now we're in a great one :-)

I used to LOVE the Faraway Tree books when I was younger!!!! I can't wait to read them to my two but DS is only 4 and DD is 9 months so am restraining myself .... FOR NOW !!!!

fizzpops, DD has just turned 2 and until recently we used to read to her at any and all times of day except right before bed! We'd often read to her in the sitting room before she headed off to bed, but not after we'd started putting pyjamas on etc. etc.

In the last couple of weeks, though, she's started wanting Hairy Maclary's Bone every night, in bed (she's in a big bed now). In other words, she's made it part of the routine herself.

Vesela, I am hoping this is what will happen in future - I still love to read in bed!

I've read to DS at bedtime from birth, he doesn't know any different, but it's reading that's important, not the time of day.