Books for Babies
You might be asking yourself, huh? Books for babies? But if you are an educator or a seasoned parent, you know how important reading to children is, even beginning at birth. From helping them focus their eyes, to increased exposure to shapes and words, to increased vocabulary, the benefits of reading to young children goes on and on.
Reading to children from birth has incredible benefits — from helping them focus their eyes, to exposing them to shapes, sounds, and words, to building their vocabulary. The most valuable kind of word exposure for babies is speech directed to them by their caregivers, creating conversations that build on their interests. A well-known study found that parents who read just one picture book a day expose their children to about 78,000 words each year. Over five years, that’s 1.4 million more words than children who are never read to — a powerful reminder of how reading can help close the “word gap.” (Source)
With that, here are a few my families favorite books:
Dr. Seuss books - These books are fun to read and enjoyable for adults and children alike. They feature lots of rhyming words, which are building blocks for reading.
Good Night Moon - the sweetest and most enjoyable book for parents to read
I Love You Forever - a classic featuring words everyone (young and old alike!) loves to hear
Little Blue Truck - a series of books about a helpful little truck, sing songy and catchy. The series now includes holiday books and a few other versions, all worth it.
Old School Mother Goose - there are classics for a reason; find the ones you like best and skip the others.
Todd Parr book - writes and illustrates lots of brightly colored children's books on lots of age-appropriate topics. Consider looking at his list if you are thinking about introducing something new (potty training, school, relatives/siblings, etc.)
Anything tactile is a huge hit and likely worth the added cost. Examples include, flaps, Poke-a-Dot and many others.
What to skip?
Books with too few words, while they may seem novel, aren’t exposing your child to many new sentence structures and as a parent, they’ll bore you.
The Rainbow Fish and the Giving Tree - both of these books have messages that didn’t really hold up over time. They share stories of characters giving until they have nothing left to give, not something we want to teach kids.
Gimmicky books written by celebrities such as Jimmy Fallon’s Dada and Mama. They are cute in theory, but in this case, it only features one word throughout the book. Again, not particularly engaging to read aloud and doesn’t do much to build your baby’s vocabulary. These books are often pricier and not worth the extra cost.
Not necessarily something to skip but take note of books that have black writing on dark illustrations, they’ll be harder to read in dim light.
Looking for other resources?
Visit your local library. Libraries are filled with resources that can support you and your growing child. Go to story time, do the crafts, let your child pick out books and get comfortable looking for books that excite them. It’s a great free resource that is often under utilized.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. This program seeks to inspire a love of reading by gifting free books to children from birth to age five, through shared funding by Dolly Parton and local community partners. The books are mailed directly to your house through a community partner.
No matter what books you choose, what matters most is the time you spend together. A few minutes of reading can spark a lifelong love of stories, support a consistent bedtime routine and create an opportunity for bonding - starting from the first day you come home from the hospital.
Lauren Aleshire
