Reading to your babies at bedtime

The girls are lying in their own cribs in an "L" shaped arrangement and I usually sit between them to read them a bedtime story, then I saw someone post on another thread that they choose books that the babies like to look at the pictures and point etc. Well they cant see the book when Im reading to them!
Is this the wrong way to do it?
How does everyone else do it?
Or do I wait for them to be a bit older and do it differently?

confused mum here :huh:

 

At that age the just like the sound of your voice. I used to read adult non-fiction books to my kids but in a child friendly fairytale voice. It's all in the voice LOL.

However you should probably be starting to introduce some visual stimulation. Bright colours and large images. Also those touch and feel books are good too. You can make up your own story to the pictures.

 

I always sit on the floor in the middle of the room to read to them. They are out of their cribs. They would start out not paying attention and just doing their own thing and listen to me read and then they would come over and look at the pics and listen more intently and then they would sit through an entire book and actually finish my sentences in the stories. I figured they just needed to hear my voice at first and then it became a routine. Now at 3 years old they pick out the book/books and we sit down on the floor and read through the books and they always beg for more. I tell them one more and we go through one more book and then it's kisses and then they go into their cribs and down for the night. It has become their nighttime routine now. They know they get stories on the floor and then into their cribs and it's night-night time.

 

So when's a good age to start reading to them OUT of the cribs. We do look at some ABC books during the day but not bedtime stories type books

 

We established a great bedtime routine at around 6 mos that we are still using today. We give the kids a bath, then bring them into our room to get them dressed on our bed. We let them rough house a bit on the bed while we take turns brushing teeth in our bathroom (this piece of the routine we added at around 1 year, when they started to get their teeth). Lastly, we all pile in together on our bed and read a few stories.

At 7 mos, we just looked at board books with real photographs. Those were their favorites (Priddy Books makes some great ones). It has only been within the last two months were they will sit through a whole story. They STILL just like to look at the pictures and chat with us about what they see.

To end the routine, we would sing a night time song (we have three or four that we use, picking just one for that night). Then we take them to their rooms and put them to sleep for the night!

We have tried reading to them on the floor, in their rooms, in their beds, but ultimately, snuggling all together on our bed has been the trick that has worked!

 

At about 8 months I sat one or both on my lap with a hard cover book. It is a flip the flaps but the book is only 4 inch by 4 inch so the perfect size for them to hold. I read patiently in a sing song voice and say turn the page and flip the flap and show them how. Now at 10 months while I am reading they, shut the book open the book, point at things like I do and flip flaps. If I sit on the floor with a book, they will crawl over quickly.

Also at 8 months we started reading Goodnight Moon to them Everynight. Sometimes if they really Need to go to bed quickly I read it to both of them at once. If we can take our time, I read it to them one at a time. I also enforce a 'we care for books' policy in the house. No one writes, in, tears, chews books so I act like a horrible thing has happened when they do and they looks the book. We also try to go to the Library once a week . Although this has been very difficult since they were born, life is getting easier and it is summer. With my older one we should get there more often.

I suggest the above books also right now we have out for them to play/read big hard flip the flap books (the books are bigger than them!), some ones with the buttons to press that make noise and one with a phone that makes noise.

I Love Books and how reading a story can take you anywhere in your imagination so one of my goals was to raise my kids as readers and I can say that the above works. My almost 7 year old loves books. At night now she reads one to me and I read one to her, she loves going to the library and she loves reading to her brother and sister.

Hope this helps,

Sherry

 

QUOTE(twoin2005 @ Jun 28 2007, 04:34 AM) [snapback]310034[/snapback]
We established a great bedtime routine at around 6 mos that we are still using today. We give the kids a bath, then bring them into our room to get them dressed on our bed. We let them rough house a bit on the bed while we take turns brushing teeth in our bathroom (this piece of the routine we added at around 1 year, when they started to get their teeth). Lastly, we all pile in together on our bed and read a few stories.

At 7 mos, we just looked at board books with real photographs. Those were their favorites (Priddy Books makes some great ones). It has only been within the last two months were they will sit through a whole story. They STILL just like to look at the pictures and chat with us about what they see.

To end the routine, we would sing a night time song (we have three or four that we use, picking just one for that night). Then we take them to their rooms and put them to sleep for the night!

We have tried reading to them on the floor, in their rooms, in their beds, but ultimately, snuggling all together on our bed has been the trick that has worked!


WOW!! This is us!! Although dh works second shift, so most nights I'm at it alone, but this is our routine. I sit them side by side with me facing them so they can see the book. So I essentially read upside down which isn't that hard since it's not like I'm reading a tiny print novel or anything. I say get them out of those cribs and try it out on your bed or the floor.

 

I've been doing this for months. I sit on the floor, they're facing me in their bouncies, and after feeding, I hold up the book (I know quite a few by heart) and then we sing songs (or my oldest sings songs and jumps up and down, which they LOVE!).

 

I never think there's a "wrong way" to read to our kids! Kudos to you for including it at bedtime!

We have done it lots of ways. When they were tiny, we held them and read anything handy. When they were older infants, we would read together on the floor if they were interested in it. If they weren't, we'd save it for bedtime and sit between the two cribs and read while they were in bed. They couldn't see the pics much, but that was okay with us. Now that they are older, we all snuggle in their bed and read and then they get to put the book under their pillow while they sleep

I think you're doing a fine job! Don't worry and keep focusing on including it every day, no matter what way works for you!

 

I sit in an armchair with both boys on my lap and read to them... they're still small enough that I can lift one up on to my lap and then scoop up the other one and position him, too.
When they were a bit younger I'd sit one in a bouncy seat and the other on my lap- or both in bouncy seats- and read to them in more of a librarian (ie. upside-down) style.
Whatever works is great!