Reading to your newborn

Babies who are read to daily in the first year build measurably larger vocabularies later. The specific book matters less than the pattern of shared attention, page-turning, and hearing your voice steady and close. Pick sturdy board books with strong contrast and simple text. Read the same one on repeat — repetition is what wires language, not novelty. It's fine to skip pages, shorten long passages, or improvise entirely; babies aren't grading you. Make reading part of the bedtime routine as early as you'd like. Two books after bath and pajamas is enough. Let baby hold the book, mouth the corners, and turn pages out of order — that's part of the learning.