During your baby’s first year, so much growing and learning is happening! They watch and listen to the world around them, building skills and developing every day. One of the best ways to help your baby on this journey is by reading aloud from books. Daily storytime not only gives parents precious time to cuddle and bond but also supports their baby’s development.
In this guide, we’re covering everything you need to know about reading books to infants, including developmental benefits, when to start, what types of books to choose, and tips for making it a routine both babies and parents will love.
Benefits Of Reading Books To Infants
There is nothing sweeter than cuddling and holding our little ones in their early months, making them feel safe and secure. And reading to them during these moments adds another layer of connection, gently introducing learning while stimulating development. Reading books to infants helps them become familiar with speech sounds, words, and pictures, while also encouraging early brain development as stories unfold. Although babies won’t necessarily understand all the words at this stage, the benefits of reading books to infants encompass several areas of development.
Language
Daily storytime is more than an opportunity for uninterrupted parent-baby bonding. It also helps parents begin to build their child’s language development. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises reading to children daily, starting in infancy, to support language acquisition and literacy skills. Another study shows that consistently reading to infants (about 1 book per day, every day) resulted in significantly higher expressive and receptive language scores by 9 months, with even stronger results by 12 months. All of this underscores the importance of reading and other language activities for toddlers in child development. These activities encourage and support vocabulary growth and lay early literacy foundations.
Cognitive Development
Inside a baby’s brain, millions of neural connections form every second. It’s quite extraordinary! Instinctively, your baby’s little brain is actively working to make sense of the world around them, and connecting over storytime helps this process. It helps them begin to link sounds to images while strengthening the neural pathways involved in information processing. Reading books to infants also helps develop focus and attention span. As they listen to stories, look at pictures, and absorb the rhythm of language, they’re quietly building skills that support listening, concentration, and learning over time.
Emotional Bonding and Security
Making time to read to your baby is special because it gives you both uninterrupted time to bond. Babies feel safe in the arms of their parents and caregivers, creating a positive foundation for a skill that will help them throughout life – reading. Aside from the many developmental advantages, the opportunity to experience closeness and security while sharing a story is one of the greatest benefits of reading books to infants.
When To Start Reading Books To Your Newborn
For parents wondering when to read books to newborns, the short answer is now. It’s never too early to read aloud to your baby, even during pregnancy. Although they might not focus much in their early months, they will enjoy sitting with you, gazing at pictures, and listening to the rhythm and cadence of your voice. As they grow, babies will begin to engage more during storytime. By about 6 months, you may notice them reaching for the book or pages, possibly even trying to chew the covers (only to learn that books don’t taste good!). At this stage, they may also react verbally by cooing or babbling during the story.
At about 9 months, your baby might start trying to hold the book themselves, exerting their independence. Their engagement during story time will likely involve more sounds and reactions to pictures they recognize. They’re also more mobile at this stage, so pick a reading time when they are more likely to relax, like at bedtime. By 12 months, babies become more active participants in reading, wanting to handle the book and pages more, and reacting to parts of stories by mimicking the sounds you make while pointing to pictures.
What Types of Books Work Best at Each Stage
Books for babies should be simple, with clear, colorful pictures and repetitive language. In the first few months, reading books to infants is more about hearing your voice than focusing on the book, so focus more on how you read, using rhythm and expression, than what you read.
As babies get older and want to touch and grab during story time, reach for books that feature other babies, faces, bright colors, and simple shapes. At this stage, sturdy board books with fewer pages and simple text work well, as they’re easy for babies to hold and handle. Books with textures (crinkly, soft, or scratchy) that they can see, feel, and hear can also help them stay engaged while supporting sensory development.
As your baby begins sitting up independently and feeding themselves, start introducing books with simple stories, repetitive phrasing or rhyming, and playful illustrations. Books about everyday routines, like bedtime and bath time, are especially familiar and helpful at this stage. As you read, point to pictures and name them, encouraging your baby to respond with sounds or gestures.
Tips For Reading Books To Infants Effectively
Although reading aloud to your baby seems simple enough, there are some tips and techniques that can make the time more beneficial.
Routine Matters
The most important thing to remember about reading books to infants is that routine is best. Aim for storytime every day. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an entire book, especially in the first few months. The important thing is to carve out regular time to share this activity with your baby. For example, reading before bedtime can help establish a calming routine full of cuddles and connection. Picking a comfortable spot without distractions (free of phones and screens) helps establish a routine and allows your voice to be heard clearly.
Read With Feeling
When reading books to infants, infuse your voice with feeling. When your baby hears you use a range of emotions and expressive sounds, it supports social and emotional development. Also, using gestures and facial expressions helps keep their attention while adding meaning to words. While reading, you can also connect the pictures in books to your child’s life by saying things like, ‘There’s a doggie. You have a doggie named Lilly.”
Repetition, Rhythm, and Rhyme
Rhyming can help babies learn about words, sounds, and language formation. Neuroscientists1 believe that repetition, rhythm, and rhyming help children process the speech they hear by helping fine-tune the connections between auditory and language networks in the brain. Dr. Seuss was on to something! Rhyme and repetition also help develop phonological awareness, which is the recognition of the basic sound patterns of language and, essentially, reading. Most importantly, however, babies love silly rhymes and repetition. They are playful, helping make reading fun!
There are so many benefits of reading books to infants as early as day one. Reading to babies and brain development are closely tied, helping them begin to connect sounds and words and laying the foundation for language and communication skills. And for children who need extra support, early intervention can make all the difference. At KidsCare Home Health, our skilled Speech-Language Pathologists provide personalized, in-home early intervention speech therapy to help children strengthen communication skills and reach their full potential.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is it good to read books to a newborn?
Yes, there are many benefits of reading books to infants. Reading aloud daily can help teach babies about communication and introduce new concepts, such as numbers, letters, colors, and shapes. It helps build listening, vocabulary, and memory skills, and helps them learn about the world around them.
How long should you read to an infant each day?
There’s no strict rule about how long you should read, especially with infants who have short attention spans. Reading books to infants is more about consistency than time limits. Aim for a few minutes a day (or more than once a day) and build in more time as your child grows and begins interacting more during story time.
What are the best books for infants under 6 months?
When reading books to infants, the best books are simple, high-contrast, and sensory-friendly. Look for soft cloth or sturdy board books that are easy to handle and feature babies, faces, animals, or everyday objects. Books with rhymes and repetition are especially helpful, as they introduce babies to the rhythm and patterns of language while keeping them engaged.
