Babies a course in miracles books and there is no better time to encourage a love of reading than right from birth. There are a few guidelines when choosing books for babies to ensure that the books will stimulate your baby and be appropriate for her age. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind;
If you are just starting to read to your baby, it’s important to remember that the act of reading is just as meaningful as whatever books you choose. The best books for this age are the cloth books and small ‘board books’ with very simple illustrations or photographs. Infants reflexively prefer to look at high-contrast edges and patterns and there are many baby books on the market which are decorated with large, geometrical black and white patterns.
These large black and white patterns present the highest possible contrast (100%) to the eye. For this reason, these books are the most attractive to babies. In addition, you must remember that newborn babies can only focus 7 to 10 inches from their face in the first few months of life, so make sure that you hold the book at this distance to ensure that they can focus on it.
Just by listening to your voice, newborns gain invaluable language lessons when being read to. Your baby will love the soothing, reliable rhythm of your voice and will begin to enjoy the time spent reading and bonding with you.
Age Four to Six Months
This is when those fabulous cloth books coming into their own! They are perfect for this age, as the baby is able to hold the books herself and safely put them in her mouth. These books usually have bright colors and different textures and sounds to stimulate your baby. Books with simple, bright and bold or high-contrast illustrations are much easier for young babies to see, and will certainly grab their attention. Simple board books are also great, and some publishers have created very small board books (about 3.9 x 3.9 x 1.3 inches) for toddlers which are generally played with (and chewed) for hours on end.
Age Seven Months to One Year
Babies of this age will still enjoy cloth and board books. Board books are usually short and simple and made of laminated cardboard pages. They should be sturdy, with rounded edges if possible. Also try to find activity books such as ‘lift-the-flap’ and ‘pop-up books’ as the suspense/surprise will help to keep them engaged and the activity will encourage exploration. You may also want to look for bath books which can be used for reading during bath time without the fear of wetting the book under water. These safe, non-toxic vinyl books will entertain and educate your baby while they bath.
