Reading Stories

One of the best things I did for my daughter (and for me) while she was in the NICU was record myself reading her stories. The nurses would play the tape for her when she got fussy or when she was ready to take a nap. I felt good knowing that even though I wasn’t there, my daughter could still hear my voice.

I wanted something fairly inexpensive and easy to use so I found a Sony Clear Voice Cassette Recorder. They also sell digital versions that look quite cool.

As for books, honestly you can read anything. I’ve listed some of my favorites below for a starting point. Amazon has a list of baby books with some fabulous suggestions on it. You can also get the whole family involved. While I was recording the stories my four-year-old came in so the tape has him saying hi and I love you to his sister. It was very sweet and made me smile every time I heard it on the tape. If your kids are older – have them read a story or two as well.

Favorite Books:

Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
The Runaway Bunny, Margaret Wise Brown
Guess How Much I Love You, Sam McBratney
Harold and the Purple Crayon, Crockett Johnson
Corduroy, Don Freeman
I Am a Bunny, Richard Scarry
The Olivia Series, Ian Falconer

Reading to your baby doesn’t have to be limited to a tape. You can also bring books into the NICU and read them while you are sitting there or holding your baby. I did this too - it was a nice way to connect with my baby and sometimes I simply ran out of things to say or I was too tired to think of something.

Happy Reading!