Can Reading to Your Baby Strengthen Your Bond? The Story Starts Long Before They Understand the Words

 

There are some parts of having a baby that don’t look quite like the version you imagined.

You pictured peaceful cuddles. Your baby occasionally has other ideas.

You pictured gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes. They’re staring at the ceiling fan.

And that beautiful first story you bought? They’re currently trying to eat it.

So, does reading to your baby strengthen your bond, even when your baby has absolutely no idea what the story is about?

The lovely answer is yes. Not because your newborn understands the adventures of the bear on page six, but because reading creates something babies need from the very beginning.

Time with you.

And perhaps even more importantly, your attention.

Does reading to your baby strengthen your bond?

When we think about reading, we tend to focus on language.

We talk about vocabulary, communication and eventually learning to read independently.

All of that matters.

But before books become educational, they can be deeply relational.

Your baby hears your voice. They’re close to your body. You respond when they wriggle, smile or make a sound. You look at something together.

None of this feels particularly significant when you’re sitting on the sofa in yesterday’s leggings reading the same board book for the fourth time.

Developmentally, though, those little interactions matter.

The NHS explains that everyday interactions with your baby help them feel loved and secure, while BookTrust describes shared reading as a particularly lovely opportunity for closeness and responsive interaction between babies and the people who care for them.

In other words, the developmental value isn’t sitting inside the book.

A lot of it is happening between the two of you.

Something interesting happens when you read together

Developmental neuroscientist Professor Sam Wass has been working with BookTrust to explore what happens when babies and adults share stories.

His research looks at the way babies and their parents respond to one another, including how their movements and physiological rhythms can become coordinated during close interaction. BookTrust describes shared reading as providing a naturally calm setting for this kind of connection.

You can explore more about the science behind reading with babies through BookTrust.

But you don’t need to understand neuroscience to recognise the feeling.

Your baby settles against you.

You change your voice.

They look up.

You smile.

They make a noise.

You answer.

For a few minutes, you’re in the same little world.

That’s the bit we love.

Your baby doesn’t need to understand the story

This is something we talk about a lot at Adventure Babies.

Parents sometimes assume there’s little point reading to a three-month-old because they can’t possibly understand what is happening.

They’re right about one thing.

Your three-month-old probably isn’t following the plot.

Thankfully, that isn’t the point.

They’re hearing the rhythm of your voice. They’re watching your face. They’re beginning to recognise familiar sounds. They might focus on a bold picture or become fascinated by the movement of a page.

Most importantly, they’re experiencing a book with you.

That’s why sensory storytelling has been at the heart of our Adventure Babies classes since 2013.

We don’t expect babies to sit silently while we finish every page.

Stories are shared, explored and played with.

Because that’s how babies experience books.

Sometimes bonding doesn’t happen instantly either

This matters.

We’re often given a very polished version of early parenthood where a baby arrives and an enormous, overwhelming bond appears instantly.

Real life can be more complicated.

For some parents, that connection grows gradually.

You learn your baby’s expressions. You discover what makes them smile. You start recognising the tired cry from the hungry cry. Slowly, this tiny stranger becomes the person you know better than anybody.

Books can provide an easy little space for that relationship to grow.

You don’t need to know what to say.

The words are already there.

You don’t need to invent an activity.

Sit down, open the book and begin.

If you only manage three pages, that’s fine.

Your baby isn’t marking you.

Reading gives you something to notice together

There’s another lovely thing books do.

They give you and your baby a shared focus.

Your baby stares at the dog.

You notice.

“Dog!”

They look at you.

“Woof!”

They grin.

Suddenly, you’ve gone from reading a book to having a conversation.

This kind of shared attention becomes increasingly important as babies develop.

It’s also why we bring our stories to life through puppets, movement, voices and sensory experiences at Adventure Babies. The story gives babies something interesting to notice, while the adult helps give that experience meaning.

The puppet isn’t the clever part.

The interaction around it is.

New research suggests parents instinctively understand this

Something rather lovely appeared in new UK research this month.

