Why You Should Read to Your Baby
I started reading to Samaira when she was in my womb. I read Dr Seuss’s Oh, the places you’ll go to her all the time. Sounds Crazy? It is not, especially when experts say that fetuses by week 24 start to recognize and feel soothed by the rhythm and tone in the voice of their mothers. Reading books to your unborn child and later to your baby establishes an auditory bond which also serves as their first lesson in language. Reading to babies helps develop many important skills like cognitive, language and emotional skills.
Babies are like little sponges and even though we may feel they don’t understand anything we say, they are storing up valuable information about sounds, music, words, images in their brain which will help them as they grow. In fact, a study has shown that kids who were read to and had heard more words by the age of 3 went on to perform better in schools as they grew older.
Reading to babies and later toddlers also establish a beautiful bond between the child and parent. The proximity, the snuggling, the positive emotions and love that you communicate to your child when you read to them will create long-lasting family traditions and emotional bond.
What you should read to babies (Newborn to Six Months)
The best books for kids this age are small, colourful and have few numbers of pages. You should also keep the following points in mind while buying books for babies.
Books with Rhythm: When you read a book with rhythmic text, it creates a soothing effect for babies.
Picture Books with Sharp Contrast Images: A newborn’s image sense is still developing so books with high contrast bold images like Black or white patterns will hold their interest and stimulate their brains’ visual sensors.
Board Books and Sensory Books: As your baby grows you can try board books with colourful pictures. Board books are great for babies as they like to pull, chew and toss them all the time. You can also go for baby books with sensory activities like a peek-a-boo book, a touch and feel book, lift the flap books and the very popular bath books.
Best Books for Babies -Birth to Six Months
The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Big Board Book) by Eric Carle
This Stunningly illustrated storybook with mixed media collages is a classic that all children enjoy. The story follows a caterpillar who develops into a butterfly while munching on a variety of foods. It is also a book which the child can grow with, as a baby they love the sounds and images and as toddlers, they love the story and the concepts about numbers, fruits etc.
Goodnight Moon Cloth Book by Margaret Wise Brown
An iconic storybook about a little rabbit preparing to go to sleep, who says goodnight to everything in his room and the moon too. It is a book with beautiful black and white drawings along with bold colourful illustrations.
Black on White by Tana Hoban
This book contains high contrast images with simple black and white pictures which will capture the attention of babies’ developing eyes.
Pat The Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt
The original interactive book for babies which encourages them to explore sensory activities like Pat the bunny’s soft fur, play peek-a-boo, smell the flowers and so on.
Oh, Baby, the Places You’ll Go!: A Book to Be Read in Utero by Dr Seuss
The perfect gift for any expectant mother, this book is joyful because of its rhyming compositions, wonderful illustrations and the beautiful words. Lines like “the words I am saying you hear in your heart, and know that I wish you the very best start” are emotional for mothers-to-be and moms alike. Babies also love the ups and downs in the tone of this book.
The Rainbow Fish Bath Book by Marcus Pfister
The shimmery colourful scales of the Rainbowfish come alive in this book and the bath book version is perfect for little babies. The story about sharing and not being bound by one’s vanity is also a great lesson for kids as they grow.
Baby Faces Peekaboo!
Babies love looking at other babies and this book is full of them. Happy baby, sad baby, laughing baby all of them are hiding under the flaps of this wonderful lift the flap board book.
Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? by Karen Katz
Where are baby’s hands? Under the Bubble
Where are baby’s eyes? Under her hat
This is how this delightful lift-the-flap interactive book mesmerizes the babies.
Hello Baby Mirror Board Book by Roger Priddy
High contrast book with black and white images with defined patterns to visually stimulate the baby’s mind. The board book also has a shiny mirror which fascinates baby and promotes self-recognition.
Baby Touch: Smile! Buggy Book
This cloth book which is easily attached to the stroller has high contrast images in black, white and yellow to entertain your baby while out and about.
So these were our picks for the best books for babies. What are your favourites for the baby?