Reading books to a newborn?

[Lost773]

Are others reading books to newborns / what age did you start? How does this work when they're too little to understand/look at pictures? Is it just for vocabulary, and if so don't they get that from you just talking, or does it instil a love of books?

I don’t think newborns have any clue. They just like to hear the sound of your voice so narrating your day is just as valuable. But if you want to read then go ahead! Stories weren’t really something either of mine enjoyed until they were about 2 actually, they’d just be trying to tear the pages.

I read my books out to my newborns. Finished my books and they were happy to lay on me silently. Agree with comment above, narrating day is nice too.
When they got older we moved onto their books so those usborne touch books sometimes without words even.

I read to mine (now 1 and nearly 3) constantly when at home on maternity leave, but I will happily admit that it was mostly because it filled the time! Being at home with small babies I found the days very very long and they were always quite chilled out if I was holding them and they could hear my voice. In the really early days before eldest could understand anything I used to just read out whatever I was reading myself - quite often I'd sit down to read a chapter of a baby book and just read it out loud to them rather than in my own head they seemed to really like it anyway...

I would get some fabric books, with very, very simple shapes / pictures / mirrors, possibly in black and white. Your baby will enjoy sucking on it and shaking it around, and you've introduced the concept of books which you can add to over time.

I think the basic principle is that you will need hundreds of books during the preschool years to stop yourself going demented having to read the same story for the thousand's time. So go for age appropriate books. Keep the good ones with stories for when they understand it, which they absolutely won't as.a newborn. Buy the ones appropriate for newborns at the newborn stage.

When we started doing bed time at around 4 months we had a story.

Before that I might read them whatever book I was reading. They like hearing your voice so gave me something to say.

It’s just a nice part of the bedtime routine. We mostly used board books with fun, repetitive language. Sandra Boynton was in frequent rotation in our house.

Both of mine loved books with noises or bits to touch and press from quite early on. The "That's not my..." and "Never touch..." books are good, as well as the ones by Make believe ideas... Five Little Ducks/ Five Little Speckled Frogs etc.

You can read them to your baby, but (for when your baby is older, obviously!) they also keep sitting/crawling babies busy for a while and are very robust. They like to turn them over, open and shut them, thumb through them and mouth them.

@Ponderingwindow we adored Sandra Boynton too 😁. Newborns just like the sound of your voice I think. In the otherwise appalling film "Three Men and a Baby" there is a very sweet scene of Tom Selleck reading the sports report to the baby as a bedtime story. And joining the library once they'd got past the "I chew every book you put near me" stage was a lifesaver.

It's more a bonding thing. I'm not really a "narrate what I'm doing all day" kind of person, so for me it was a time for cuddles and it was a script so I had something to talk to him about. We did start pretty young, but it was most definitely for us rather than him.

I read to my newborn. Now he's 5 and we've never missed a night where we don't have to have at least 2 books I wanted to get into the habit early, to get him to love books.

Yes started from very young (about 2 months) as part of their routine, so much research about the benefits also baby associates books and reading as something positive. We use a lot of lift flap and touch and feel books with my youngest whose 5 months and she already reaches out and tries to turn the pages

I think any talking is just as good as reading, it's just that reading makes the talking happen.

Totally anecdotal, but my one child or four who had a bedtime story at 7.30 each day was by far the best sleeper, and has turned out the most academic so far ....

No idea if there is anything in this or if that's just who he is but I've been reading atleast 1 bedtime story (if not more throughout the day) to my 3 year old every day since he was 6 weeks old. He absolutely loves books, is clever and I'm always told how good his speech is.

My nearly 1 year old however is not interested!

I used to read whatever I was reading to my newborn. Bit of Jack Reacher, bit of Sarah Maas. It was just a nice way to pass some time. Then I started to read kids books when she was 9 months or so. She's a little book fiend now, probably wants to find out what happens to Jack 😂

I'd never heard of this until my latest GC was born, a month ago. I think it's a lovely idea. Babies like to hear a calm, familiar voice.

Once they could hold up their heads and look so about 3 months

Touch and feel books are good

when they’re a baby/toddler, great. When they’re a newborn, and spend all their time feeding and sleeping, i honestly cannot see the point- and I speak as someone who has read millions of books to both my kids! Strikes me as just another thing for a new mum to feel anxious about - should I be doing this, is my baby missing out if I don’t etc. no!

(Although obviously if you want to, go for it. I just can’t realistically see what good it would do over just, say, talking to them)

Ready anything out loud I’d great! I had no idea what to do with my first ad I had zero guidance but thought I should use my voice as n dd bc e as ch day I stumbled to the corner shop for a newspaper and read to him 😆
all before internet/streaming

I felt. Had to be animated and have lots of eye contact
it really wasn’t the content just the interaction

Oh dear should really check behind hitting post!😑

There's evidence that being read to as a baby increases a child's vocabulary long term. Possibly because we are more likely to use parentese when reading which helps language acquisition. You're sitting down, cuddling your baby, sharing a simple activity. Why wouldn't you do it? You might as well ask when should you start singing nursery rhymes. It's beneficial from day one. And read books you enjoy as well, it's fine to read longer stories when they are little, it's nicer for you. Keep boring things like 'Where's Spot' for when they start interacting.

It doesn’t guarantee they will love books when they are older by reading to them young but it is still possible very beneficial to them.
I didn’t do it much for Dc when they were newborn. Now It’s part of the bedtime routine and also it’s a nice activity during the day if we can’t get out and about. Toddler likes to pick out his own books and has his favourites. He loves animal ones because we try do as many animal sounds as we are able. He also loves the lift the flap and touch and feel ones. Sometimes we talk about the pictures instead of reading. Some books he only wants certain pages.
The baby mostly likes to grab the book but he is only 6M old.

I didn't care what actually benifit it was I just did it because it was nice

It sounds a bit PFB but I read to mine from before birth. They can hear from about halfway through pregnancy and I was worried I just wasn’t talking enough wfh, so I started reading aloud sometimes. Whatever I felt like reading ag that point. Sometimes it was picture books as I started to build a collection in preparation for the birth.
Reading to a newborn does a couple of things. It’s just more speech to listen too, which matters more when you’re alone on maternity leave with a newborn rather than in a busy household with multiple people around all day all talking to the baby a little bit as well as to each other. It also introduces books as an object associated with something nice - cuddles and attention and a soothing voice from a parent, which is great for later when books become a great source of vocabulary and concepts outside of what your baby experiences in their life at home with you. - All two year olds know what a cow is, but a large proportion of city dwelling two year olds may not have ever seen one close up.
By 7months my baby loved having stories read. We also had books for eating (fabric ones, and mini board books attached to the buggy) but we also had a big box full of stories to read. Board books are good to start with because they can’t be ripped easily.

I read to both of mine from when they were a few weeks old. I would lie them on their play mat or sit them in a bouncer chair and hold a picture book/board book up for them to see. Slowly move it around side to side and they will soon be able to ‘track’ it. Read a few pages, point out a couple of things, even better if the book makes a noise etc.

Lovely, easy, free bonding activity. Definitely helps with vocabulary and sets up a love of reading as you will naturally make time for books in your daily routine.

Rhyme time sessions at local libraries are worth a look too and most libraries have a great selection of books suitable for babies too - I used to choose lots of the black and white books for mine.