4 Tips for Reading with a Newborn
I get it, reading with a baby who is only a few days old can feel…awkward? pointless? silly? But I promise you, starting to read with your littles early on is worth it!
They will enjoy looking at the pictures: Pick books that are bright and colorful or ones that have real pictures of faces (Global Babies was one of our favs). You can even lay babe down on their back or tummy and put the book next to them when you are reading.
They love hearing your voice: Our baby’s most favorite sounds are often the sounds of their parents’ voices. They love listening to you talk, even if they don’t understand just yet. Reading offers such a lovely way to talk with your baby.
Your newborn will learn to associate reading with love and warmth: Reading with our babies helps build a loving relationship with books, one that will last them a lifetime.
You will foster a habit early on of reading everyday with your child: While it feels silly when they are so young, starting to read everyday helps you to form the habit of taking the time to sit and read with your kiddo each day. Make it part of your routine, whether it’s at bath time, bedtime, before work so that you make sure you are reading at least one book a day.
Now that E is six months old, we naturally reach for books to read all day long and they are habitually part of our bedtime routine. She gets so excited when we pull books off the shelf and has really grown to know that reading together is something that bonds us.
“Spend at least ten wildly happy minutes every single day reading aloud. From birth”
-Mem Fox
For more on playing with newborns, head here!
