How to introduce books?

Haven1

I know, I know.  Six months old and we don't regularly read books.  Mom FAIL.  

The main issue is that the boys have always gone to bed just perfect.  We bath, jammies, feed, lay down drowsy, and go straight to sleep.  I'm scared of disrupting that. 

I've tried to read story books (like Dr. Seuss), but they don't really sit still or care.  It works a little to tap on the pages and point out stuff though. 

I know there's huge benefit to reading to them, so how do I go about starting it at this age?  Stuff them both on my lap and hold on?  Put them in their Bumbo like an audience?

What time of day?  Should I roll the dice on trying to do it at bedtime or should I do it while we're playing/keeping from fussing in the evening? 

And should I start with the simple color/animal square books instead of the story kind?  I can barely get them to sit on my lap for anything, much less some long story about little goats eating apples.

Help!  I don't want by babies to have mush brains! TIA.

lgurian

we dont read before bed either. but we have piles of books in our playroom. i started by just reading and pointing at the pictures (very very short books, the ones with about 5 words). and now they hand me books to read them (which i find super cute). they tend to like the same books that i read to them when they were tiny so i end up reading the same book 10 times in a row. 

i would suggest just picking up a book and reading, eventually they will come over to you and see what you are doing. you could do bumbo or your lap, but i wouldnt force them by holding them, you dont want it to seem like a punishment. i would start with more simple books (my boys still wont sit for a whole story). and enjoy! 

janjag

Try books while they're in highchairs (just after eating), or sitting in something other than your lap.  Don't expect to hold their attention more than a minute or 2. 

Try books that are rhyming and sing/songy.  Our first book was Dr. Seuss' ABCs and they loved the sound and colors... much more exciting than most of his other books.  Green Eggs & Ham is still a fail, but ABCs is still one of their favs. 

Paper books are more fun to be read to... better wording, bigger pictures.  Board books are more for them to hold on to and look at, and my girls didn't really get into them until after 1yr. 

Read to them anytime you have the time, or a "boring" moment.  If you are still doing tummy time that could work.  It doesn't have to be a serious exercise.  Just grab a book and get silly for a couple minutes. 

MrsB*7*21

I would try tummy time and find a book with animals, colors, and textures.  Something simple that they can point at.  You can always ad lib story if there isn't much text.

amanda31H

I don't read to them at night.  I plan to do that when they're older.

We read in the afternoon or in the morning.  I've read with them sitting in my lap, or in the bumbos, or them laying down, bouncy seat, etc.  Now that they're sitting up, we do it on my lap in my chair, or them sitting on the floor in between my legs.  In bumbos too though.

I read them lots of things!  We read Dr. Seuss, some ME authors that I like (being from there) like Barbara Cooney and Robert McCloskey.  I also have a big stack of the chunky cardboard baby books by Sandra Boynton.  They're rhyming and silly.  The girls love them.  Because they're cardboard, I put them on the ground when they play (even when they were 3 months) and they would pick them up and play with them, etc.  They both can turn pages and like looking at them.  Also, we have one of those VTech books that are interactive and make noises, etc. They are great!  The girls love it.  I wish I had another....they will "share" it though and each take a page and bang at it.  They also can easily turn those pages b/c they are plastic and have big tabs on the edge.

benkari

We read a lot of short board books.  Sandra Boynton's are great!  Moo Baa LaLaLa is one of their favorites.  The ABC book by Dr Seuss is awesome too.  I always read a couple books at bedtime whether or not they sit and listen and I leave a bunch of board books in their toy room so they can bring them to me to read whenever they feel like hearing a story.

Shelley-Bean

Right now, they are still sleeping alot, but one will be up at least once during the day when the other is sleeping, and I read to them at that time.  I put them on my lap and read a short book.  I haven't gotten the hang of reading to both of them at the same time.  I see it as one on one Mommy and Me time.

jamie217

When my girls get cranky from being overstimulated I would put them in the swing and read foot book and sit in between them and tickle their feet and they liked it, so I started trying other books (they still like the foot book the best though). 

 It took awhile to get them to actually listen to a book at bedtime, but now we read "On the Night You were Born" every night after their bottle and just the past couple weeks they finally seem like they are paying attention to me and enjoying it a little.