One of the best parts of our Solly community is that it’s full of really cool, really smart (creative, wise, fill-in-the-blank!) women. Today’s feature is at the top of that roster. A midwest-based mom of three, Lindsey first shared her story—including her role as a pediatric speech language pathologist—in our Full Heart Series. Now she’s back again—this time sharing her expertise with tips for promoting early language acquisition, how often parents should be reading to their babies/kids, and what to do when kids don’t seem interested in reading. Let’s dive in!
You’re a pediatric speech language pathologist (SLP). Can you tell us what that means/looks like?
Explaining the career of a speech language pathologist is difficult because we do a lot of different things, from helping students who have articulation and language disorders to delayed talkers, voice disorders, fluency (stuttering) support, and even feeding.
For me specifically, I’ve spent the past five years as a school-based therapist working with students from preschool to 5th grade who need communication support. I help students who are delayed in meeting communication milestones, have difficulty pronouncing certain sounds, or who need specialized support due to characteristics of a diagnosis such as autism, Down syndrome, etc. Before that, I worked in an outpatient hospital clinic for five years serving kids aged 0-18.
I love my career because I get to have so much fun with kids while fostering their ability to communicate more effectively. Teaching through play and literacy/reading is my absolute favorite!
We know language development begins long before babies start to talk. What are a few things parents can do early on to help ensure they’re giving baby the best start?
First, I feel just having a great bond with your baby is a wonderful start. Snuggling and holding your baby close. Soaking in their baby smell and petting their soft hair. That connection and feeling of safety goes a long way!
Talk to your baby. Describe what’s going on in the environment. Name things and talk about what is happening during daily tasks such as diaper changes, bath time, or while getting dressed. Singing is always great, too!
The other thing I always strongly recommend is READING! Reading has so many benefits for your child when considering their future academic success. Most importantly, I find reading to be a great way to bond with my children, create a feeling of security, and generate opportunities for healthy discussions in our family.
Starting to read when you first bring your newborn home fosters a familiar routine that makes it easier as they get older and start moving around. This way, you and your baby are already accustomed to reading and it doesn’t feel so challenging when they are more mobile.
And the best part about reading to your newborn is that you can read them ANYTHING! You can read them all the sweet books you got at your baby shower, short board books, longer picture books, or whatever novel you’re enjoying yourself!
Do we have to narrate every single thing we do? How can we strike a balance of exposing our kids to words without becoming neurotic?
Speaking from personal experience, postpartum can be very difficult. I feel like what I did with my firstborn versus what I did with my third is so different. BUT, each of my children are loved without end. Give yourself so much grace. And know that if you miss a night (or three!) of reading or have a day that’s just off, it’s okay! My first child may have gotten all the attention and read tons of stories. But my third child had two older kids singing songs to him, was outside much more, was always listening to them talk, and heard them asking for snacks all day.
So in short, no! You don’t have to narrate everything you do. Sometimes, I think just picking certain parts of the day to be intentional about talking to your child works well for you. Maybe that’s first thing in the morning, during diaper changes, at bath, while you're dressing your baby, out on a walk, or in the car. Everyone is different, but sometimes for me, talking to my baby about what we were doing was actually a self-regulating strategy I used when I was feeling anxious postpartum.
How soon/often should we be reading to our babies?
Of course, I believe we should read to our babies right from the start! However, it’s never too late to start either! I always encourage embedding reading into your bedtime and naptime routine. As you become a reading family, it naturally becomes easier and easier to incorporate reading throughout the day. When we get really into a story, we find ourselves reading after breakfast at the table on a Saturday morning, having a deck reading party on a warm night, setting up a fort or tent to read inside, and reading in the dark with a flashlight. The more you read, the less it feels like a chore. My kids frequently bring a pile of books to the couch to look through independently or ask us to read to them.
Making books accessible is a huge motivator to reading, too! Keep books handy! Having a bookshelf in their room is a great start. Keep them in their toy box, TV consoles, one on mom and dad’s night stand, in the cabinets of their toy kitchen, under the bed—anywhere! We try to have some books in every room. Keep it fresh for your kids and YOU, and rotate books for the season. The kids get so excited about this.
Best part—books can be free for your family! Get a library card. Sign up for the 1,000 books for Kindergarten program and check out story time if you can! Save yourself the hassle and request the books you want before you go so that you’re not trying to find certain books while looking after your kids. It’s seriously a life hack!
What if they don’t seem interested?
As a self-proclaimed children's literature advocate, I get this question A LOT. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone. Some tips I have for this are:
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It’s okay if your child is not sitting in your lap. Just start reading and read through the chaos. Usually kids will eventually get used to the routine and become more interested.
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You don’t have to read every word! Talk about the pictures, make funny voices, tell your own story, be expressive, name nouns you see in the book, point at verbs, and be silly—kids love that!
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Find some interactive books. There are books out there like All Better that have reusable bandages your kids can stick on the pages or Peek-A-Boo series that have slide-outs perfect for babies/toddlers. My 11-month-old LOVES the books with different textures such as the That's Not My... series. For older kids, stories that have less words on the page and tons of expression are wonderful. Such as the Elephant and Piggie books!
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Let your child pick the book. And sometimes you might end up reading the same book for weeks straight! This is huge in the toddler phase.
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For littler kids that have growing vocabularies, reduce the questions you ask and make lots of comments throughout the book. Pause and allow time for them to respond. Or be really expressive and wait to see if they mimic you!
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As kids grow, ask them questions while you read, see if they can point to nouns/verbs, check for comprehension, ask them how themes in the story relate to their life, talk about words that rhyme, see if they can tell you the story by looking at the pictures.
Any favorite baby books to give for baby showers or must-haves for little libraries?
Oh, SO many. I also love giving specific recommendations, so if you’re looking for that send me a message on Instagram @hello.little.bird and I would love to help you! On my Amazon page, I have a bunch of books collected based on these themes and I *try* to keep it updated!
For baby’s first libraries, pretty much anything Tabitha Paige (also an SLP) creates is incredible. For baby showers and something sentimental, you HAVE to read M.H. Clark. Oliver Jeffers’ book Here We Are is an absolute must. The Olivia books by Ian Falconer are some of our favorites, too. I love to gift a few board books and also some seasonal reads for baby showers that likely won’t be the traditional books people receive.
If you could give one piece of advice to new parents, what would it be?
Give yourself grace. If you’re worrying it’s because you care. You’re doing a good job! And of course, read with your baby! :)
Anything else you want to add that we didn’t already talk about?
If you’re more curious about this topic or want to know more in-depth about this topic, I loved reading (or you can listen to) this book, The Read Aloud Family.
