Tips for Reading to Your Baby

December Newsletter Article; Do you have any tips for reading to your baby?

Tips for Reading to Your Baby

By Nancy Held RN, MS, IBCLC, Vice President of Clinical & Educational Services

When should I begin reading to my baby?
It’s never too early to begin reading to your baby. Research has demonstrated the value of early and frequent reading aloud to babies and increased verbal and reading skills in kindergarten and beyond.

How do I keep my baby’s attention when reading aloud?
Since your face is your baby’s favorite toy, it is helpful to position your baby to be able to see both your face and the book at the same time. By turning the baby so her body is at a 45 degree angle on your lap, you encourage her to see both your face and the book while you read, allowing the her to see your expressions and what your mouth looks like when you make different sounds.
What kind of books do young infants enjoy?
Babies enjoy board books with simple drawings, and high contrast colors (black, white and red are easiest for babies to see).
According to Mem Fox, author of Reading Magic, Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change their Lives Forever, books with rhythm, rhyme, and repetition with capture your baby’s interest and promote a life long love of reading.
Babies enjoy listening to your voice, so whether it is a board book, nursery rhymes, a magazine, the newspaper or a book of poems that you choose to read, your baby will be captivated if you use expressions and excitement in your voice. Read slowly, with pauses, so your baby’s excitement builds in anticipation of the next page.
Should I read to our baby at bedtime?
Absolutely! It can be very helpful as part of a bedtime routine to consistently read a few short books before bedtime. Babies love repetition, so if you read the same books at bedtime, they can become a part of your ritual. However, anytime is a good time to read a book aloud to a baby, so keep books throughout your apartment or house, in your diaper bag and in your car.


What are some of DayOne’s favorite books for babies?
White on Black (Tana Hoban)
Goodnight San Francisco (Adam Gamble)
Hug (Jez Alborough)
Moo Baa La La La (Sandra Boynton)
Each Peach Pear Plum (Janet & Allan Ahlberg)
Urban Babies Wear Black (Michelle Sinclair Colman)
Are You My Mother? (P.D. Eastman)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Bill Martin)
Yum Yum Dim Sum (Amy Wilson Singer)
Owl Babies (Martin Waddell)
Where’s Spot? (Eric Hill)
Maisy’s Favorite Things (Lucy Cousins)
Dr. Seuss’s ABCs (Dr. Seuss)
Olivia Counts (Ian Falconer)
My Toys, Mi Juguetes (Rebecca Emberley)
Bread and Jam for Frances (Russell Hoban)
Ten Little Fingers Ten Little Toes (Mem Fox)



Recommended Reading for Parents
Reading Magic, Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever, revised edition, by Mem Fox. 2008. NY: Harcourt Press.