Reading to My Babies

I know it is important to read to my babies - I have done it since they were born. As they get older, I know it becomes more and more important. The problem is lately, they will not sit still for stories. They are more interested in grabbing the books, turning the pages, or chewing on them. Our nightly routine involves my husband holding both of them in his lap while I brush their teeth before bed. Then, I let them chew on their toothbrushes while I sit in front of them and read a story. That worked out well for a while, but now they just throw the toothbrushes and squirm and try to escape. They want nothing to do with the story and I feel that restraining them is going to make it an bad experience and they won't want storytime. Any suggestions for getting two one-year-olds to listen to a story????

Thanks!
Jessica

 

At that age, I just read and sometimes they would sit for it and sometimes not, but I still read. Or we just looked through the book and pointed at the pictures and talked about what we saw.

 

Ditto PP. Sometimes my girls sit with me, sometimes they're nearby listening. I just continue to read

They also see me reading, and they like to look through magazines and books. Just keep trying, they'll get it! But I wouldn't force them to sit still.

 

They'll come back! Reading has always been part of our bedtime routine since they were itty bittys, and they went through a stage where they preferred to wander around the room over sitting and listening to the story. It never bothered us so we just kept on reading regardless if they were a good audience or not...it lasted maybe 6mo or so and now they run into their room at bedtime, each grab a book they want to hear, and sit and listen to them.

 

I understand your pain! I think perhaps you need to adjust your concept of "reading" at that age though. Once I did that, things were better. It doesn't have to be a story, but "reading" at one, is interacting with mommy or daddy about the pictures on the page. I HIGHLY recommend the Priddy Books. They are full of bright, real photographs. My kids LOVED looking at those. Pretty much any book with real photographs kept them engaged. It wasn't until recently, at three, that they could sit for an entire story.

Here are the books I was referring to. We have them all, but they loved the Big Animal Book and the Big World Book. They are fairly inexpensive too, compared to other kids' books.

 

Ours are still having a hard time sitting through a book. They want to hold it and turn the pages really fast. I just do what the other pp's have said. I will sit and read as long as they will listen, let them turn the pages for me, and there are always books available for them to look at. DS loves to sit and look at books. Most days, it is just looking at a page and pointing out objects. You may not be getting in much reading time, but you are getting them use to books and hopefully starting an interest or love for reading.

 

What really helped to get mine to focus on the books at that age was to have books with touchy-feely bits or flaps in. They enjoyed getting to interact with the books and I could catch their attention by asking if they wanted to feel this bit or look under that bit.
Another thing that worked was to have books that were not a story but just about colours/shapes/animals etc. Then I would let them turn the pages and if they wanted to go fast it didn't matter because I only needed to say one word for each page ("red"/"circle"/"duck") and if they did go a bit slower then I could talk more about the pictures.

 

I haven't read all the replies, but I think that is typical behavior for kids that young.

For the longest time my kids had no interest in reading other than biting and turning the pages.

Now they choose a book and bring it to me to read to tham and are genuinely interested in the stories -
I have learned the funnier voices you make while reading the more captivated they are.

Good luck and hang in there - it will come in time!!!

 

My son went through the same stage & is just now interested in books again. I started putting them in their cribs at night & then sitting on the floor between them to read. Interactive books or books with real photos are much easier. We loved the Bright Baby books! For awhile that was about the only book we read.

But now he's more interested & we even made our 1st library trip last week & they both really loved it.

 

PS - I also started letting them pick out a small board book & take it to bed at night.....it might have helped stimulate interest, I don't know. But they liked it!

 

I have cut back on reading with my girls for the same reason. We do try to read to them as often as they let us, but I don't push it. I think reading is very important but what good is it if they won't sit still. I still buy books for them instead of toys most of the time and they want the books read to them immediately and for a couple of days after that, but that is usually it. I will read anytime they bring me a book and also try to read to them daily if they let me. But if they choose to go run off and play I let them go. Just by exposing them to books daily should be enough to peak their interest once they get old enough to sit still. I like putting them in their cribs during nap time, too, they really enjoy them then because they have no choice but to stay in one place.

 

Another thing you can do is read to them while they are strapped in their high chairs. I did that sometimes based on the fact that they always sat still for their EI instructors and therapists so long as they were in their chairs.

I also read to them other places and often they wandered, but I could guarantee my audience when they were strapped in.

 

During the day, they are always bringing us books to read, but then they rarely stay focused for the whole thing. We just read what we can, let them turn pages (sometimes too fast, or more than one at a time), and just go with the flow.

