Encourage your baby to be a lifelong reader (0-12 months)
If you've recently had a baby—or maybe you're a new aunt or uncle—one of your goals might be to encourage a lifelong love of reading in this gorgeous brand-new person.
This lens will give you some resources and encouragement, including a few gentle pieces of advice, to set you on that course.
What reading does for babies
Your voice and attention will help your baby develop a tremendous sense of self, and the core belief that the world is a good place. And listening to the same words over and over will start to help them with the great task of their first year of life, learning the rudiments of language.
The more you read to your baby, the stronger a foundation she will have for language. (It doesn't mean she's going to talk at 7 months—this is about lifelong development, not some Baby Einstein contest.)
Wheels on the Bus
Wheels on the Bus (Raffi Songs to Read)
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 12/06/2009) 
Baby Faces
Short is good
You don't have to stick with ten-word books, though. Make any book short enough by just reading the first sentence on every page. Their attention spans will build gradually as they get older—for now, keep it fun and don't push it.
Roger Priddy's great (short) books for babies
Bright Baby Animals
Amazon Price: $4.95 (as of 12/06/2009)
Bright Baby First Words
Amazon Price: $4.95 (as of 12/06/2009)
Bright Baby Colors
Amazon Price: $4.95 (as of 12/06/2009)
I am a Bunny
illustrated by Richard Scarry
I Am a Bunny (A Golden Sturdy Book)
Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 12/06/2009)
Follow your baby's lead
Remember that there's no innate virtue in completing a book, never mind what your mother told you. If the baby wants to quit in the middle, that's just fine. If she wants to stare at one page for twenty minutes, that's fine too.Drop any agenda at all you have about reading and just present the book as an opportunity to cuddle and talk together. You'll see far better "results" than you will with any attempt to push.
The amazing world of Richard Scarry
Busy, Busy Town (Giant Little Golden Book)
Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 12/06/2009)
Cars and Trucks and Things That Go (Giant Little Golden Book)
Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 12/06/2009)
Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever (Giant Little Golden Book)
Amazon Price: $10.87 (as of 12/06/2009)
More lenses on encouraging your child to read
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Great books for preschoolers: encourage a lifetime of reading
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Childhood from two to four is an amazing time. Children's intellectual and emotional lives are expanding at an amazing rate! Now that your magnificent little person has some tiny shreds of impulse control (I did say tiny shreds), it’s time to b...
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Great books for toddlers
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Language skills are starting to develop! Toddlers can learn many new words every day, but they have to have the exposure. Books and magazines will help your little Bug make the most of this powerful time in his development. There’s a...
100 First Words
two more complex Priddy titles
You won't believe that some day your Bug will know all of these words, but she will. Clear pictures will help your baby establish a solid early vocabulary. Plus babies really like them.
Big Board First 100 Words (Bright Baby)
Amazon Price: $8.95 (as of 12/06/2009)
Big Board First 100 Animals (First Words)
Amazon Price: $8.95 (as of 12/06/2009)
And one book for yourself
They're also little atomic bombs for your marriage.
The exhaustion, anxiety, and stress of new parenthood can throw you for a loop even if your marriage is rock solid. This was the one book I actually found useful. It gives smart advice for navigating the rough spots and lets you know that you aren't alone. (You may even find that your spouse is a lot less clueless than the general population, which is always nice.)
Highly recommended!
Babyproofing Your Marriage: How to Laugh More, Argue Less, and Communicate Better as Your Family Grows
Amazon Price: (as of 12/06/2009)
Babyproofing Your Marriage CD: How to Laugh More, Argue Less, and Communicate Better as Your Family Grows
Amazon Price: $25.76 (as of 12/06/2009)
If you like this lens, you may want to visit my Web site or blog
remarcom.com
Remarcom is short for remarkable communication. This is my business home page.
The remarkable communication blog Ideas on how to communicate more remarkably. Not just for businesspeople.
What's your favorite baby book?
Let me know about your very favorite book for babies. I'll check it out, and if I love it, I'll add it to the lens. (I probably won't add Goodnight Moon even though it is terrific, because everyone already knows about it. Do you agree?)
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- Mark Kaye - The Endorser Mark Kaye - The Endorser Jan 1, 2008 @ 7:14 pm
- This is a great lens. I love the Priddy books too...I mean, my Son loves them! Ha! The two of us actually made a video of our favorite board books
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- Jacqueline_Golding_PhD Jacqueline_Golding_PhD Dec 1, 2007 @ 9:23 am
- Great lens! Good, solid ideas about reading to babies and teaching about feelings (FEELINGS by Susan Canizares is nice too). I have so many favorite kids' books that I wrote a book about them (HEALING STORIES). For babies, how about THE VERY BUSY SPIDER by Eric Carle or WHAT SADIE SANG by Eve Rice?
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- BookWise-Winners BookWise-Winners Nov 16, 2007 @ 12:33 pm
- My favorite has to be Pickle Things by Marc Brown. I have six kids, so have read it hundreds of times...and I can still stand it!
Probably second is Go Away, Big Green Monster!
I hope you'll check out my lens and book site, too.
Best,
Alison
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- sonia_simone sonia_simone Sep 17, 2007 @ 4:06 pm
- Thanks Mac! I haven't seen that Seuss, but I will check it out.
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- Mac33 Mac33 Sep 17, 2007 @ 3:11 pm
- Cool lens! Dr Seuss' "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?" was our favorite. For my wife's baby shower, each guest brought a favorite baby book as a gift. Great way to build a diverse library for a new child.
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- ina_mar ina_mar Sep 12, 2007 @ 4:50 pm
- Extremely interesting lens, THANK YOU!
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- chloecavanaugh chloecavanaugh Sep 3, 2007 @ 10:20 am
- We as parents should encourage reading as soon as possible. Great lens, left you *****
regards Chloe
by sonia_simone
Writer, marketer, tinkerer, parent, human being, meditator, gardener, obsessive, bookworm, smartypants, idiot, knitter, bleeding heart, analyst, and w...
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