It is important that you teach your baby to read as young as possible. Why? Because there is simply no better time in a child's life for learning than when they are between 3 months old and their 5th birthday. During this time, their brains are rapidly developing, and as a result, they are sponges for knowledge. Since being able to read is the cornerstone of any successful education, the earlier they start the better. All too often parents leave educating their children up to the public schools, which explains why the Unites States is currently ranked 18th in its literacy rate.

There are many reasons why you should teach your baby to read. It provides brain stimulation during the crucial time when his or her brain is developing. It has also been shown to increase the baby's IQ. Most importantly though, it gives your child a head start in life. The sooner they begin to read, the sooner they can begin to learn other subjects. This way, by the time your child begins school, he or she will already know what is being taught, and will be put on the fast track, maybe even skipping a grade down the road.

One of the cases which really began to bring the fact that babies can learn to read to the public's attention was 17 month old Elizabeth Barrett who appeared on the Today show. This was a fascinating story because she was given a series of words and even sentences that she read quite well. Her parents had been reading to her since she was born and had provided her with a very early education. There have also been various books written on the subject such as the excellent book How To Teach Your Baby To Read by Glenn and Janet Doman.

You want to give your child the best chance at succeeding in life, which is why it is so important to begin their education as early as possible. Reading is the most important thing to teach them at this age. It doesn't have to be stressful or difficult on your child though. Learning can be fun at such a young age, and it is accomplished so easily that they won't have to struggle in order to learn. In fact, when you use the proper materials, they will look forward to learning.

If you are interested in teaching your infant to read, then the best way to start is by spending just a few minutes a day. Flash cards are a very effective tool. Simply show your baby the word and then flip it over to show them the matching picture on the opposite side. There are videos as well that help teach babies to read. Although some parents may avoid these if they do not want their children watching television at such a young age.

There is no better time to teach your baby to read than the present. Begin looking for learning materials that your baby may enjoy. Such materials can be found on Web sites such as http://www.monkisee.com. This site offers a DVD, flash cards, toys, and more, all with the purpose of teaching your child to read. The Basic Starter Reading Kit that the site offers contains the DVD and 4 sets of flash cards, each covering a total of 40 words. The DVD, Monki See Monki Doo: Baby's First Words, provides an excellent starting place and covers the most important words, such as the parts of the body and familiar terms such as mommy, daddy, baby, and bottle.