Is feeding the right time to talk and read to a kid?

Question

The kid will be born tomorrow. I wish to know if feeding time is the right time to "talk" to him and read him stories?

I am asking this because I have heard that kids fall asleep while breast feeding and I think my continuous chatter will not let him sleep.

Also, my parents say that while eating we should concentrate only on food and shouldn't even talk. I afraid that talking and story telling during feeding might turn out to be a bad habit(?) Is my concern valid?

So, what is the appropriate time for story telling? At what age will timing matter considering that the child will consider it a babble initially?

Answer 1

I think you can talk to your child at any time, keeping in mind that it may be distraction, especially when it is time to go to sleep.

During breast-feeding, the child will be focussed on feeding, and will generally be in a quite relaxed state. Talking gently during this time is likely to be good for the bond with the child, but it could also be distracting.

Story-time should allow the child to completely focus on the story, partly to calm the child down, but also to build the tradition and love for books. Mixing this time with feeding could create the wrong associations. It is also unnecessary to do so.

That said, child-raising is a very delicate business, and the only truly universal rule of parenting at this stage is "Do whatever works for you."

The correct time for story telling varies from child to child and as the child gets older. Initially, anytime is good time, as long as it doesn't disturb the child. In those days you can even get all the way through the story. If the child starts to love story telling, then you may find yourself reading the same story 10 or so times per day. They may not understand a word, but it is useful for their development, and of course building a parental bond. As the child gets older, the time and the way of story telling will change.

At present without our 16 month year old, we read sometimes when she goes to bed, unless she's too tired. Sometimes it will be one story, sometimes three. We also read a couple of times during the day, but only if she is a bit tired. These days we never read all the words, as she doesn't have the patients for that. We just describe the pictures. But we are already witnessing a change – she is starting to want to hear more of the actual story.

Answer 2

Breast feeding is an excellent time to have a conversation with your child. They will be eating, and maybe making eye contact, and there are natural pauses in the "conversation". There's a to-and-fro between mother and child. If breast feeding isn't possible and you're using a bottle you still get this benefit. I bottle-fed my son and I loved the close bond we built up during his feed time.

At the beginning you're just letting them know that conversations have two sides, with both people contributing.

Answer 3

I would say no, at least initially. The child is learning how to eat, and reading a story can be distracting to that (plus, it is hard to hold a book and an eating baby simultaneously).

When to read to them? When the baby is calm but awake is a great time to read. Awake babies have active moments, which are great for playing, and more mellow/sedate moments which are great for reading, singing, etc.

Talking can be appropriate to most times the baby is awake and you want (or at least don't mind) him or her staying awake, but the talk changes. The tone and volume of conversation will be different as you play with the baby than as you rock him/her to sleep.

My wife and I found feeding to be a great time to talk to each other, or for me to read to her. It helped her to be less bored and tired while feeding our daughter.