Ya wanna know what the scary thing about having a baby is? Well I'll tell you. The fact that their brains develop more in the first three years of their life than the rest of their life put together. Like, thanks for all the added pressure! If you're like me and have a little one at home that you're doing your best to mold and shape into a genius that will make millions and change the world, you will probably be looking for ways to achieve this without having a doctorate in childhood education. The good news is there is one very easy thing that any parent can do to help with their babe's development: READING.
Reading is by far one of the most important things that a child needs to help with their early developing years. It helps to expand their vocabulary, future language, and helps with neurological development in listening and memory skills. A good rule of thumb is to read one book for every year of their age. So if I have an 18-month-old (which I do) I would read either one or two books a day to him (which I try to do). Some doctors will recommend reading the same book every day to help them learn and remember those books, but that may drive you absolutely crazy. Just choose one of the eight thousand books you've accumulated from showers and birthdays and spend a few minutes reading to your little one every day. When they're really tiny you can even read them a book that you enjoy reading; I did this a lot with my son while he was still nursing. Another option is of course your local library which will be an easy way to switch up what you're baby is exposed to.
Another great option if you're looking to expand your kid's literary playground, find some adorable books that they won't want to put down!
If you've got a little one who loves to point things out to you like, "tree," or "water," then they may love the Lucy Darling All Aboard California: A Landscape Primer Book. This beauty is exactly what the title says! It is a gorgeously illustrated into to teaching your child about their surroundings. They have a whole collection of different locations that focus on different aspects of your child's life. Having just moved to CA this is a fun way for me to point out to our son about the different things that he may be seeing when we go for our walks or to the beach.
Want your babe to fall in love with the classics without scratching your eyes out for reading him Jane Austen? Then, mama we got you covered! BabyLit board books are the cutest little classics that have ever been printed. They take the characters and settings of the old time favorites and turn them into concepts our little ones can wrap their heads around, like colors or counting. You will also get a kick out of seeing these iconic characters in a board book for your toddler.
