Hellobee Boards

I didn't start consistently reading to DS until he was about 8 or 9 months old. He seemed pretty interested by then and would sit through a few stories without grabbing the book.

I think @littleFox: has some great ideas. I also will sometimes just recite a book or poem while rocking and skip the book, lay them in their crib and hold the book over their head so they can see and read it that way or just move reading to another time of day for awhile until it is a calm activity again. If I read at other times I usually sit a few feet away while they play with toys and occasionally prompt them to look at something in the pictures. A handful of books are always within baby's reach at play time and up until a year or so I don't worry much about book etiquette. Don't feel bad about giving up for a week or two and trying again later.

I've heard that its more important to show your child that books are a part of life, so they see you picking up books to read to them, or yourself, and its less about getting through actual books that young. Have you tried any of those touch and feel books? When DS was very little they kept his attention becuase they were interesting to feel and he'd let me turn the pages to feel the next one.

I almost want to say enjoy this phase while it lasts, before you're asked to reread the same story over and over and over every day! I think I have the entire "treasury of curious George" totally memorized.

Also if you have a jumperoo or an exersaucer or similar activity center, that can be a nice time to read. I don't read to DS in crazy jumping mode, but once he's starting to wind down a little bit I will.

I also sometimes ignore the words in the book at this age and point to things in the pictures (so Where is Baby's Bellybutton might become a whole book of "peekaboo baby!" over and over, or Hungry Caterpillar might be all pointing at the fruits and counting them). That was especially good when he was littler. My DH sometimes sings the books (he likes to with Hop on Pop a lot), which LO also likes. If a book mentions a body part, I tickle or touch that part of LO (Big, Little says "heads are big, toes are little" and I'll rub LO's head or tickle his toes, etc). And, of course, never discount the power of the silly voice.

Really, just try to keep it fun for both of you. This is about playing with your baby and interacting, so don't let it stress you out. Babies are active, so it's fine if you read a page or two and then do something else or he wants to just look at the babies in a book instead of paying attention to the words. Like @beaker said, it's also great if books are a part of your life as your LO continues to grow. Things like seeing them around, seeing you and your partner read, and being read to can all contribute to a love of reading, but they'll happen over time. With a baby, I just try my best to keep it fun, and throw the rules of how we feel we should enjoy a book (usually not be eating it, haha) out the window.