Babybug Magazine - www.BabybugMagKids.com

How lucky you are to have such a true book lover in the family. You’ll no doubt be able to look forward to many years of sharing your mutual pleasure in reading. Right now, though, it sounds like your daughter’s disappointment when reading time is over threatens to overwhelm your shared enjoyment.

The most important thing is that you’ve already given your daughter a strong love of books and reading. It’s something she’ll always have. And like all true readers, she will probably always be a little sad when an especially good book ends.

In the meantime, it might help her cope with her disappointment if you can distract her from the fact that the book is over by introducing another enjoyable activity. Here are a few suggestions to help ease that transition:

At six or seven months, out of sight is still out of mind. Continue to hold your daughter and the book or let her hold the book if she likes. Then quickly and enthusiastically pull out an interesting toy or other novel object that you have kept out of sight while reading. When she becomes engaged with the toy, slip the book out of sight and continue playing with the toy together.

At this age, babies want contact and interaction with those they love. When her interest in the toy begins to wane, move to another game. Peek-a-boo is a favorite, as are games like “This Little Piggy Went to Market.” Or, simply bounce her on your knees while you chant a nursery rhyme.

It’s typical in the middle of the first year for babies to be anxious about separation from you. If you usually lay your daughter down for bedtime right after reading a book, change the order of your routine. She may have come to associate the end of a book with the end of this time of closeness and warmth. In her bedtime routine, follow book reading quickly and cheerfully with an activity she likes, perhaps a feeding or bath-time could come next rather than bed.

As you say in your question, you want to make reading an enjoyable time without the end of each book becoming an ordeal. Making the transition from reading to something else she enjoys can help. Don’t remove the book until she is engrossed in the new experience. Then slip it out of sight. And, because your baby will look to you for cues about how to react as you change activities, make a special effort to act relaxed and happy during the transition. With support and with the passage of time, babies become increasingly able to regulate their feelings and handle disappointment. It’s part of the long process of growing up.