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Hi everyone, I'm Melissa and welcome back to CloudMom.com. From what the experts are
telling us, reading to your young baby from day one is crucial, because it will stimulate
your baby's speech and language development. Reading is also very important, because studies
show that babies and children who are read to, tend to read more themselves and to do
better in school. But the question is how do you read to a squirmy baby or toddler?
With five kids under my belt, here are some tips and tricks that I've learned when it
comes to reading to babies. Number one, don't worry so much about finishing the book. This
is not a college class people! The important thing is that you're having an enjoyable,
bonding experience with your child, that you're articulating words and language, and you're
enjoying images in books with them. So if you find that your child eats the book, throws
the book, wants to just wander off, don't even let it bother you. Just continue to read,
and you will find that eventually your child will circle back to you. And at that point,
you can point out something in the book. It's really about having fun and you want to make
sure it's a totally stress-free and enjoyable experience for you and for your child. Okay,
number two, find books that are tactile, easy to hold and have common objects and people
that are familiar to your child from his or her everyday life. This is one of the reasons
I love this Hello Magazine from Highlights. I actually grew up with Highlights. My godfather
gave it to me as a gift, and I felt so special when it would come in the mail with all these
wonderful things to read and to do. Well I was so happy to learn that there's now a version
of Highlights for babies. And this is a really ideal thing, because it gives you these common
objects that your child will recognize. For example, here's a rattle, a cup, a bowl. Meanwhile,
in the corner you have helpful tips from experts that tell you good ideas of things to ask
your child, so that both you and your child are participating in the reading process.
Love that! Okay, what else when it comes to reading? Well, I would try to be very flexible
about where and when you read. Bathroom floor when your child's on the potty? Fine. Dinner
table? Fine. I actually have a video about reading to kids during meals, and this is
one of the things that has really worked for me, and actually got my kids to settle down
and eat and enjoy the book at the same time. Another really great thing about Hello, is
that it's washable, it's light, it's portable. And you can very easily slip a few of these
into your diaper bag or your pocketbook when you're going out, and you will have them for
those few extra minutes when you're on the bus or waiting at a doctor's appointment-very,
very handy. Okay, at the same time, try to make sure that reading really becomes part
of your daily routine, so that something that you get in the habit of doing every day. So,
maybe it's 20 minutes before your child goes to sleep. That's a time when your child can
sit on your lap, you can enjoy a book together. It's something that you will come to rely
on, and it's something that your child will come to rely on as well, and to love. Even
with my 7-year old and my 8 and 9-year old now, when I'm trying to put them to bed they've
got that thing where they say, "Mommy, one more book!" They just really love it, and
I actually love it, too. For me, it's a really relaxing thing to do with my kids. And it's
one of the things I've loved the most about being a mom. Okay, finally, try to give your
child some ownership over what he or she reads, you know. With Hello, you can put out several
copies and say, "Which one do you want to choose?" And then, let your child choose one
and say, "Okay, great. So you chose this book and now Mommy's going to choose this book."
So that way, your child has a sense of ownership and independence, and you also have a feeling
that you can control a little bit what you're reading to your child and teaching your child.
So anyway, those are just some tips from me when it comes to reading to babies. I would
love to hear from you other moms and dads. What has worked for you when it comes to reading
to your babies and to your kids? So please weigh in on CloudMom.com, and thank you so,
so much for watching.