https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 17 Jun 2026 15:45:06 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2409530 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 22:41:46 +0000 Mrs. Octopus 2409530@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just started within the past year, it took me forever! My oldest was about 4 and younger 2. They have a great time grabbing books and "paying" for them. We get a lot too, probably 15 or so each time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2409285 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 20:00:32 +0000 GreenThumb 2409285@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My daughter is 2.5 and we've gone to the library starting with story time since she was maybe 6 months old. Now, we go 2-3 times a month. She plays with the toys and other kids while I pick out books nearby. She has pulled books off the shelves before, but the children's room kindly has a cart for parents to put books for reshelving. She sometimes runs around and can get a little loud, but I think it is a great place to teach appropriate behavior in a very forgiving place. She has her own book bag and like @Finfan: said, I keep track of how many books we take out at a time. It used to be 6, but now it is often 10-12. Definitely give it a try! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2409264 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 19:47:16 +0000 regberadaisy 2409264@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am horrible and have never taken my 3.6 yo! :/ I should start planning a monthly trip. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2409242 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 19:33:35 +0000 Finfan 2409242@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I work in the children's department at our public library so DH brought LO1 from birth (after my maternity leave ended). We will do the same with DD2 once I go back. Sometimes they come to storytime and other programs and sometimes just to hang out. </p> <p>I recommend designating a tote bag as your library book bag and bringing it each time. I would also keep your books all together at home and lots of families have a certain number they check out each time. It could be 3,5, 10 or whatever works for your family. The max you are allowed to check out at our library is 75. </p> <p>I also recommend trying not to freak out about damaged books or late fines, if your library charges them. I promise you the staff is not judging and both happen every day in the library. </p> <p>I hope visiting the library is a positive experience for your family! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2409156 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 17:47:40 +0000 Boogs 2409156@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Maybe around 2? He's always loved books, so it has always been something he enjoys. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2409145 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 17:36:14 +0000 autumnlove 2409145@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I started checking out books when LO 1 was 2/3 months old and we started story time around age 1. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2409135 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 17:23:58 +0000 hellobeeboston 2409135@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@edelweiss: we find reading a lot at the library not really possible at this age since he's so into all the stuff, trains first, then toys and fish tank, etc.... He reads a book or two with us but really the best part is having so many different books at home when he's calmer and its part of the night routine. It's fun to gather them up and return them and come home with a whole new stack!! Favorites either stay or come back after a few weeks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2409132 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 17:20:12 +0000 sapphire 2409132@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We started going to storytime around 6 months. They have great children's section in our library with toys- bead maze, blocks of various kinds, a little puppet theatre. They keep the board books in low bins so LO likes to dig through them. It's a great free rainy day activity! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2409097 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 16:50:01 +0000 dc yoga bee 2409097@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Since she was about 3 weeks old. My mom is gong to start taking her to infant story time this week! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2409093 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 16:45:08 +0000 jhd 2409093@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have been taking him since be was a tiny baby. They have a story time for 1 year olds that he enjoys. His favorite thing right now at 20 mos is playing with the Legos and puzzles. Sometimes I reserve books online ahead of time so we can play and just pick up the books when it's time to go. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2409091 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 16:44:03 +0000 pregnantbee 2409091@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In utero -- jk. Seriously, though, from 3 months? Honestly, I'd recommend that you just dive in. Maybe find a storytime for the right age and right time for you to go. Then you can go early and ask a children's librarian for book recommendations. They often have pre-made lists of popular topics for each age. Use your librarians -- they never mind getting questions.</p> <p>Good luck and let us know how it goes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2409058 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 16:18:33 +0000 Autumnmama79 2409058@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@edelweiss: My mom took her every week starting at age 1 and going until age 5 when she started kindergarten. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2409050 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 16:11:42 +0000 fancyfunction 2409050@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We started weekly around 4 mo for storytime. We also go there just to play and take out books periodically. At 3 she's not one to sit for storytime so that's been out of our library rotation for a while. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2409036 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 16:03:31 +0000 MoonMoon 2409036@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've been going since he was a few months old, but only after he turned 2 did he start liking to read books there and realize that we can check them out. Before then, it was to color, play with toys, watch me read, stack books, etc. He's 2.5 now, and I'm beginning to consider storytime. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2409010 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 15:46:03 +0000 edelweiss 2409010@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@skipra: @Greentea: @catomd00: @looch: @tinyperson: @babypugs: @hellobeeboston: thank you for sharing! this is all making me think that i just need to dive in and go for it!