Hellobee Boards

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!

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).

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).

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.

Around 4 months for story hour.

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!

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!

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.

@edelweiss: My mom took her every week starting at age 1 and going until age 5 when she started kindergarten.

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.

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!

I started checking out books when LO 1 was 2/3 months old and we started story time around age 1.

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.

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.

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.

I hope visiting the library is a positive experience for your family!

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!