Today I am going to tell about the first fun thing of the year 2014 that we did – a trip to library with my baby. Till now my husband used to bring books for her from library. She is fifteen months old now and we thought this is the ideal time to let her have a new experience. She was so happy, the moment I gave her a book, she opened it at once and set out to read it, right there.

Toddler’s first trip to library to read books

I gave her a basket to collect books for herself. We buy toy carts and baskets for our kids to collect their stuff at home. I followed the same concept, outside home, in a public place like the library to help build her confidence. She is a shy kid as of now. This behavior keeps changing every few months. I even asked her to help me pick tomatoes at grocery store later. It was amazing to see how interested she was to pick the books all by herself. I helped her pick the right books. Also hard board books are best for toddlers as there is no chance of tearing away the pages.

Toddler picking up books at library

She ran between the aisle to get a hint of where she was. It was a new experience for her and must I say, she used it very well. And of course playing peek-a-boo with lots of library  aisle to hide, is fun. She did not miss that chance.

Baby playing peek-a-boo at library

I made the most out of this trip as well. I had the loveliest experience of seeing my child’s reaction of being in a library. The mom and daughter duo had fun there and clicked some vibrant pics. And you thought library was a bore? Think again.

Mom and baby at the library

I love it when I read books to her and she responds to my ‘turn the page’ call. She even puts her finger on the pages, trying to mimic my way of reading to her. The first thing she did after waking up this morning was to explore all the books she got from library.

Baby reading a book

Reading help toddlers in many ways. It helps them to build a good vocabulary, enhances their imagination, helps them to communicate easily and it is fun. Adding a library trip to all this just add to the benefits of reading. Kids get to know where the books come from, they build their confidence and many libraries have play area for toddlers as well. It is a good place to make new friends. I saw a new kind of interest in my daughter for books after this trip. She even decided to take her morning nap with a book, right by my side.

Toddler going to nap after reading a book