The National Literacy Trust surveyed more than 3,000 parents and carers of children aged five and under. It found that 51% now read with their child every day, up from 45.9% in 2025.

Even more interestingly, parents weren’t sharing books purely because they thought they should.

Enjoyment and building a positive relationship with their child were among their biggest motivations.

That feels important.

Because reading shouldn’t become another developmental task parents have to squeeze into an already ridiculous list.

You don’t have to read because somebody on Instagram told you it will make your baby clever.

Read because it’s nice.

Read because they find your lion noise hilarious.

Read because sitting together for five minutes feels good.

The development can happen quietly in the background.

And then something else happens…

Your baby gets bigger.

The indestructible board books gradually give way to picture books.

One day, instead of grabbing the pages, they’re pointing at them.

Then they’re finishing the familiar sentence before you do.

Soon they’re choosing the book.

And eventually, they’re reading.

This is where those early experiences can become something much bigger than baby development.

Research from BookTrust into early family reading found that children introduced to shared reading during their first year were more likely still to be read to regularly when they reached five to seven years old.

In its analysis, 66% of children whose families began sharing books during the first year were still read to daily at five to seven, compared with 49% of children who started at 12 months or later.

That doesn’t prove starting early causes a lifelong love of books. Families who begin reading early may differ in lots of other ways.

But it suggests something we think is really important.

The habit you begin with a baby can grow with the child.

Please don’t stop when they can read themselves

This might be my biggest plea.

When children learn to read independently, it’s tempting to think our job is done.

They’re reading. Brilliant.

Off you go.

But being able to read and enjoying being read to are two very different things.

An eight-year-old can read independently and still love curling up next to you while you tackle a book that’s more complicated than anything they’d choose alone.

An older child might roll their eyes at the suggestion of “storytime”, then mysteriously appear when you start the next chapter.

Reading aloud gives you shared jokes, characters you both adore and stories you talk about long after you’ve closed the book.

The book changes.

The relationship doesn’t have to.

Books can become a thread running through childhood

This is perhaps what I love most about starting books with babies.

You’re not simply helping them reach a developmental milestone.

You’re beginning a family habit.

The baby who chews That’s Not My… becomes the toddler demanding the same story seventeen nights running.

The toddler becomes the reception child proudly sounding out a word.

Then somehow they’re eight, nine, ten or eleven and you’re sharing a novel that neither of you wants to put down.

Books grow with them.

And because you’ve spent years associating reading with closeness, laughter and your attention, reading can remain somewhere you meet.

That’s much more valuable than simply producing a child who is technically good at reading.

What if my baby isn’t interested in books?

Don’t panic.

Some babies will stare at every picture.

Others would rather climb over you.

Some will listen to an entire story.

Others are finished after approximately 14 seconds.

None of this tells you whether your child will become a reader.

Follow them.

Let them touch the book. Talk about one picture. Make ridiculous noises. Use puppets. Read while they’re doing tummy time. Try again another day.

BookTrust’s guide to reading with babies aged 0–12 months has lots of reassuring ideas if reading with a tiny baby still feels slightly strange.

There is no performance required.

So, does reading to your baby strengthen your bond?

A book can’t create a relationship by itself.

But it can create the conditions for lots of the things that relationships grow from.

Closeness.

Attention.

Your familiar voice.

Shared smiles.

Responding to one another.

Repetition.

Time.

And perhaps that’s why reading with a baby can feel so different from simply handing them another toy.

You’re not trying to keep them occupied.

You’re sharing something.

At Adventure Babies, we’ve been championing books and sensory storytelling since 2013 because we know stories can offer babies far more than words. They can create opportunities for communication, curiosity, play and connection.

You can explore our Adventure Babies books and sensory resources or come and experience sensory storytelling together at an Adventure Babies class.

But tonight, you don’t need anything special.

Find a book.

Let your baby choose the pace.

Cuddle up if they’ll let you.

Do the silly voice.

And don’t worry if you never make it to the final page.

Because years from now, the most important part of reading together might not be the stories your child remembers.

It might be remembering who was sitting beside them.