My baby won’t sit still for a book

You open the book, and your baby grabs the page, chews the corner and rolls away. Your toddler listens to two pages, then trots off to find a ball. If story time looks nothing like you pictured, you’re not doing it wrong.

Little ones aren’t made for sitting through a whole story yet, and they don’t need to. A book can still be a lovely few minutes together, even if you never reach the end.

Wriggling, chewing and wandering off are normal

BookTrust, the UK’s children’s reading charity, says not to worry if your child gets distracted, chews the book or wanders off: that’s perfectly normal.¹ Zero to Three, a US early childhood charity, says babies may be more interested in chewing the book, turning the pages or watching your face than in hearing every word, and that it’s all part of learning.²

The NHS says young babies won’t focus for long, and their attention shifts quickly.³ The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) describes babies and young toddlers paying attention to a book for a few minutes at a time.^4,5 Chewing is even a good sign: the AAP says books ending up in your baby’s mouth between 6 and 12 months is to be expected, and shows they’re interested in books.⁶

What they’re getting out of it anyway

Zero to Three says every time you talk about a picture or answer your baby’s sounds, you’re helping to build their language.² The NHS says you don’t have to read the words on the page at all: just talk about what you can both see.⁷

Following their lead may help them stay with it, too. In a study of 36 one-year-olds playing with toys, when a parent looked at the toy their baby was looking at, the baby kept looking for longer, even after the parent looked away. The study used toys, not books, and shows a link rather than cause and effect.⁸

For toddlers, talking together about the book seems to add something. A review of 16 studies found that when parents asked questions and got their child talking about the book, children learned more words they could say than with ordinary reading. The difference was much smaller for 4 and 5 year olds.⁹

Making it work with a baby (3 to 12 months)

• Give them their own book. BookTrust says it doesn’t matter if your baby chews books to start with, and the AAP suggests tough board and bath books at this age.^10,6
• Follow their eyes. Name and point to whatever they’re touching or looking at. Lingering on one page, or skipping pages, is fine.^4,2
• Use your face and voice. Act out the pictures. The NHS says a sing-song voice helps keep your baby’s attention.^4,7
• Read in the bath. The NHS suggests keeping waterproof books by the bath, and books with textures to feel.¹¹
• Pick your moment. Try when your baby is fed, rested and alert. BookTrust suggests turning off the TV and radio if you can.¹ If they lose interest, try again later in the day.²

Making it work with a toddler (1 to 3 years)

• Read while they play. Keep reading, or chat about the pictures, while they build or potter nearby. BookTrust says there’s no right or wrong way to share a story, as long as you’re having fun.¹
• Let them hold it. Toddlers love carrying books about, handing them to you and turning the pages, often several at once.⁶
• The same book again (and again). In a very small study of 16 three-year-olds, children who heard the same stories several times learned new words from them, while children who heard different stories didn’t.¹²
• Ask, then wait. Give them time to point things out. Copy their sounds and add a few words: “Woof! A big dog.”^13,5
• Do the voices and actions. Roar like the lion. BookTrust says little ones love funny voices and acting things out.¹ If hands still need something to do, try an action rhyme.
• Leave a gap. From about 18 months, many toddlers will finish a line from a favourite book if you pause before the end.⁶
• Keep it short. BookTrust says just a few minutes can make a huge difference.¹ Many of our stories take 3 or 4 minutes.

If you’re worried

Children learn to talk at different ages.¹³ As a rough guide, an NHS checklist says that at around 12 months a baby shows some response to their own name, and at around 18 months uses 6 to 20 words and tries to join in nursery rhymes, though not all babies do things at the same age.¹⁴

Your health visitor will check how your child is doing, including their talking, at reviews at about 1 year and 2 to 2½ years, and you can contact them at any time.¹⁵ If you’re worried about your child’s hearing or talking, speak to your health visitor or GP.^7,14