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Children's books

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Original poster

Good books for 14 week old?

55 replies

GreenElephants · 22/01/2013 10:00

My DS is starting to show the first signs of interest in books? I have a few but I was wondering if anyone could recommend some for his age?

OP posts:
YokoUhOh · 22/01/2013 10:36

I've been given a Sophie Giraffe bath book, which has a nice squeak but it's in French so not sure if English version exists (bath is DS's favourite thing atm, he couldn't give two hoots about the book...). He's 10 weeks and ignores the B+W/mirror books I bought him :(

juneybean · 22/01/2013 10:37

Ignore the idiots, never to early to introduce books. I second whoever said the black and white picture books, baby's lack colour vision when born. Any thing with high contrast colours and simple images.

TickleMyTitsTillFriday · 22/01/2013 10:37

Black and white books were always popular.

And ignore the nasty bastards, babies like looking at things and books are made for young babies!

SolomanDaisy · 22/01/2013 10:37

Bless. Your 14 week old does not have an interest in books. Nothing wrong with giving them some to look at though. The jelly cat ones are great as they have lots of different textures for them to feel and they can go in the wash. Not many words though, so not great if you think your 14 week old is ready for phonics...

DSM · 22/01/2013 10:38

rockinghippy did you read your own first post?!

OP - it's perfectly lovely to read to your baby. I can't say I bothered at 14 weeks tbh, but each to their own. I think you probably don't want to word it that a baby has 'shown an interest' in books Grin but yeah, read to her if you like.

tribpot · 22/01/2013 10:39

There's a lot in the baby books that says you must do a lot of things. Ignore them - except for more obvious things like you must feed them, obviously :) On a more serious note, it is far more important that you enjoy your time with your baby than worry about what baby books tell you to do.

However, if you want something to read that you will enjoy, I would recommend any of the Julia Donaldson books (Gruffalo, Smartest Giant in Town, Room on the Broom etc). You can get them as board books and the rhymes are wonderfully melodic.

Root99 · 22/01/2013 10:41

There's the baby touch range from Ladybird. My first dd got very excited when she used to look at them. I would prop them up around her.
For first stories Where's Spot is brill and Peepo and Each Peach Pear Plum.
I think it's great to start reading to your baby as early as possible. It can be a really lovely way to spend time with your baby. Books are just another toy to a baby and they're also great to take out and about when they get a little older.
I must admit I do work with children's books so I am biased but I really enjoyed using books with dd1 and I'm starting to with dd2 - she's 4 months.

Bedat10 · 22/01/2013 10:43

The title of the thread makes it sound a bit pfb but I totally read to my baby from when he was tiny, it's something to do isn't it? Would rather look at books with him than just squeak a toy at him all day! He could turn the pages himself after a few months and point stuff out when asked by the time he was 1 I think. He's three now and still loves books. I have a 6 month old now as well but she just has to look at/attempt to eat whatever her brother is reading.
Recommendations - agree with pps - that's not my.. books, black and white ones and 'busy farm/airport/park' etc by Rebecca Finn were all good ones.

WowOoo · 22/01/2013 10:44

I have kept one of ds' first books. Stared at, chewed, chucked around. It was full of happy faces and black/white and bold colours. Ah !

I read from an early age to them. Partly to stop myself blathering on about nothing to poor ds.
There are some lovely cloth ones. We had one about a pig wearing a wig/frog on a log. It was a favourite.

BonzoDooDah · 22/01/2013 10:45

Good on you for starting the reading early for whatever reason. Ignore the vipers :)
My two loved the following from quite an early age:
This little baby
Baby Einstein Mirror me (They LOVED seeing their faces in the mirrors in the animal faces and (eventually) pulling faces with them)
This Little Bunny (slightly older but is a Classic in USA and Canada)
Goodnight Moon (Again a classic in USA and Canada - and rightly so - has a lovely lilting soothing pace)
Tickle, Tickle And Clap Hands by Helen Oxenbury (in fact anything by her - there's one for a little older about getting dressed)
The Helen Oxenbury ones are all cute baby pictures with them doing baby things and very simple words. Babies love looking at pictures of babies.

Have fun exploring books. It's a lovely bonding time.

FireOverBabylon · 22/01/2013 10:47

Goodnight moon is a nice one, and has both black and white pictures.

Also get a copy of the Very Hungry caterpillar. I remember reading it to DS when he was 6 months old, so a little older than your DS, and he burst into a great smile when we turned the page and he saw the butterfly at the end spoiler alert and the page after, which is lots of coloured rectangles. Small babies love to hear your voice and look at bright / contrasting images so there's no reason not to read to them

but as a librarian I would say that wouldn't I

Mosman · 22/01/2013 10:49

I used to read the telegraph and the gaurdian to mine for a bit of balance, it doesn't matter what you read at all.

