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Written by: Richard James , MLS, MBE

Sharing reading with your child is helpful in many ways in almost all circumstances — including when your child is in the hospital, and even when they are very sick. In fact, some research shows that simply reading to your child is something that a parent or caregiver can do to help their child get better! Reading to your child might also protect their brains against some of the things that your doctors and nurses need to do when they are taking care of your child, and may help you feel like you are doing ‘normal’ things with your child.

There are a lot of hospitals that have created reading programs for premature babies, in their intensive care units, and for babies and children who have just had heart surgery. Some of these programs were designed to use reading as a way to have babies and children hear more spoken language, because we know that this helps with brain health and later language and literacy development.

Many of these programs helped create reading habits that went on after the family was back at home and might help with later school and social success. Other studies found that reading to infants helped soothe them, made their breathing and heart rates more stable, and helped with healthy sleep patterns.

Things to remember when reading to your child in the hospital:

• You should be able to read to your child at any time, but some of the more interactive reading activities might be limited or not possible. But that’s OK — your child benefits from any reading that you do, even if they can’t join in physically or verbally because of tubes, splints, or other medical reasons.
• Board books are a great option because you can often turn the pages with one hand. This means that you can give your child an “ICU hug” by cupping their head, touching their belly, or giving them touch while you are reading, or read to them if you are holding them kangaroo style.
• If your child is fully awake and alert, read the story, show them the pictures, point to the animals and letters, and make comments or questions that connect with the story. These are all ways that you can nourish and protect your child’s brain and help them develop.
• Because a lot of hospital units are shared environments, and can normally be pretty noisy, you should read a little more quietly than you might normally.