It may seem cliché to be a children’s author pushing the importance of reading to your baby before they are born, but if it’s wrong I don’t want to be right.
I’m writing this post at 39 weeks pregnant with my first child, and it’s truly just coming from experience. As you’ll hear time and time again, all pregnancies and all babies are different, so if reading to your baby doesn’t work for you, that’s okay!
Quite naturally, I love to read so as soon as I found out I was pregnant I started to plan out how often and what I would read to my baby. I had a few books in mind, starting with The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling, which I had recently purchased but not started yet. I’ll admit, this one is a bit dark, so once the baby’s library grew we started to switch up our reading.
Great for Bonding
Reading to your baby in the womb is an amazing way to start building your bond. While their hearing of sounds outside your body doesn’t start until about 27 weeks, they can hear the sounds in your body at 18. My husband and I started reading to Emma at 18 weeks, taking turns each day who would read the chapter, or the book. As we’ve progressed it’s one of the most special things that we do. Now when we read to the baby she moves and kicks, like she’s telling us how much she enjoys it.
Promotes Brain Activity
Another great reason to read to your baby while they are still in the womb is to promote brain activity. It’s been studied that reading helps to promote early development of language skills and improves literacy. It’s a great way to introduce your baby to the world around them even before they can appreciate it with their own eyes.
Relaxing For Parents
There is so much to think about in the weeks and months leading up to having a baby that sometimes we just need to shut our brains off. As a parent to be, and a business owner, my brain goes a mile a minute. Making sure that I take time every day to read at least one book to the baby has been really therapeutic. It’s a great way to slow down and have a little scheduled time to turn your brain off from everything else that’s going on and just escape in the story.
So if you’re expecting, try to take a little time each day to sit down, rub your belly, and read a sweet little story to your baby. Personally, I think DJ the Scratchy Cat is the perfect book to read, but hey, that’s just me!
-Jacqueline
