Re: Reading to babies

They couldn't know could they.

They would just hear a low grade hum of our voices at best in my opinion.

I'd read many years before I had my daughter that babies and toddlers would engage with the rhythm of the rhyme and my daughter confirmed that.

The same with music, small babies and toddlers usually react or engage with syncopated rhythm with twinkly percussion.

Re: Reading to babies

Hi Mesco, I honestly cannot remember my mum ever reading to us, mind you, with living in a 3 bedroom house, 6 brothers in 2 double beds in one room, and me in the box room with my little books and comics and not wanting to be disturbed, I wouldn't have fancied her chances of quietly reading to one or more of that lot as it was bedlam in that room at bedtime. Usually the shout from dad to say he would come up those stairs and sort them out if they didn't quieten down was the nearest "talking" they received.

I have to say though that when we got to our four's five's onwards, mum was forever bringing home Library books for us to read, buying endless comics every week and each of us always got an Annual as a Christmas present.

With my own 6 Gorillas, when they were in their high chairs I would always be chatting to them, telling them what I was doing, but again, when they were very small, they were usually in the care of the in-laws or my parents during the week because we both worked in the family business and unfortunately we had precious little time with them when we collected them after work, giving them their bath, a longed for cuddle and news of what they had been doing during the day, they were usually already fast asleep by the time they were put into their cot or little bed, so not much time for reading.

I always helped with their reading during the weekends though but the praise must go wholly to the in-laws and my parents who were wonderful at helping them with their reading and writing.
Will be ever grateful to them.

Re: Reading to babies

I had no one to look after my children so I was a stay at home mum until they were school age. Once I started work I didn't have the same amount of time either and always felt a few pangs of guilt about leaving them with others to look after.

Re: Reading to babies

I know exactly how you must have felt mesco. I shed many a tear of guilt and regret at all that I missed when the gorilla's were babies and youngsters - but unfortunately had little choice. We chose to bring far more than the average number of babies into the world so had to provide for them, same as my own parents did for us. I truly wish we had been wealthy enough to have afforded me being able to stay at home. All those cuddles and talks I missed makes me sad to think about it. Still, having them living nearby enables me to still give them a cuddle now.