Board books needed as UC Davis NICU joins Read-a-Thon

This month, the UC Davis Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has joined the Books With Babies Read-a-Thon to promote reading in the NICU.

The Books with Babies Read-a-Thon is a friendly reading competition between hospital NICUs to encourage reading with babies for its many benefits to NICU babies and families.

The public is invited to support hospitalized babies and their families by donating board books through the Amazon wish list. NICU families receive the books to keep and take home. Due to infection control policies, all books must be brand new.

Here are some of the popular titles on the wishlist:

• Corduroy
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar | La oruga muy hambrienta
• Goodnight Moon | Buenas noches, Luna
• The Rainbow Fish
• Little Green Peas
• All the World
• The Honeybee
• Jamberry
• Owl Babies: Padded Board Book
• Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site
• 8 Little Planets: A Solar System Book for Kids with Unique Planet Cutouts
• I Love You Through and Through | Te quiero, yo te quiero

“Reading to babies promotes the development of language skills, supports bonding between baby and caregiver, and can help establish a routine and promote normalization of the hospital environment,” said Cleo Lacey, NICU child life specialist at UC Davis Children’s Hospital. “Thank you in advance for supporting our NICU families.”

Purchase a book through the hospital’s Amazon wish list.