My message is clear — turn the TV off for the first two years of your baby's life and read, read, read to your baby. Babies love this special time together, they are soothed in the early days by the sound of your voice.

Babies are listening and soon begin to look at books and are learning far more than you could ever imagine. By a month of age your baby may have a favourite book and actually not like some!

By six weeks babies can mimic the expressions of the baby faces in books like Baby Boo — a real favourite.

For 16 years I have been preaching this simple message encouraging parents to turn the TV off and read 10 little books a day to their babies. Does this really make a difference? Yes it does, every time I step out of my house I am stopped by parents telling me the stories of their amazing children loving books and reading at a far higher level than their age, winning scholarships and excelling in school.

I certainly don't like programmes advertised on the TV luring you to send off for DVDs and flashcards to help your baby to read. You are advised to sit your baby firmly in front of the TV set as you hold up the flashcards saying — belly button as you point to yours.

Or else you hold your arms in the air and hold a flashcard saying UP. Forget the flashcards forget the DVDs just spend time with your baby reading short simple books several times a day. Remember Einstein never used flashcards.

So what books do babies like and when should you start reading? It is never too soon to start; many of the experts think you should start before your baby is even born. Reading the same book day after day and then when your baby arrives they say your baby will be calm and quiet and simply listen to the story! Can this be true — who knows?

What I do know is that babies are truly amazing and they love books from the very first day of life. Babies see bold black and white geometric patterns from birth and they also seem to like bright yellow — not lemon yellow though. Babies love these books and will simply focus on the patterns and perhaps start their lifelong love of books.

When babies are about four weeks old they also enjoy books with bright primary colours and they enjoy listening to short stories too. Maisy is very popular with her friends Cyril the Squirrel, Charlie the Crocodile and Tallulah — I am not sure what she is! The characters become friends and babies will enjoy the entire series. The print is bold — black on white so babies start to enjoy looking at words as well as pictures.

Rhythm and rhyme helps babies to memorise and we all remember the words of nursery rhymes which were sung to us as young children. Hickory Dickory Dock the mouse went up the clock — crazy words yet most of us could sing the nursery rhyme word perfect so many years later. Learning these words would be impossible when you are older so start early while your baby learns easily.

The Sandra Boynton series is wonderful — funny words which rhyme and will be ringing in your ears as you head to work.

Eric Carle's books are loved by children all around the world and thousands in Bermuda would choose Brown Bear Brown Bear and The Hungry Caterpillar as their all time favourites.

At four months babies love books with textures to touch and feel. That's Not My... series is fantastic — the girls love That's Not My Fairy while the boys chose That's Not My Truck or That's Not My Train!

Babies also love books with flaps to lift — this encourages curiosity. Next time you are invited to a baby shower head to the book shop — don't buy little outfits because you think they are cute — look in any baby's closet and you'll see they have far more clothes than any of us and they will never wear many of them. A book is a gift you can keep opening!

Finally remember reading helps love and attachment and gives your baby a feeling of security. Books help to develop your baby's attention span; they stimulate imagination and instills a love of learning. This surely has to be a gift for a lifetime. Read 10 little books a day, have books in every room in your home and never leave home without them — pop a few in the diaper bag!