</p> <p>@Anagram: good question! i guess i'm worried that it will be overwhelming for LO and/or me. probably more for me containing a banshee. also, the way LO pulls books off the shelves at home...but hey we gotta get into it sometime, right? </p> <p>@T.H.O.U.: @MrsF: i like this idea! that way i can go knowing that i've got some hopefully decent books that i've picked out, and just use the time to let LO explore. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2408992 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 15:31:17 +0000 hellobeeboston 2408992@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We started going when he was around 6 months? He's 3 now, and for the last 2 years we go 3-4x a month. We like to get a big stack of new books each time so we have new things to read every night. There is a great train set at our library so while we're picking out new books, he usually plays with the trains! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2408965 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 15:09:46 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2408965@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>One thing that recently was a game changer for me was to go online and order the books I wanted to reserve. Then I could spend all my time at the library helping LO look at books (or she actually likes us to read them there). And then I wasn't stressing about getting good ones and browsing. </p> <p>We go about once a month and she really enjoys it (Age 4). I think she's learning about new things. For example this time we happened to grab at the last second a gymnastics book. All day yesterday she was trying out the gymnastics moves. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2408949 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 14:59:58 +0000 babypugs 2408949@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've been going since birth. We don't really plan our trips out--we just go, and I grab some books I think she'll like, or she'll randomly snag some that may or may not be awful. We usually go over to the play area and I look through them before putting back the ones that I know she won't like and checking out the rest. If there's a story time going on, we go, but mostly she just plays with the puppets and puzzles and reads books while we're there. She's two now and has been loving it for as long as we've been going! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2408939 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 14:54:45 +0000 tinyperson 2408939@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've gone since she was a baby - and she loves getting books off the shelf to read while we're there and to take home. I say just start going! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2408936 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 14:52:19 +0000 youboots 2408936@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Around 4 months for story hour. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2408891 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 14:30:01 +0000 looch 2408891@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We only really began this past year (at age 4) and my son picks what he wants, he usually just goes up and down the aisles and takes down random books. He's picked up some really interesting onesthat I never would have guessed he would have even cared for, like a Statue of Liberty "biography" that we ended up buying for him.</p> <p>I sometimes reserve books in advance, but not usually. For me it's about the act of reading more than the content of the books...I will sometimes gently guide him, lol. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2408880 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 14:25:23 +0000 catomd00 2408880@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have been taking her to actually check out books since she turned 1, but has gone to storytime and to play since 6 months. She's almost 2 and my inlaws take her every week to play and get new books. They have educational toys you can check out, too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2408877 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 14:23:54 +0000 MrsF 2408877@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've gone since M was a baby. Now with a 3yo and a 1yo it's too hectic to find good books while we're there (we've brought home some doozies) and I'm too busy trying to keep the 1yo from emptying the shelves. I keep a running list of books that have been recommended for the kids. I'll usually find some of those books while we're at the library and check them out and maybe add one that the kids come across while we're there. </p> <p>Sometimes I even go online at home and reserve the books I want so we can read random books while we're there but then pick up the ones that I want to take home with us at the desk on the way out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2408870 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 14:19:03 +0000 Anagram 2408870@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Because of my work schedule, I don't get to the public library as often as I would like with my 2.5 year old older LO. But she LOVES it and during my summer breaks, we go a lot (every week or so).</p> <p>What are you worried will happen? So far my LO just goes to the children's area and I take her to specific shelves (usually board books or Caldecott books or to David Shannon books because she consistently likes those) and we just browse together and she pulls a few books, I pull a few books and we read a bit and then check them out and go home. She looooves picking books, and I suppress my urges to be controlling and pick all the books for her (I'm a school librarian). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2408866 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 14:17:41 +0000 Greentea 2408866@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did since she was a baby and always check out tons of books. It is one of her most favorite things to do!</p> <p>ETA: We hang in the kids section, she loves it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2408860 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 14:14:53 +0000 skipra 2408860@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We started going for playgroup and music time when LO was a year. We didn't really start going regularly and checking out books until he was 2 though. He is 3 now and loves the library! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/taking-kids-to-library#post-2408853 Mon, 04 Jan 2016 14:11:54 +0000 edelweiss 2408853@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>how old was your LO when you started taking them to the library to check out books (or what age are you planning to go)? LO is almost 3. the last time we took him to the library was about a year ago, and it was mostly for the toys. but i'd like to start going and make it a little tradition--however i'm not sure how to start, as the concept is new and dropping him in the middle of shelves with hundreds of books will probably be overwhelming.</p> <p>i know mrs. cowgirl started taking her son when he was under 2 years old, but we've waaaayyyy missed the boat on that one.</p> <p>when did you start going to the library with your LO? any tips/recommendations to make it a success? </p>