When Should You Start Reading to Your Baby?

You can start reading to your baby from birth. Newborns don't understand the words, but they respond to your voice, the rhythm of the language and being held close. NHS guidance recommends reading to babies from the start, and BookTrust gives every family in England, Wales and Northern Ireland a free book pack in the first year so they can begin early. A few minutes a day is enough.

Is there any point reading to a newborn?

Yes. A newborn gets something different from a book than a toddler does, but they still get something.

Babies can hear in the womb during the later stages of pregnancy, and they are born already familiar with their parents' voices. Reading aloud gives them more of the voice they know, in a pattern they can learn from. Picture books and rhymes use more repetition and more variety of tone than everyday conversation. Hearing that is how babies start to pick out the sounds of language, long before they say a word.

There is a practical benefit for parents too. When you don't know what to say to a baby who can't answer, a book gives you the words.

What does reading do for a baby's development?

Reading to your baby supports four things:

• Language. Babies learn to talk by hearing talk. Books bring in words and sentence patterns you wouldn't use while changing a nappy.
• Listening and attention. Short, regular story times build your baby's ability to focus on one thing for a little longer.
• Bonding. Reading means holding your baby close, making eye contact and responding to their sounds. BookTrust describes it as a time for closeness, laughing and talking together.
• A habit that lasts. Children who grow up with books as a normal part of the day are more likely to see reading as something enjoyable rather than a school task.

The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends that parents read aloud to their children from birth. The advice is consistent across the main health and literacy organisations.

What reading looks like in the first year

Your baby won't sit through a whole story for months, and that's expected. How they use books changes quickly.

0 to 3 months: your voice matters most

Newborns see clearly only about 20 to 30 cm away, so hold the book close. Bold, high-contrast pictures, black and white especially, are the easiest for them to focus on. The book matters less than your voice at this stage. Read slowly, vary your tone, and don't worry if your baby looks at your face instead of the page.

3 to 6 months: looking and reaching

Your baby will start to look at pictures for longer and reach for the book. Soft fabric books and books with different textures work well now. The NHS suggests talking to your baby about how a book feels as well as what's on the page.

6 to 9 months: grabbing, chewing and turning

Books will go in mouths. BookTrust's advice is not to worry about it. Board books survive it. Your baby may start to help turn thick pages and will react to familiar pictures.

9 to 12 months: pointing and joining in

Your baby may point at pictures, make animal noises and try to copy words. Name what they point at and wait for a response. Books with flaps, simple questions and repeated lines let them take part.

How long should you read to your baby?

A few minutes at a time is enough. Some days that is one book, some days it is one page. Follow your baby's lead. If they turn away, fuss or lose interest, stop and try again later. A short, happy story time does more than a long one your baby resists.

Consistency matters more than length. One book at the same point every day gives your baby something predictable to look forward to.

How to read to a baby

• Choose a quiet spot. Away from the TV and phones, so your voice is the main sound.
  
• Hold them close. On your lap or tucked in beside you, with the book within their range of sight.
• Talk about the pictures, not just the words. "That's a duck. The duck is splashing."
  
• Use different voices. Changes in pitch help babies notice different speech sounds.
  
• Read the same books again. Repetition is how babies learn. The book you're bored of is often the one they're getting the most from.
• Add rhymes and songs. Action rhymes count as reading at this age.
• Read in whatever language feels most natural to you. Babies benefit from rich language in any language.

Should reading be part of your baby's bedtime routine?

It's one of the easiest places to put it. A bedtime routine helps babies learn that sleep is coming, and a short story fits naturally between a bath or feed and lights out. BookTrust notes that a soothing, gentle story or rhyme can help with a baby's sleep routine.

A simple routine might look like this:

1. Bath or wash
2. Pyjamas and feed
3. One short book, in dim light, in the same place each night
4. A song or the same goodnight words
5. Into the cot

Keep screens out of the last part of the evening. A story gives your baby the calm, close attention that screens can't, and it gives you a few quiet minutes together at the end of the day.

What comes next: keeping reading going as your baby grows

The habit you start in the first year is the one that carries through toddlerhood and beyond. As your child gets older, the stories get longer and they can take part in more.

From around age 2 or 3, many children want to move as much as listen. Stories that invite them to act things out can keep them involved at a stage when sitting still is hard. That's the idea behind Hanu and the Stormy Sky. It's a storybook you read together, in which Hanu the monkey guides your child through simple breathing and gentle yoga poses as the story unfolds. It's designed for ages 3 to 8 and works well as part of a calm bedtime routine.

Whatever you read, the aim is the same: a few minutes together, with a book, every day.