I’m sure you have all heard that babies can hear before they are born. There has been research that shows this, however I was able to see it for myself with my own children. When I was pregnant, I decided to do an experiment. My husband recorded a song he wrote for our daughter. I played it using headphones on my belly every night starting at about 24 weeks. When she was born, I played it in the delivery room. When she arrived, she was so quiet and calm. She cried quickly and settled right away when she heard her song playing. When we brought her home, we played the song every time she got fussy and she would calm immediately. This was proof enough to me that she could hear in the womb. We did this again with our younger son and had the same results. I was convinced they could hear before I could hold them in my arms.
From about 25 weeks they say the baby can hear noises and voices. What a better time to begin reading to them. They get to hear your calm voice reading and they will hear the rhythm of words and stories. As well as playing music for my children before they were born, I read to them every day. They have been avid readers with a love for learning since they were young children. I believe reading to them since before they were born helped to foster the love for reading and learning they now possess.
Continuing to read to them is just as important. I would stop and read to my babies every day. Not just at bedtime, but at least one other time during the day. This became a time I loved and looked forward to as much as my babies. We would snuggle on the couch or in a chair and I would read them a story, sometimes the same one over and over again. It was a bonding time as well as a learning time. It is a time you won’t regret spending with your baby. So, relax pick up a favorite book, snuggle and read to them.
Here are a few of my favorite books to read to them before they are born and as newborns:
- Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
- Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
- Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- Brown Bear Brown Bear by Eric Carle
- Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
- On the Day You Were Born by Carolyn Mahakian
There are many other books to choose from as well, but these are just a few of my favorites. Hopefully they will become favorites of yours and your child as well.
