I wanted to share some articles that I found noteworthy regarding how valuable it is to read to your children, even when they are newborns.
Baby Reading Milestones - PBS
Skills Your Baby Learns From Story Time - Parents
What Research Says - Baby Connections
Reading Books to Babies - Kid's Health
Why Babies Need Books - Scholastic
Thirty Million Words - School Library Journal
When my son was born it was the happiest and hardest time of my life. He arrived 7 weeks premature and spent 40 nights in a children's hospital NICU. Everything was out of my control and I couldn't even care for my own baby. The one thing that I could do to feel nurturing to him was to read to him. I sat in his room over 8 hours everyday and was almost always reading stories to him.
He is now an incredibly bright, curious three year old with a remarkably high vocabulary and perfect articulation. Almost everyone he meets comments on how incredible his speech is. In addition, his memory is phenomenal. A friend came over again after about two months and my son said, "Hi! I'm happy to see you. Last time you came to my house you were wearing a red shirt." She found this just as impressive as I did. I do think that our many hours spent reading together from the very beginning peaked his interest in learning and helped develop his language at an accelerated pace.
My daughter, who is four months old, was also born early. Luckily, she didn't spend quite as much time in the hospital and was just at the local hospital's special care nursery. I read to her every chance I get and I have no doubt she'll be an early talker who is just as remarkable as her big brother.
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