Books....

And I don't mean the obvious-READ! LOL!

My boys got a TON of books-and really really good ones at that. I have over 400 children's books from my preschool teaching days. Those are on a bookshelf in the play room. The boys have about 50 or so books-mostly board books.

What do you do with them? Do you let them out for the kids to handle/manhandle/explore? I want my kids open to books, know what they are, their purpose, etc... But I also don't want them hidden on a shelf and pulled out when convenient for ME to read to them.

That said... I don't like books getting ruined! :huh: I cringe when I see a crease in a book, or the cover bent all the way back, etc... They are not cheap, and I like to keep them in great condition.

So-how do you handle books and your infants? My boys will be one next week...but they are rough with their toys! EVERYTHING is a CHEW toy! LOL!

 

QUOTE(megkc03 @ Oct 8 2008, 02:23 PM) [snapback]1017775[/snapback]
That said... I don't like books getting ruined! :huh: I cringe when I see a crease in a book, or the cover bent all the way back, etc... They are not cheap, and I like to keep them in great condition.

:laughing: Then you definitely don't want them to be near them!!

My girls have been "reading" their own books since they could hold their heads up. Seriously!! When they started sitting, I would put books in their laps and look through them. We have a TON of board books, and about 1/2 of them are close to being ruined. But, as a result, my girls love to read all the time. They are always looking through them, pointing out the things they know, having me read to them, etc.

 

QUOTE(MichelleL @ Oct 8 2008, 02:26 PM) [snapback]1017779[/snapback]
:laughing: Then you definitely don't want them to be near them!!

My girls have been "reading" their own books since they could hold their heads up. Seriously!! When they started sitting, I would put books in their laps and look through them. We have a TON of board books, and about 1/2 of them are close to being ruined. But, as a result, my girls love to read all the time. They are always looking through them, pointing out the things they know, having me read to them, etc.


OK. Good to know! That's what I want for my boys-to have a love for reading. They have just shown interest in books recently...So I am trying to read A LOT more to them... Now, if they only sat and listened!

 

QUOTE(megkc03 @ Oct 8 2008, 02:29 PM) [snapback]1017787[/snapback]
Now, if they only sat and listened!

My girls do sometimes and other times forget it. Most often, I let them hold the book and as they turn the pages, I point out an object or two. The times they are intested in sitting, I grab the book with just a few words on each page and then point stuff out. It has worked very well!!

 

That is a great question.

We've set aside "special" books for when they're older.

Maybe get some library or thrift store books for now?

I'm writing this a little bit annoyed because I didn't realize that one of my own childhood chapter books was on a bookcase they could get to, and they just tore pages out of it. Grrrr.

As far as our own bookshelves go, I'd love other ideas, but our best idea so far is to cram the lower shelves so tightly that it's too much work to get them out and they lose interest. It works some of the time.

 

We have a lot of nice books as well and right now all my guys want to do with the books is eat them....literally! Ryan took a chuck out of a board book and I had to fish the paper out of his mouth. I too cringe to see the books getting ruined. I put all the non board/heavy books away becasue I don't want them to get ripped before we even get a chance to read them. Right now only the boad books are out and I've come to terms with the fact that they are most likely going to get chewed on, etc. I try to read to the boys but they grab the books out of my hands and chew on them so now I don't really bother unless they are in the highchair.

 

i pretty much gave up on trying to "preserve" their books. if i want them to 'read" them and explore them, i'm gonna have to accept the fact that they're going to get, well, pretty much ruined in the process. i did save a few "better" books (like mother goose collection, etc) for when their older and i'm reading them longer stories before bedtime. i leave the books out after i read to them and they spend a long time just going thru them "reading" them out loud to me (haha), pointing to stuff, etc. but as soon as a book goes into a mouth, i take them away. because at that point they are bored with the books and just want something to chew on.

 

I posted something similar not too long ago in the 1-4. My boys LOVE books. They LOVE to flip through the pages, point at the objects, & 'read' aloud. They love to bring me a book for me to read to them (and, I must admit, I love when they crawl into my lap for a book). We've had their board books out & accessible to them since they were born.

Now, all was great until about a month ago. Their books have become their chew toys & it drives me INSANE! I can't tell you how many times I've had to scold them for chewing on them, along with the typical fishing of cardboard out of their mouths (Conner spits it right out for me, ugh). There are a few unscathed board books left, so I've put those aside to save until they're out of their puppy stage . All paper books, pop up books, & flip tab books are out of reach.

The books that are left are unsightly, but they still love them & that's all that matters to me.

 

We left a basket of books out for the kids that were totally accessible. They could read them, eat them, sit on them, whatever. But some of the nicer ones we kept higher up on their shelves. Even now that they are older and pretty much KNOW how to take care of their books, we still keep some special books up high. And it is a treat when they get to read them!

 

I would keep the ones that you don't want ruined out of reach and just get them out when you want to read to them. I would definitely have some other ones were they can reach them and read them though. You don't want them to think that they are not supposed to touch them or they will not feel free with books later. GL.

Jen

 

Like Michelle, my girls have been playing with books since the beginning. My book club threw me a book shower when I was pg and then everyone gave books at my main shower too. So we have TONS of books for the girls.

Like toys, I rotate the books they see. I usually have them mixed in with their toys in their various toy boxes throughout the house. We do have favorites and those are very 'loved.' Dh hates to see books get ruined too, but I love that our curious george alphabet book is worn. They LOVE that book and because of it, they recognize many letters now.

All books that aren't board books are only taken out when I'm there to supervise. We are teaching the girls not to rip the pages, but its still a process. We have a couple of 'special' books that we read for bedtime stories and mommy turns the pages. Its actually very sweet because after we get into Pjs the girls start chanting for one particular book.

I grew up loving reading. I could read at 3 years old and I hope to instill that love of learning for my kids. Thats my main goal and if a couple of board books get chewed and torn in the process, so be it.

 

I have lots of book from when I was a kid, they are all paperbooks though, so all of those books are stored away. The books I leave out for the babies and I to enjoy are all board books, and they like to help turn the pages and they like to chew on them. I do try to let them explore the books. but also take them out of their mouths when they try to chew on them - its a constant battle though. So, right now I do have a bunch of books that have the corners knawed off them! But I figure they are having fun and learning about books so that is ok with me.
I also have bought a few cloth books, and plastic books for the bathtub - which they seem to like, and I just mix those in with their regular toys. Although in the end the nice story board books are the ones they really prefer to chew on!

 

Our board books are the only ones we leave out and they are in their toy bin organizer along with their toys. I want them to be able to 'read' and explore them anytime they want. There are only 2 books that they chew on constantly (so weird it is only those two and not the others) and if they get it too much then I put them up until later when they won't do it.

When they hold books the correct way or look at it on their own I make a big deal of how good of a job they do respecting that book. I just want them to get that mindset.

All our paperbacks are put away and only pulled out when I can sit and read with them. DS is in a destructive phase right now with things so we tend to not let him hold those. There will be tons of time for them later on, right now board books are just as good.

 

The board books, taggies and the cloth books I let them manhandle/eat, I will let them each take 1 board book into the cage with them.
The good paper books like Dr. Seuss and Mercer Mayer, I keep on a shelf and we read those and then they get put away.