All about Introducing Books to Your Baby
                     All about Introducing Books to Your 
Baby
List of FAQs from New Moms
 “When do I start reading to my child?” 
“Isn’t my baby too young to understand 
the words?”, “How will books affect 
their development?” These are just a 
few of the questions parents have when 
it comes to books. It’s never too early to 
introduce your baby to the written word.
 Even if they can’t grasp the meaning of 
words, it helps nurture their love for 
books from an early age. Experts 
believe that exposing your baby to 
books in the first year is vital to 
facilitate their intellectual and 
emotional growth.
Q1. When do I start reading to my baby?
 You can start as early as the day 
they are born. Pick up books with 
bedtime stories and read it aloud 
while snuggling up next to your 
child. The rhythm and tone of your 
voice will help him/her recognize 
that different words have different 
meanings. It lays a strong 
foundation of speech and 
comprehension.
Q2. What is the ideal time to read a book to my baby?
 The best times to read to your baby 
would be while nursing, bathing, 
before nap time and at the end of 
the day. You can even read to them 
while waiting at the doctor’s or in a 
shopping line. It keeps them from 
getting cranky or bored.
Q3. How can I keep my baby from getting 
distracted?
There are a few ways in which you can keep 
your child interested in the story. Try the 
following tips:
• Modulate your voice and give each character 
a specific tone.
• Make sounds like growling for lion, splash for 
water, tring tring for phone, etc.
• Ask them questions in between like, “What 
did the monkey say?” or “Why did the 
princess get sad?”, etc.
• Let your child flip the pages of the book.
• If you have a toddler, then you can 
encourage them to tell the story.
• Show them pictures of characters and 
animals in the book and ask them to identify 
them.
Q4. What type of book should I choose?
There are many types of books that are 
available in the market. You can choose 
one based on your baby’s age.
•Board Books – These are books with 
cardboard pages, colourful pictures 
and short phrases, making it easy and 
interesting for children older than 4 
months.
•Vinyl Books – These are water-proof 
books with attractive pictures that are 
great for bath time storytelling. They 
are suitable for children over 6 months 
of age.
Q4. What type of book should I choose?
• Flip Flap Books – These are 
interactive books with pictures 
where the pages can be flipped. It’s 
an engaging way of teaching 
children above 12 months about 
animals and things.
• Touch & Feel Books – It’s a feel-
good book for babies over 6 
months. These books use different 
textures to teach children about 
different animals and things. For 
instance, it will have a patch of 
wool to teach them about sheep.
Q4. What type of book should I choose?
• Musical Books – These books are great for 
interactive storytelling. By simply pressing a 
button, you can make characters come alive. 
It keeps your baby interested and helps them 
associate sounds with different animals or 
things.
• Puppet Books – These books come with 
finger or hand puppets that make story time 
fun and entertaining. Every page has a 
peekaboo hole where the puppet characters 
slide in. It keeps the toddler interested and 
encourages them to participate in the 
storytelling.
Q5. How often should I read to my 
baby?
 Reading to your baby should 
be a daily affair. The more 
you read to them, the faster 
they pick up words. Try 
reading to them at least once 
every two days.
Q6. How do I get my baby to like a book?
 Remember that for your baby, it’s the 
first book they ever read. To make it your 
baby’s favorite one, keep rereading it to 
them as often as possible. Soon they will 
start recognizing similar sounds, 
characters, and before you know it, they 
will be aping the sounds you make. If you 
are reading more than one book to your 
baby, then see how they react to each 
book. Which one makes them giggle or 
get excited. Once you know which book, 
they like better, the rest is easy.
Q7. What if I don’t finish reading the whole book?
 It’s perfectly fine if you don’t finish a 
book. The key is to get your baby 
familiar with words and sounds and 
to help them connect it to the real 
world. So, even if you read just one 
page, it’s good enough.
Introducing your little one to the world 
of books early in life, has a sea of 
benefits.  Remember the more 
important thing is to have fun and bond 
with your baby through the stories.
About CordlifeIndia
 CordlifeIndia provides services like stem cell cord blood banking, 
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 CordlifeIndia is a consumer healthcare company catering to the 
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References
 https://www.cordlifeindia.com/blog/introducing-books-baby/
 http://www.momspresso.com/parenting/you-are-special/article/6-
types-of-books-for-your-baby-and-tips-to-introduce-books-to-
babies
 http://www.zerotothree.org/resources/304-how-to-introduce-
toddlers-and-babies-to-books