Reading with your baby isn’t always as simple as it might seem.  Earlier this week, a parent asked how I’d advise reading to a toddler who may not have the attention span for a full book and who, when handling them, often tears the pages.  I’m so glad you asked!  This fantastic video, shared to TT a couple years back by hanzcakess, illustrates both the realities of - and several important lessons for - parents and caregivers when it comes to reading with infants and toddlers.  First, when reading with very young children it’s important to begin with realistic expectations. At this little guy’s age (which I’m going to guess is around a year, give or take 2 months) babies‘ attention spans are VERY limited. Think 1-2 minutes tops. What does that mean for you? First it means that you’re unlikely to make it through an entire book. And that’s just fine. Rest assured that there’s still great value in the activity. Further, don’t be surprised if your child is more interested in interacting with (or at the earliest stages, even chewing on) the book itself rather than attending to the story it contains. That’s ok too. For both reasons, beginning with sturdy, laminated board books is well advised. Not only do these tend to be super short (with most intended to accommodate for babies’ brief attention spans), but they’re made to withstand the rigors of handling by infants and toddlers.  Now, some might look at this video and (on first glance, at least) see primarily inattention. But not me! Here’s what I see: First, I see a completely normal toddler who’s already putting some really impressive book knowledge on display. Notice he’s advancing front to back and left to right as he turns pages sequentially. They’ve done this often. Also want to shout out what a truly fantastic job Dad is doing here. Notice that he’s totally letting his son dictate the terms the activity. He’s not insistent on completing the text, but goes with the flow as his son turns the pages. As the pages turn he’s helping to illustrate that the print on each one contains a unique message. And he’s singing the text! Brown Bear is a great book for this and many board books lend themselves particularly well here. Your baby isn’t judging your singing voice. Kudos on making the experience engaging. In light of all the above, don’t be afraid to stray from the text altogether as needed and use this time to simply engage in conversation about the pictures and introduce some new vocabulary. Finally, while lap reading is fantastic, at this age you may also find benefit in reading face to face, allowing your child to tune into your expressions alongside the book. Remember, there’s nothing your baby loves seeing more than you. Rest assured this stage doesn’t last forever. You’ll be snuggling up for longer sessions in no time. And while we’re on the topic of reading, I want to give a special shout out to my friends at @reachoutandread, which is a fantastic program you may know from distributing books and sharing advice like this via your pediatrician’s office. Today I’m thrilled to be the guest on their newest podcast, discussing my book The Daycare Myth. I’ll include a link in the first reply below.

I couldn’t love this father-daughter duet any more. 🎶 🎵 Watch how carefully (and patiently) Dad times his participation. He only adds to the song when Baby has completed her turn - and then she extends his vocalizations right back…with one notable exception. That exception? Watch her reaction when dad switches from his initial “ah-oohs” to “daddy loves you!” This elicits a pause and the happiest, toothless grin a 3 month old can muster. It’s probably still a little early in her receptive language development to attribute her reaction to comprehension of his words. (Though who’s to say for sure?) Even without them, everything about this interaction screams “I love you.” And you can tell that she knows it. What a happy and adorable little singer. And what a brilliant job from Dad. This sweet video was posted to IG by ivetteivins.