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We read three books every night... it's worked out to be a good number. Charlie wants more, but we're firm that the limit is 3... and we let him pick which books we read, which helps too!

We read most nights. There is a small collection of books (about six) in her room that she gets to pick from. She is told she gets two (sometimes she wasn't the same book twice). After the first one, I tell her one more book and then it's bed time. When I finish the second one and she asks for more, I tell her I already told her only two. It's now bedtime. She fusses a bit but nothing that we can't get through.

Some nights she sits in our bed and identifies objects in some of her bigger picture books and then we don't necessarily read a separate book for bedtime.

Books are hugely important to me as I regret not being an avid reader growing up. And other than limiting books at bedtime, I try hard not to deny her books. Tonight I think I read llama llama zippity zoom about 10 times in a row before we ever started bedtime.

We read a lot during the day but we don't do a bedtime story. We used to but then her routine changed a bit and now when we put her down, she wants a bit of play time on her own in her cot and then puts herself to sleep. She'll grab the book and try to eat the pages if we try the bedtime story, she just doesn't want it.

During the day though, it's a totally different story, we have story time several different times throughout the day, and when she's just playing, I have audiobooks on in the background (currently on book 2 of the Harry Potter series). I think when she gets a bit older, we'll incorporate a night time book back in to our routine.

Each boy picks a story so we read 3 books a night. I loved our bedtime stories from my dad so I want that same memory for my kids.

We just recently introduced a bedtime story b/c we don't have another time during the day to regularly incorporate reading. (We both work outside of the home in full time jobs.)

We don't do a bedtime story, used to but we dropped it. We will probably pick the practice back up in the future. I read 2-3 books with her when we get home from child care.

no bedtime story here. DD is still too into eating books and speed turning the pages right now (1 yo). When she is old enough to sit through a short story being read to her and wants a bedtime story, I will be happy to read a few to her.

@artbee: I have actually heard that reading at bed time as a way to "wind down" can actually be bad for a child's relationship with reading. I guess the theory was that if you train a child that a book should put them to sleep, they will correlate reading with bedtime and may develop an aversion to reading.

LO is 2, and for a long time my rule has been 2 books, and LO is totally fine with it. He probably has about 60 books on his shelf but tends to pull from the same 15, and he gets to pick 2 and that's it- he used to ask for more (still does occasionally) but is used to being told "nope, just two." I like it. We go to his room, change his diaper, put on his pjs, read two books, and then we turn off the lights and hug/rock in his glider for a few minutes, talking and singing, before I put him down in his crib awake. He usually talks to himself for a little while before he falls asleep, so he's never falling asleep during books or anything.

@T.H.O.U.: whoa that's crazy! I would hope that we can maintain a positive relationship between reading and bedtime. I know that I like to do some light reading before sleeping myself.

We have a two book rule and stick to it! She'll try to ask for more to stall bedtime, but we say no. Two book rule.

we don't right now (ds is 5.5 months)... but hope to make it a part of our bedtime routine.

we read books thorughout the day instead