Here are some ways to start Baby’s First Library:

• Pick an area of the house where you can set up a simple space for reading. All you really need is a comfy chair, good lighting, and a book. But you can make the space as elaborate as you like. Bring in an upholstered rocking chair or an oversized chair and a half so you can both squeeze in.
• Dedicate an area for books that will be just for your child. It can be as simple as a crate with books in it or a floor to ceiling book case with labeled shelves. Even a book basket works! The setting doesn’t matter as much as the together time you and your child will spend reading.
• Choose books for your library that are age-appropriate. You can start out with any books for the very newborn. Newborns can see black white and red most easily in their early days. So books designed for newborns often feature those colors. But you can simply choose a fairytale book or any story that has a nice flow of words. It's baby's love of your voice combined with the holding of a book that will make the time memorable even for the very tiniest of children.
• Include books you loved as a child. If you had a favorite, chances are you can still find copies of it on Ebay or at used book stores. Grab bunches of older books from tag sales where they’re likely to be a quarter to not much more than a dollar.
• Babies won’t really get into the stories of books until they are older, but even the youngest will engage with the pictures. Visit a book store and pick out books that are chunky board books with thick, stiff pages. They are designed to withstand drool and rough handling. And the stories are short enough to hold baby’s limited attention.
• Check out the Newbury and Caldecott award winners online or get the year’s new winners at your local book store. The Newbury Award is given for the best illustration in a children’s book. The Caldecott Medal is for the best children’s story. Each year several books win in each category. It’s a good place to start it if you’re not sure which titles are good. The award winners have everything a good book should—lively pictures and a fun story.
• Don’t be afraid to ask your friends and family to help stock your child’s library for birthdays and holidays. You might even keep a list of books you’d especially like to include.
• Ask teacher friends or the children’s librarian what children of your child’s age are reading these days. Keep adding one or two books at used book sales or in bargain bins at the book store.
• Read, read, read! Even if you feel like you’re only jabbering on to an infant, she is getting a lot from the experience of cuddling with you. She is also learning how books feel and look and how to hold a book. She will slowly learn that print is the written part and goes from left to right. She will learn to understand the story from the expressions in the pictures. These are all skills she will need once she enters Kindergarten. You’re giving your child a head start by showing her books are important to you from the very beginning. Don’t be surprised if you have an early reader on your hands who devours every book she can get her hands on!

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Tips For Reading Books To Your Baby

Here are some of the best baby care books available today.

• Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care

There’s a reason this book is in its 8^th edition. Moms to be have turned to Dr. Spock for years. His advice is sound and he doesn’t throw you into panic mode. In fact, his first line is, “Trust yourself.” With a start like that, the rest of the book will surely be great as well.

• Dr. Mom: A Guide to Baby and Child Care

This book was written by Dr. Neifert who is not only a mom of five children, but also a pediatrician. It’s written with kindness and caring and a genuine love for children. You’ll be reassured by this book.

• Organic Baby

This book helps you make choices that lead to more natural products next to your baby’s skin. You’ll find ways to create a safe and non-toxic surrounding in your home for your new baby. Cute ideas that you can really use.

• Baby Bargains

This skinny book is worth its weight in gold. It gives you the real story on where to find the best bargains when shopping for baby. Do you really need a silver baby cup? No, you need to find a bargain double stroller because you just found out you’re expecting twins. This book will help you find the items you really need at really great prices.

• How Men Have Babies

Alan Thicke, yes, the dad on the old TV show Growing Pains, wrote this book. It’s very funny and will have your husband laughing, too. It’s an expectant father’s guide that you’ll actually catch him reading. Because Thicke shares his personal stories, the book is a real book that pregnant dads can relate to.

• Happy Birth Day

This book is a must have if you have another child in the house already. It’s a sweet book for children that explains that there’s a baby coming. It’s in kid language and there’s nothing gory or overly revealing. It’s just a nice book to give a soon to be older sibling.

