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The Sogginess

Soggy little pieces of cardboard mush lay waste my daughter’s crib as I reach in to pick her up. The shredded remnants of her naptime snack hide among the blankets, pacifiers, and stuffed animals. No, I don’t let my babies eat in their cribs. They just often decide that a book would be a nice treat.   

Anyone else feel their heart sink as they see a brand new piece of literature torn to bits by their messy toddler? Or maybe your blood pressure rises and you try to keep from yelling at your clueless kid - You wasted my hard-earned money!!

Reading = Fun

I can’t count the number of books my children have chewed up. And as angry or despondent as I have often felt I have learned that IT IS OK. It is part of their developing love of literature. If they are going to literally eat a book now, maybe that means one day they will want to “devour” some books in a more scholarly way.

First, it means my kid had fun. Baby kind of fun. But they did enjoy the book.

I know that my kids are starting to develop a love of reading. Books should equal fun. Books should signal pleasure to their growing brains.

We Read Like This

She brings me a cardboard book that she found on the ground or in the bookcase and plops happily into my lap. We open the book, and as I begin to read the first few words she turns the page, or rather several pages. Undeterred I begin again at the new spot. However, she is already grabbing for the book, eagerly turning to see the next spread. So, by the third turn I am just pointing at pictures. “I see a bird. Where is the lion?” We aren’t even actually reading anymore. But, somehow my child is happy…and now she is closing the book and jumping down from the couch…headed to find another book, or toy, or who knows. But the reading session is over and we never really started. But, her journey to becoming a reader has begun.

The Time Will Come

As we reinforce with these pleasant experiences for our child, on their level, at their stage of life, that books are fun, they are toys, they are not-very-quiet-but-oh-so-sweet moments with Mommy or Daddy, our children are growing into readers. They aren’t reading – and we might not actually be technically “reading” to them…but they are learning. And, they will want to read again, and again, and again…until eventually we are snuggled on the couch with a blanket and some hot cocoa reading a chapter book to our newly turned five year old who can’t wait to find out what happens next…and doesn’t want to stop when the chapter is over.

For now, let them just chew on those books. It’s worth it. I promise.

“Indestructible” Books

But - what about books that my kid can’t tear up? We’ve tried all the cardboard ones!!

If you are looking for some books that are REALLY REALLY hard for your baby to destroy…I discovered these “Indestructibles” (see below) when my youngest was still little. We had a few of them for at least several months before she moved on from the chewing stage…and they really were indestructible. As far as the pages didn’t tear or disintegrate. The only thing I noticed about them was that they sometimes would “curl” up a lot on the edges. Granted, I don’t think a young toddler would complain of a book that has curly edges. Just sayin.

Indestructible Book Series:

There are so many more. Here are a few examples…

And, speaking of books for my itty bitty ones…Y’all…This series is one of my favorites. A friend gave me the set for my oldest when he was little, and it was definitely a “chewed up” set. But, oh so sweet!! I loved the humor in the “opposites.”

For Further Reading

How to Teach a Baby to Be a Book Lover for Life

I found this article from fatherly.com after I had published my own article above. This one supports affirms the idea that children chewing on books is part of the process of learning to love reading.

My Baby Eats Books: Four Tips on Raising a Reader

This one, likewise, I found later on but was so excited to see that this writer concludes many of the same things as me! I loved her point about letting yourself be silly - to the point that you embarrass yourself while reading with your kid.