At bedtime, I put them in their cribs first, and then read them their nighttime story. I have a chair in their room, and I sit facing them while I read (think storytime at the library). Usually they stand up facing me and pay attention to the story. Sometimes they wander around their cribs, or jump up and down, or are so sleepy that they just lie down. Regardless, they are confined (without really recognizing that they are confined....kind of like the high chair trick) and will let me get through a whole story.

ETA: I do think reading is still important and does a huge amount of good, even if they're wandering or not really paying attention. They're still hearing different words, even if they're not intent on the story. Any exposure to books is a good thing and hopefully will foster a lifelong love of reading. That's really what we're trying to do at this age anyway....it's not about the plot yet.

 

Very normal. Nadia never sat and listened to a story until at least 18 months, maybe later. We had a bedtime routine where DH and I both took her into the bathroom, and he held her and brushed her teeth, while I stood next to them and read a short book.

Eventually she started sitting on my lap for stories....it comes in time!

I ditto the Priddy books, too -- from very early on, we'd point out colors and animals and what not in those books. They're really fantastic, and there's a lot to learn....

We're not getting much reading done with my little ones, as we can't use the same technique with two of them....hmm. I'm going to have to consier Marie's idea of strapping them in. I never thought of that before, LOL.

 

My girls totally went through this as well. I started reading to them at bedtime when they were 5 mos. old and have done it ever since. When they started to move around I would just close the door to their room and sit and read and they wandered around and did whatever.

Since I stuck with the routine of reading they now sit next to me every night while we read and have for quite a while now. Just have to get through this phase, but don't give up they will come back around.

 

QUOTE(marieber @ Jul 3 2008, 02:43 PM) [snapback]858864[/snapback]
Another thing you can do is read to them while they are strapped in their high chairs. I did that sometimes based on the fact that they always sat still for their EI instructors and therapists so long as they were in their chairs.

I also read to them other places and often they wandered, but I could guarantee my audience when they were strapped in.


I do this sometimes too. I used to be a pre-school teacher and I read to them like I would my class. I choose a very short, colorful, sing-songy book and they love it. I still try to read to each one in my lap even though they just want to eat the book.

 

Give them each a book to "look" at while you read another, let them wander they are still exposed to you and DH reading which is so important. This and it exposes them to new words. They may be playing but they can still hear hear you. Then occassionally draw them in "ohh look at this monkey!" Did you see this Monkey? What have you. My two squaled the other day at the library and very quietly (and seperatly-one w/DH) asked "can we check out a book?" We took eight. Then as PP give them one to "read" to themselves before you turn off the light.

We still to night books and then they "read" before they go to bed, and if we have to miss either one-oh my! But, it is really fun to hear them "read" to each other.

 

We lay on my bed - me in the middle and one toddler on either side of me. I put a pillow on the outside of each boy to help block them in somewhat and I read with the books held above me (usually just out of reach until it's time for them to point to something, lift a flap, etc.). Some days are better than others and we go through phases where it almost seems like more trouble than it's worth...but I think reading is one of the most important things you can do with your children (can you tell I'm a former kindergarten teacher?!) and I'm glad it's part of our pre-bed routine (naps and night).

 

I read to them some nights...and I read to them in their beds. It makes it easier because they like to fight over who gets to turn the pages and then they start ripping the books.

 

My girls do both -- stay for a whole story and other days they wander off. But generally, they stay. One thing I learned from my mother is to make the book interactive. For example, we have a book called "Put Me in the Zoo" where an animal who has spots can change the color of his spots. One day my DH sat down with them and the book, and really made a big deal about how the spots were changing colors -- he went forward and backwards in the book and said "WoW! when a color changed. After that, that was their FAVORITE book for a long time.

I'm trying to teach my kids a little sign language here and there and when we are reading a book that has an object we have a sign for, I'll stop, point out the object and do the sign, then I'll ask them to make the sign by pointing to the object and saying "What is that?"

Right now one of their favorite books is one in which the main character screams a lot. (A funny scream.) When we get to one of the many pages where the character screams, I'll scream first and then ask them, "What is he saying?" and then the girls scream. They think this is hilarious.

Even if your kids walk away while you are reading, you could stop every once in a while and point out something in the book -- "hey kids, what is that? is that a dog?" or something like that.

Good luck!

 

I let them decide what they want. If they sit in my lap, I will read the book. Sometimes though I just open it, let them turn the pages, and point out one thing from each page as they turn it. It doesn't require too much from them and they loved being involved.