• Having Twins or More

This book is now a classic because it gives real world advice to moms of multiples. You’ll get the scoop on what’s normal and what may be a complication. You’ll also find it’s reassuring and not designed to scare you.

With so many great baby books to choose from, you’ll run out of time before you run out of options. Be sure to choose only the books that are most helpful to you and don’t pressure yourself to read everything there is out there. Next, you can start building your little one’s children’s book library.

It really doesn’t matter what you read. A baby will not be able to tell the difference between Little Red Riding Hood and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. As a result, it’s a good idea to pick a children’s book that you loved as a child or just one that looks fun to you. If you're stumped, here is a list of the best 100 childrens books from 1999. It may be old, but they were (and still are) great books for kids.

Newborns cannot see well at first and slowly will start to recognize red, white and black. That’s why most baby books feature large shapes in those colors, but your baby will love anything you read to her. It’s more about spending time with her than about the story at this point.

There are many places to find great books that your baby will love well past their infant years. I've noticed that books that feature a song throughout the book become baby favorites. Some examples of these include The Wheels on The Bus, I'll Love You Forever, Baby Beluga, and more. You can always purchase baby book gift baskets for your baby or for a friend that are sure to make for good reading. They make great gifts and the books will always get used for years to come.

Create a cozy reading area that has a comfy chair, good lighting and an undisturbed atmosphere. If older children are running through the house with their friends, select a spot off in a corner and out of the rush of things. This is your time with baby. Choose a time to read when you are both happy and relaxed. If you are stressed out, reading to baby will help calm you down. Start by cuddling baby up in your lap. Make sure she’s had her diaper changed and is well-fed. That will make her more attentive, and then more likely to fall into happy sleep afterwards. Cuddle baby under a soft blanket and rest her head in the crook of your arm or on a pillow.

Once you are both comfortable, start reading. Baby will recognize your voice and listen to you attentively, often making adorable faces as she tries to decipher just what you are saying. She’ll coo and make noises to tell you in her own way that she likes this time with you. It’s some of the most precious time you will ever have with your baby.

As baby gets a little older, she will want to chew on anything that she can get her hands on. So, offer her sturdy board books that are designed to withstand that kind of abuse. Let her play with the book. You’re instilling a love of holding books and telling her that reading is a pleasurable activity. So, even if she pulls the book out of your hand or flips pages while you’re mid-sentence, just let her. She’s exploring her world. Choose books that are short and simple enough that you won’t mind rereading them. When she gets slightly older, she’ll want to hear the same story over and over again. There’s something comforting to small children about hearing familiar words and looking at familiar pictures.

Start a library full of kids books for your child as early as you can. Showing your child that books have an important place in your house will help make her a life-long reader. Baby Einstein books are also great for developing babies. Take short trips to the local library or bookstore and read to her there. She’ll start associating reading with happy times with mom or dad. It’s never too early and never too late to start reading to your child. And if you know a child who is short on books, donating your gently loved books is a good way to help another child fall in love with reading.

Benefits of Reading to Your Baby

While we try to teach our children all about life, children teach us what life is all about.

Children are in fact the teachers of our life and can teach us the greatest lessons we'll ever learn. Take the time to watch and listen because you will learn a lot about life from these wonderful little people.

Children teach us to laugh and have fun and truly enjoy life to the fullest.

Children are open and honest. Yes, those funny things they say can be embarrassing but children are not scared or intimidated to say it "like it is."

• Children love unconditionally.
• Children do not judge people on race, color or religion.
• Children are not afraid to show their true emotions.
• Children teach us to appreciate the world and the wonders of nature.
• Children do not hold grudges and they forgive and forget very quickly.
• Children love to be taught and learn new skills.
• Children teach us perseverance and to not give up.
• Children take risks in life and are fearless of the outcome.
• Children teach us creativity.
• Children teach us that money and material objects are not the key to happiness.
• Children do not judge people on the way they look but look at the beauty within a person.
• Children teach us the beauty of life.
• Children teach us how to be better parents.