Original poster
GreenElephants · 22/01/2013 10:49

I think part of it is to stop myself going mad and running out of things to babble on to him about. It is also nice time together and like you say another toy for him to play with. I am under no illusions that he is about to start reading the bloody things.

OP posts:
PetiteRaleuse · 22/01/2013 10:50

Never too early to introduce books. OP I would go have a look and pick out ones with bright colours and textures. Thick cardboard or material, nothing with paper or flaps to lift as they will get ripped off. The 'That's not my...' Ries as someone mentioned upthread is brilliant, and a few of those will keep your LO occupied for months.

I also have some which have have hand puppets in them. DD1 still loves them now at almost two, and I reckon I first showed them to her when she was about four months. One is called 'Playtime Teddy' or something like that. it's masses of fun. Don't spend a fortune, and don't worry if they show no interest other than chewing. Books are great quiet time entertainment for babies. The Book People website should be a great source of ideas and cheap box sets.

Nothing to stop you getting story books for older children and reading them to her too. She will love listening to your voice, even if she doesn't understand a word.

Original poster
GreenElephants · 22/01/2013 10:51

The recommendations are good Smile. I have always experienced very supportive responses on here, never did I think a post about books of all things would cause so much debate!

OP posts:
YokoUhOh · 22/01/2013 10:51

Grin at spoiler alert Babylon. I would also recommend the Hungry Caterpillar if DS had shown one iota of interest in it when I read it to him the other day

BeerTricksPotter · 22/01/2013 10:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

juneybean · 22/01/2013 10:54

Oh and my DC has a card foldy up thing where one side is black background with white image and the other side is white background with black image, not sure what it's called though, might be from bookstart.

CheungFun · 22/01/2013 10:54

GreenElephants I was reading books to DS at that age because you're supposed to talk to them and I had nothing interesting to say, so I read to him! I read the stories and pointed to the pictures and described the pictures and he definitely was looking at the books!

DS is now one, and books that he and I enjoy together a lot are:
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
Farm 123 by Rod Campbell
Dear Santa by Rod Campbell
Peppa Pig My Mummy book by Ladybird
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
There was an old lady who swallowed a fly
Where's Spot by Eric Hill
Baby Bathtime by DK
What a Busy Baby by Rebecca Patterson
Hippos Go Berserk by Sandra Boynton

He's not quite got the concentration for The Gruffalo and longer books yet. The main things he seems to enjoy are turning the pages, lift up flaps, babies and faces and silly animal noises!

I love reading and I hope he grows up to enjoy reading too.

CheungFun · 22/01/2013 10:57

Oh just read your later posts and I found singing nursery rhymes a good way to entertain DS and relieve stress for myself too :) I couldn't remember the words, so I bought 'Playtime Rhymes' by Sally Gardner which I really recommend and it comes with a cd so you can learn the tune too if it's a 'new' nursery rhyme!

YokoUhOh · 22/01/2013 11:00

GreenElephants sorry if this is a patronising question, but do you know lots of nursery rhymes? Instead of talking at my LO, I tend to sing lots and do 'Heads, shoulders...' etc. Apparently it encourages language acquisition, and I prefer it to banging on in 'mother-ese', it's less boring. PS Does anyone else feel like the 'baking day' mums from French and Saunders when talking about activities for their DCs? :(

YokoUhOh · 22/01/2013 11:01

X-post Cheung :)

CheungFun · 22/01/2013 11:07

Yoko I get bored of my own voice describing cutting up vegetables to DS! I just can't muster the enthusiasm! I do worry I don't talk enough, probably why I make a big thing of the books and nursery rhymes to compensate!

DS does now walk up to me and bash me with books and if I don't read he gets very annoyed!

I find it easier to talk when we're out and about and point things out to him, especially dogs!

DM said it's easier to entertain them outside as if you are indoors all day it's like a vacuum and nothing happens unless you make it happen.

Merrylegs · 22/01/2013 11:08

I was going to suggest finding a Bounce and Rhyme time session at your local library. They are specifically aimed at babies - right from tiny ones - and you can borrow lots of board books at the same time.

Bookwolf32 · 22/01/2013 11:38

Little shocked that people are mocking someone for wanting to read to their baby. I read to my 9 week old DD everyday - like some posters say its really your voice their interested in, but mine does appear to be looking at the pictures as well sometimes and where's the harm?

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