At this point, four months, you’re pretty much obligated to start a reading ritual with your baby. I have honestly been shocked at each stage to find how much they really do like books.
Also, when I ran out of things to say to my immobile blob of human offspring, reading from a book was a good way to fill the awkward silence. If you’ve been reading the Wall Street Journal to baby (or more likely Us Weekly), try picking up a couple of baby board books. The World Snacks books linked to below are fun and quirky. I recommend them.
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What are your favorite board books that everyone doesn’t already own?
My 1yo son is loving the “That’s Not My (Puppy/Tractor/Monster/Monkey…etc.)” from Usborne Books. They’ve got great textures on each page and they’re really well made. And there are tons to choose from, geared to both boys and girls.
oooh we love that’s not my tractor. we also totally love Urban Babies Wear Black. it is hilarious!! and i would say gender neutral.
Mason prefers any book that he is NOT supposed to get into. The more easily the pages come out, the better. Oh wait, that’s not what you meant?
We have these small, picture board books that were printed in the UK and M loves looking at them and pointing at all the objects. Plus I enjoy seeing things like “tank tops” being called “singlets” and a “boat” as a “yacht”.
we love the “busy” series – busy chickens, busy penguins and busy barnyards are our faves.
we really like the gossie books.
We started reading to our babies when they were newborns and I’m thrilled to say that at 5 and 3 years old, we have children who love books just as much as toys. Before they enjoyed picture or board books, we would read classic stories like Guess How Much I Love You, Goodnight Moon, and others. Since then, we always had a collection of soft books, board books with colorful illustrations, and beautiful story books.
Time spent reading to our children is one of our favorite activities to share.
best books: yummy/yuckie, big/small, no no/yes yes all by Leslie Patricell
We love the Touch the Art books. “Make Van Gogh’s Bed” “Feed Matisse’s Fish” “Brush Mona Lisa’s Hair” etc. I love them because they introduce art to little ones. Each page has a texture (i.e. Mona Lisa has hair) They’re so much fun!
My kids loved the Todd Parr books from, well, practically birth. “Do’s and Dont’s”, “This is My Hair”, “Underwear Do’s and Dont’s”. Odd, but appealing to the little ones!
I’ve just started reading to my 4 month old daughter on a semi-regular basis…. Her attention span is short but she seems to really enjoy it. Her favourites so far are her daddy’s newspapers but she’s starting to pay more attention to her own baby board books.
Here in the UK every mother receives two free baby board books and a list of recommendations as part of the Book Start programme to encourage reading. I’m going to try and get in the habit of reading to her for longer each day.
Thanks for the tips!
We love any board book that can be bought at the “one spot” in a thrift store or in the clearance section. The main thing my baby likes is when his mommy makes silly noises and sound effects. Its amazing how many good books you can get for not much money!! 🙂