Our babies and toddlers can disrupt our plans and our sleep, and they can certainly try our patience from time-to-time. However, they also bring out of us the greatest love we will ever know.

If you listen, watch and learn you can gain many life's lessons from your children. Let your new baby and/or toddler teach you what life and love is all about! They will be the greatest lessons you will ever learn!

In another aspect, one of the greatest things you as a parent can do is expose your baby and toddler to books. Books encourage learning and language skills and imagination. We have a great selection of baby book gift baskets, perfect for delighting the new baby and toddler.

Give your son or daughter the gift of reading to them daily. Taking the time to read to your baby is a great way to bond and help stimulate your child’s intellectual development. As the child grows and learns to read on their own, these daily sessions can help cultivate of love of reading that can last a lifetime. Reading is one of the best tools a parent can use to teach their children about life and the world around them. Get started today by following these fantastic tips.

1)      Newborn babies are comforted by the sounds of Mom & Dad’s voice. So soothe your 0 to 6 month old by singing favorite lullabies such as Rock A Bye Baby or Hush, Little Baby when you are doing daily activities such as changing their diaper, feeding them or bathing them.

2)      Babies in the 6 – 12 month age range benefit greatly from a scheduled reading activity with Mom & Dad. This age is also a critical time in their motor skill development. So schedule a daily time like before or after naptime or bedtime when you read to your child. They will enjoy cuddling up on your lap and listening to the rhythmic sound of your voice as you read them one of your favorite books or nursery rhymes. Most importantly, don’t get discouraged if you can only hold the child’s attention for a few minutes at a time. They are just at the age when they get easily distracted. One way to help baby stay focused is to buy one of the many books on the market that offer interactive experiences where baby can touch and feel textures or push buttons to hear sounds like fire engine sirens or cows mooing. For classic and traditional books, involve baby by making faces and sounds or substituting their name for characters in the book. Be sure that they can easily see the pictures in the book while you are telling the story. Before you know it, the child will be playing with the books even when you aren’t reading to them. Of course, this means chewing and throwing will provide wear and tear on the books so Baby Einstein has developed a fabulous line board books that are extremely durable.

3)      Toddlers in the 1 – 3 year age range will likely look forward to their daily ritual of reading if you’ve already established a routine that they can look forward to. If you haven’t yet started reading to them, there is no time like the present to get started. Let your child pick the books that he or she wants you to read so that they feel involved. Of course, this means that you might be reading the same book over and over again which can be extremely tiring, but it will allow them to start recognizing words and the storyline as they test their memory. Use books to introduce colors, shapes, textures, letters and so forth in a fun way. Kids will love turning the pages and interacting with the talking books that are on the market today. And remember if your son or daughter is feeling anxious, antsy or is simply in a bad mood, they may not want to read right then so just try again later when they are well rested and a bit happier. The last thing that you want is for your child to have a negative reading experience.

4)      As your child gets to preschool age (four and up), their reading skills will likely be good enough for you to take turns reading to each other. Encourage their cognitive skills and imagination by asking questions about the book they just read or what would make the book more fun, etc. Their imagination will go to work and they’ll be telling all kinds of great stories. Use books to introduce concepts like being nice to other kids and not talking to stranger. Maria Shriver has written a couple of books like ‘What’s Wrong with Timmy?’ and ‘What’s Heaven?’ that help children get through difficult family situations like death or a child born with a disability. Continue with your routine of having regular reading sessions and watch your child become a fabulous reader. Even better, watch your child grow a love of reading that you’ve cultivated over the years.

Giving a baby book gift basket is a great way to help Mom create baby’s first library and deliver your congratulatory wishes on the arrival of the new bouncing baby boy or girl. Baby Gifts & Gift Baskets offers numerous gift baskets and gift sets featuring durable board books, classic books such as Pooh or Dr. Seuss, and pop-up books to encourage interaction and visual stimulation for baby.  Be sure to share your own baby reading tips on the book and toy discussion board sponsored by Baby Gifts & Gift Baskets.