Reading to your baby

I love reading to my baby and have been since she was first born. Now I don't always read to her every night. It sometimes goes in waves right now until we get a better schedule togther. I prefer to read to her during the day. So sometimes in the morning or afternoon I will read her a couple books.

What I have also started to do is let her play with the books. I let her turn pages and enjoy the book. I think this is also an important thing to do. I go in knowing she will chew on the books so I ake sure the books in her read are safe and are approriate for a 6 month old to attempt to eat. I get a lot of joy ut of sharing my love of books with Penelope and seeing her start to take an interest in them.

So don't beat yourself up and do as much as you can. It is just like any reader, if you skip a day it is fine. I sometimes read a bunch of books in one sitting and sometimes we do one. It depends on your baby and the time you have.

Reading with a newborn

I had read a lot of different articles about how people's reading lives changed once they had a baby. I read a lot and that is how I decompress and relax. So it was one of the things I was worried about when I was pregnant. Will I have time to read? Will I loose that part of me for a while? Now there are certain hobbies or things that we love that I in our eyes defines who we are. Being a reader is a huge part of my identity, always has been. But I did find out a couple things. When my daughter was born I got a lot of reading time in. Newborns sleep a lot. So I was able to read here and there while she slept...when I wasn't sleeping. Now that she is almost 4 months old it is a bit trickier but still possible. I found that reading on my tablet or a paperback book is easiest. I have read tons of graphic novels because those a re really easy to stop and go for me. They are also quicker to read. So I have been enjoying that. I have been reading graphic novels on my Ipad to make it easier. But now that my daughter is starting to take more interest in my screens I would prefer not to read so much on the tablet if I am holding her or she is watching me. Right now I am trying to read a hardcover book and I find those are the hardest to read with a baby in your arms. Another great way to get reading time in with a baby is to listen to audiobooks. That is a great way to multitask. I like to listen to audiobooks when we go for our walks. Baby falls asleep and I get some exercise and listen to my book. So the one thing I have discovered is if it is important to you then you will find the time. It is only a matter of time management. And that includes bringing my daughter into it. When I am reading to her I count that as reading time. It is something I love that I am sharing with her and hopefully she will love books as much as I do.