Talking and reading to babies

New research from the National Literacy Trust reveals that nearly a fifth of parents believe it's only necessary to talk to their baby from the age of three months and one in 20 thinks this should happen after they are six months or older!

Anyone who has brought up a baby knows how they respond to sound and language from day one. And one of the joys of being with a baby is being able to chat away inconsequentially and watch her reactions and responses. However some adults do feel self-conscious or awkward talking to babies and toddlers and PWT has an article to put you on the right track: Small talk if you feel like that.

One way to engage with your baby is to read books – believe me they are never too young. And if you always have books accessible to your infant and toddler you'll be surprised and delighted to see how they quickly learn to pick up a book they love. You may have to read the same story over and over again but you'll be laying excellent foundations for her intellectual development.

The baby book market is enormous and there are some fabulous and innovative books as you will see from our reviews. Sainsbury has recently joined the ranks of book publishers (in conjunction with Dorling Kindersley). The books we have for review My First Box of Books £4.99 (Shapes, Opposites Colours etc) has nothing new to offer, Colours (£5.99) with touch and feel pages was better and for parents and carers who feel a little shy or tongue-tied with children it offers conversation pointers and is much more of the quality you would expect from DK.

The Sainsbury's abc and First words Picture Cards (£6.99) are quite fun and should have a longer life-span. Harriet at 11 months liked the pictures and enjoyed playing with the cards. On the back are question prompts for an adult (if you need them) to ask older toddlers.

As part of the Talk To Your Baby campaign, the National Literacy Trust is urging parents to incorporate some TLR (talking, listening and responding) time with their babies at least five times a day and you can get some useful hints and tips from their website: www.talktoyourbaby.org.uk.