Search This Blog

Why do I read to my baby?

OK, so at nearly 8 months old Poppy may not be able to follow the plot of a story, but reading to her is about much more than just the words.




As a tiny bundle of newborn loveliness, she was soothed by the sound of my voice when I was reading. It was such a special way to bond and, in the early days, it didn't even matter what I chose to read. In my sleep deprived, coffee fuelled state I just grabbed whatever came to hand.

As Poppy grows, talking and reading to her will (hopefully) boost her vocabulary and aid her language development. However, at this young age, reading is clearly already beneficial. She responds to my facial expressions and the tone of my voice. She gets excited and moves her little arms and legs frantically when the pace of the story quickens. She enjoys holding her board books, looking at the pictures and turning the pages. Of course, she does occasionally give the books a good chomp. Here are a few of her tastiest recommendations:


The Secret Garden - A Flowers Primer - Jennifer Adams and Alison Oliver (BabyLit)

I absolutely adore our collection of BabyLit board books. Each title is inspired by a classic text but is a basic primer so they make perfect first books. We have “Pride and Prejudice” which introduces numbers, “Emma” which introduces emotions and “The Secret Garden” which introduces flowers. The Secret Garden is our favourite as it features a Poppy! The illustrations of all the books are bold and bright yet remain relevant to the classic text. BabyLit now offer a huge selection of titles. Moby Dick and A Midsummer Night’s Dream are on our wish list. There really is something for everyone and they would make a fantastic Baby Shower gift.

Tickle Tickle - Helen Oxenbury

This book was a firm favourite in my house growing up. The story is a very simple and short description of the babies’ day. It shows playtime, bathtime and bedtime and uses brilliant sounding language, such as “squelch” and “scrub-a-dub”. It is perfect as a bedtime story, although as the name suggests, it does involve some tickling! Helen Oxenbury’s beautiful illustrations of the cuddly babies are full of expression and charm.


Faces

Apparently black and white books are highly beneficial for young babies. I’ve been told that this is because new babies have limited vision and respond best to high contrast, bold images. The images in turn stimulate visual development. Well, whatever the reasons, my three have all loved black and white books. This one has been the most popular as it is a cloth book with simple bold images of mummy, daddy and baby. It can be chewed, sucked and snuggled and I have actually put it in the washing machine (this is probably not advised).  It also has a little safety mirror on the front. It works very well in a black/white themed treasure basket.


Owl Babies - Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson

Certainly one of the best picture books to cuddle up with. Owl Babies, is the story of three little owls, who are waiting for their mummy to return from hunting. The little owls’ growing concern for their mother as they wait is clear. They each have their own personalities and the littlest owl, Bill, clearly needs his mummy the most. It is beautifully written and, ends with mummy owl returning and calmly reassuring her babies.


There’s An Owl in My Towel - Julia Donaldson and Rebecca Cobb

A lovely lift-the-flap rhyming book for babies, toddlers and anyone that enjoys a good sing song! There are actions to join in with and a song that can be accessed online. The actual story describes how a collection of animals are getting in baby's way as he goes about his day. This is a good book for talking about routine and it has quickly become a favourite here.


The Book Trust

The Book Trust ensures that all babies in the UK are provided with a Bookstart Baby Pack. This usually includes two board books, a rhyme sheet and tips for sharing books. If you have not received a pack from your Health Visiting Team,they advise to contact your local library. More information can be found at: http://www.bookstart.org.uk/about/packs/

You can find all these recommendations and lots more in the Baby's First Books section of our Amazon Store now (affiliate links).

Do you have any recommendations for first books?
We would love to hear from you!


Until next time... HAPPY READING!
Kate & the Mini Reviewers xx




Please note that this post contains Amazon Affiliate links, you can read more about what this means here.

19 comments:

  1. I think it's so important to read to kids from a young age. My daughter is 5 and loves reading, we've read to her every night since she was a baby :) #KCACOLS

    ReplyDelete
  2. Some great recommendations, I'm always looking for new books to read my daughter. Giraffes can't dance is one of our favourites, it has a lovely rhythm. #KCACOLS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw love Giraffes Can't Dance too :) A great book for celebrating our differences!

      Delete
  3. We're huge fans of Owl Babies :) I often give Dear Zoo as a first baby book (although it needs to be read to very little ones under supervision as it has flaps).

    #readwithme

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes Dear Zoo, so great and colourful :) Fab suggestion Catherine :)

      Delete
  4. I really want the Emma babylit book! Emma is by far my favourite Austen and I have the Cozy Classic version for BookBairn. Also, we got There's an Owl in my Towel from the library but, as yet, she's not very taken with it. Can't wait to read Owl Babies with BookBairn, but I'm saving it for a special occasion (hatches a plot!). Lovely selection! #readwithme

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Have you listened to the song online? We couldn't stop singing it lol! Also not sure if you have read I Am Bear yet but there is a music video online for that too -my 2 year old is obsessed..."more bear"..."more owl towel"...

      Delete
  5. Wonderful recommendations, I think reading is important at any age, we are always learning something! Thanks for sharing with #ReadWithMe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for hosting - a great selection of posts as always :)

      Delete
  6. I agree about the importance of books and any sort of reading material for children. The older mine get the more I'm amazed at what they pick up to read and also what they will then start asking about. Posters, adverts, all sorts along the street when we are out and about. It makes for interesting discussions...not all of them I want to be having with a 7 year old when they are asking about some topics from posters they see or film flyers!

    mainy - myrealfairy
    #KCACOLS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah yes, my eldest isn't at that stage yet. I'm sure you have some really interesting questions thrown at you :)

      Delete
  7. my older two (3 and 2) read to me (almost) four week old. Never too early to introduce them to books x
    #readwithme

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Certainly never too early. It's so lovely to watch siblings interacting with each other :) Congratulations on your new arrival!!

      Delete
  8. Poppy looks like she is really enjoying her books, reading is such a good habit to get in to young. I love your selections of books as they always have old favourites in as well as new titles. #readwithme

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh thank you Acorn Books - I do try to get a bit of variety in my round ups. Poppy really does enjoy her books and I think because she sees us all reading, it is very natural for her :)

      Delete
  9. I love the idea of the board lit books, sounds fab. We loved Owl Babies too! Thank you so much for linking up to #KCACOLS we hope to see you again next time! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh the Baby Lit Books are fab and owl babies is a classic. #KCACOLS is such a great linky, I'm sure I will be back, thank you for co-hosting :)

      Delete
  10. You have some lovely books there. I agree, read to babies. Fabric books are good too.

    ReplyDelete