New Ladybird books for newborns

Although many parents never consider filling a bookshelf for their child until the toddler years arrive, in fact you can start reading to your baby and sharing the experience of looking at pictures on a page from day one.

Baby Touch books from Ladybird

Ladybird might be better associated with old-fashioned little hardback volumes from primary school, but their well-established baby ranges are vibrant first books devised in conjunction with specialist advice from baby development experts.

The results look simple enough, belying the research behind the pictures, but the shapes, colours and textures encourage babies to stroke the pages while little prompts give mum or dad something to talk about.

The latest in Ladybird’s Baby Touch series includes a buggy book (which can attach to your pushchair) full of friendly smiling faces and striking patterns. ‘First Focus Smile’, £3.99, also has a little mirror so your baby can look at himself.

The ‘First Focus Cot Book’, £7.99, is a concertina-fold cloth book that can be pawed at and dribbled on. This soft book also contains a little mirror along with bold images of a fish, snail and star.

The First Focus Library, £9.99, is a set of three board books to enjoy in quiet time together. One book has a faces theme, another is full of patterns and the third is all about ‘things that go’. 

All three books are printed in highly contrasting yellow, white and black – perfect for the youngest eyes, to stimulate eyesight and focusing. This makes the First Focus range perfect for newborns to six months, and beyond that for playful conversation with your baby once he can sit up and begin to hold the books himself.

The First Focus range is new to Ladybird First Touch, out this month. For more, go to www.ladybird.co.uk.

www.ladybird.co.uk
 

Enjoying books with your baby

Even with baby books that don’t have any words in them, it’s great to make conversation with your new baby – your voice is one of his key connectors to the wider world, and offers a reassuring presence.

Books are the perfect prompt for quality time together because you sit close and focus on something in your hands, a lovely contrast to walks in the park with big trees, blue sky and lots of new faces passing by.

You don’t need to spend long each day sharing books, but these sessions together, making up words to go with the pictures and pointing to images, saying ‘lion’ or ‘fish’ or ‘star’, can be an invaluable starting point for good learning.

For more useful tips on reading with your baby, go to Babies and books.