How to instill in your baby a love a books.

The love of books is one of the greatest educational advantages you can give to your child. Children who enjoy reading are generally faster learners and have higher vocabularies than other children. The good news is, you have the ability to instill a love of reading into your child.

Read to Baby From the Beginning

If possible, read to your baby before he is born. If your little one has already made his grand entrance, begin reading now. It is never too early to read to your baby.

Make Reading a Special Time for You and Your Baby

Pick a cozy spot and snuggle up with your baby to read a book. Baby will love the cuddle time and will be eager to settle in for the story.

Choose Short Books

Babies have a limited attention span so be sure to choose books with fewer words. A book that can be read in two or three minutes will be better appreciated by your baby than a long book.

Read Books with Photos of Babies

Be sure to have a couple of books in your collection that have photos of other babies in them. Your baby will love gazing at the faces of other infants.

Babies Love Rhymes

Books that contain rhymes or lyrical rhythms are most likely to captivate your baby as she will love hearing the sing-song tone in your voice.

Allow Baby to "Read"

Especially as babies get older, they will want to participate in the action. Buy board books, cloth books, or vinyl books and allow your child to handle them, turn the pages, or even chew on them.

Read in Front of Baby

If baby sees you reading, he is more apt to pick up a book himself. Babies and children learn by example and this is an easy one to set.

Be sure to have a well stocked library of children's books to offer your baby a variety of stories and pictures. Check out these Great Books for Babies for suggestions.