The Importance of Reading Books to Babies
June 30th 2008 by Dr.MOZ in Books and Toys, Development, New Parents 
A recent study by book e’tailer AllTopBooks surveyed over 640 parents in the UK to see how much time was spent reading to children 5 and younger each week. The parents reported:
- 34.4% spent no time to their children at all
- 50.5% of parents spend 0.5-1 hour reading to their children each week
- 11.2% spent 2-3 hours reading to their children each week
- 3.9% spent 3.5 hours or more reading to their children each week
This is a bad sign for future generations (assuming the results are accurate) considering that babies develop important language skills in the first 6-12 months of life. Not only will reading to babies stimulate their brains and develop needed language skills, but it also sets the stage for learning about the fun world around them like colors and shapes.
To learn more about the importance of reading aloud to babies, visit “Reading Books to Babies” at KidsHeath.org. For collection of great books to read to your baby, drop by again soon to see what our experienced parents suggest.
Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ
June 30th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Goodnight Moon is a fun book to start with!
July 5th, 2008 at 11:29 am
I am shocked to know all that stats, I have only son and spend a lot of time with him to help him and checking all his current class works.
July 7th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
More parents need to read to their children so they’ll love reading. Leaders are readers!
July 8th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Luckily I fall in the last category with 3.9% parents. What is purpose if the life(If someone has kids)? Unluckily my father fall in the upper most category and i have spent all my life with too many complexes, I don’t want the same for my kids.
July 13th, 2008 at 5:43 am
It doesn’t matter who falls in which category, I am worried to see those stats. Where this world is supposed to go? If we shall upbring our kids in a way, they and we both will ruin.
July 16th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I would go further and say that if you read to babies, they can learn to read right along with learning to talk. A neat book called “Native Reading” was written by a stay-at-home father about teaching his two kids to read before they were three. As a parent of early readers myself, I can’t imagine NOT reading to babies, toddlers, even my nine year old, as long as he will tolerate it!
September 11th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Its always very important to educate your child very early in life, as always you should try your best to do these things.
October 6th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
I think it’s sooo important to read to your babies. If we don’t teach them then who will. It’s a sad day to hear those stats, I try to read to my little boys as much as possible.
December 7th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Wow, that 34% figure is really a great shame. I wonder why the message is not getting through to these parents?
I am in the process of collecting similar data at my site, but I’m going to collect worldwide data and then compare different country figures.
karen