Two hundred and fifty children’s books are being delivered to local obstetricians. The books are gifts to new moms and dads with the message of the benefits of reading to their new babies.

The Rotary Club of Beeville and the Joe Barnhart Bee County Library have joined together to provide “Baby’s First Book.”

Infants begin to understand language long before they can talk. At birth they can distinguish speech from other kinds of sounds and recognize the voices of the adults in their life.

In the second half of the first year, they are able to understand words and phrases. It is important to talk to your infant every day. Just as babies need food for their growing body, they need words for their growing minds.

The infant brain is undergoing fantastic growth during the first two years of life and talking and reading to your infant will help to stimulate the parts of the brain that are responsible for literacy development.

Speaking of infancy, this is the first year this program has been carried out in Beeville.

The generosity of time and funding by members of the Beeville Rotary Club and the organizers at the Joe Barnhart Bee County Library are hopeful that this program can be repeated year after year. Donations of new or gently used children’s books for next year’s program will be accepted through any Rotary Club member, by dropping off the books at either Edward Jones office in Beeville and at the public library.

Caregivers and parents should talk to babies starting at birth, even though babies are not yet talking themselves. Rich conversation directed toward infants will stimulate language centers in the brain and promote later communicative competence.

Reading to your baby is a great way to enhance your child’s learning potential. While you might be tempted to talk politics and sports, pointing out objects in the baby’s surroundings is far more stimulating to their development.

Talk about family as you both look through family pictures.

Go for a walk and talk about the things you see. Holding your baby in your lap as you read to them is a bonding experience for both parent and child.

As a word of caution, watch what you say in front of the little ones.

Since it is not known precisely when infants understand words, caregivers and parents should be careful about what they say around them.

Toddlers who are not yet speaking may still comprehend a sensitive or confidential topic discussed by adults in their presence.

Parents often make the mistake of assuming that because the child does not yet speak, that the child doesn’t understand. Amazingly quite often they do.