Did you know that all babies in England are eligible to receive free baby books from the Bookstart baby packs? Read on to find out all the details on how to claim your free pack as well as a review on what we received!
Bookstart baby packs are an initiative by Booktrust, the UK’s largest children’s reading charity, who promise to ‘get children reading’. One of the ways they do this is by giving every child in England free Bookstart packs with free baby books!
In your child’s first year, you should be gifted a yellow Bookstart baby bag, and when your child reaches 3-4 years old, they can look forward to receiving a Bookstart Treasure pack. Free books are hard to come by in my opinion, so this is definitely an initiative you should jump on if you’re a new parent – after all, it’s so important to read to your baby.
Contents may vary, but all Bookstart baby packs should contain two board books, a rhyme sheet, and a booklet of tips to help you share books with your baby from a young age.
We received a black and white sensory tummy time book and a touch and feel Zoom to the Moon book, as well as the information leaflets and some nursery rhyme finger puppets.
Contents may vary, but all Bookstart Treasure packs for 3-4 year olds should contain a picture book and a booklet of tips to get you reading together with your child.
If you haven’t received your Bookstart baby pack including your free baby books, then ask your health visitor, children’s centre or check in at your local library to see if they hold any stock or can point you in the right direction.
We received our Bookstart baby pack when we registered our baby, Ada, at Dartford Library. We were surprised to receive this, as we don’t have memory of receiving one of these for our older son! It’s a shame I didn’t know they existed back then, as being a new mum it would have been very welcome and appreciated.
Inside our baby bag, we received a black and white sensory tummy time book and a touch and feel Zoom to the Moon book, as well as the information leaflets and some nursery rhyme finger puppets.
The tummy time book is brilliant and folds out so you can stand the book up during tummy time to encourage your baby to engage and look around. The tummy time book is full of images that are visually stimulating for babies including black and white pictures, photos of faces and even a mirror.
Overall, the Bookstart baby pack was a lovely gift to receive full of free baby books, and I would highly recommend all parents to reach out to their health visitor to make sure they receive their free Bookstart pack!
Looking for book suggestions for your new baby? Here’s 10 books you’ll love reading with your baby or what about some calming bedtime stories like these books all about stars?!
If you’re a new parent, why not check out my advice for new mums, or check out my other family blog posts.
