How do books support newborn and toddler sleep?

How do books support sleep?

• Books can help us spend a moment of connection with our little ones. Connection is one of my three pillars of bedtime (read more about them here!)., meaning it helps us feel bonded and close - a brilliant foundation for confident little sleepers.
   
• Books are less stimulating than screens. This is especially important before sleep, helping to reduce melatonin-inhibiting blue light whilst being an engaging but relaxing activity.
  
  
• They develop their brains in the following ways:
   
  • • Language development,
    • Fine motor skills,
    • Eye tracking,
    • Memory,
    • Bonding
    • Emotional learning

Is it important to read to a baby?

As you can see, reading is a really powerful activity that helps develop a range of skills and supports relaxation before sleep.

“Studies of book reading have found evidence that children begin to benefit when regular reading begins as early as 8 months and that children benefit most from regular reading routines that include sensitive and responsive, language-rich interactional routines.” . (Dickinson et al, 2012)

But it isn’t just the reading itself. It's also the interaction and engagement between the baby and parent: holding discussions, exploring the pictures and reading in different voices to make it truly engaging is what’s so wonderful about this experience!

When can I start reading to my baby?

It’s never too early - you can even read to them in the womb! There’s anecdotal evidence that books or songs repeated to a baby regularly during pregnancy become really soothing and brilliant tools when the baby is born.

Hearing your voice and taking the time to slow down to read to the bump is a lovely way to prepare yourself - as much as your baby - for what's to come.

Which books are best for babies?

When babies are really small, very simple fabric or board books with high-contrast images are brilliant for them, but don't be afraid to pull out some favourites from your own childhood.

From around six months, most babies will really enjoy flaps, textures and sounds in their books. Some babies may like books with action words that you can motion with them or identify objects. Slowly mix in more short and very simple stories based on their engagement.

Keep experimenting with the books you choose and be guided by your little one where possible - they may like to choose the book eventually.

Reading 1-3 books a night is a lovely way to mix it up. Join your local library to get access to free books that you can change as frequently as you need!

How can I get my toddler to sit down for bedtime stories?

Bedtime with a toddler can be a much more active affair as some struggle to sit down and cuddle in.

Try these ways to make stories engaging:

• Choose books that relate to their interests or things they have seen during the day to make it relevant.
• Read or tell stories using different voices and actions whenever possible. You can whisper or get loud. Play with the pitch of your voice and your facial expressions as you go.
• Don’t force them to sit down. Perhaps your child likes to wander around, sit in a comfy spot on the floor, and begin reading, making it as engaging as possible. Keep really focused on the book and read out loud. Don’t coax the child over to you. It's likely that once they see you so engaged and modelling what reading time looks like, they will wander over and stand beside you to look at the pictures!
• Stories don’t have to happen in bed. You might choose to make a small den in their room or a cozy nook with fairy lights that you sit in to read. If getting into and staying in bed is already a challenge, there's no pressure to add time and energy to get them to sit still here for stories!
• Choose books you enjoy too – maybe even flick through old photo albums and tell stories! It’s a great chance to connect and expand the language your children hear.
• Ask questions, point and chat about the book to develop literacy skills and spark engagement.

When can my child read to me at nighttime?

I often recommend that children who are learning to read shouldn’t read to you in bed. This may sound controversial, as reading before sleep is clearly great for us. However, when your little one is learning the skill of reading, asking them to do this just before sleep is actually taking a lot of cognitive energy and skill. It means that their brain has to dial-up and switch on, when actually what we want is for their brains to do the opposite!

I generally recommend, until a child is a proficient reader at a certain stage, that they don’t read to you at bedtime. Instead do it before bathtime or when they get home from school. Once reading certain books becomes easy for them, it's unlikely to be so cognitively demanding that it will impact their ability to fall asleep soon after. That said, even when your child is a great reader, it's brilliant to continue reading to them with different and advanced books!’

Imogen, The Little Sleep Company