Free Book Start Baby Packs For All New Registered Births in Ards and North Down

Ards and North Down Borough Council is offering a free Book Start baby pack to all those registering births in the Borough through a newly launched initiative designed to support families.

All Book Start packs contain a book which offers an easy-to-read hide and seek story, a colourful finger puppet and an informative leaflet for parents and carers that highlights the benefits of reading with babies from a young age.

The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Jennifer Gilmour, said:

"I am pleased that Ards and North Down Borough Council is supporting this initiative. Reading to babies can contribute to the development of their early sounds and speech patterns, and books support their sensory and fine motor skills development. This can also help improve a child's sleep and supports bonding between children and their family members."

Kathryn Anderson, Northern Ireland lead at BookTrust, said:

"At BookTrust we want every child to have the good start in life that reading brings and sharing stories with children in their first year is a crucial step on this journey. Thanks to Ards and North Down Borough Council, we are able to ensure that all babies in this Borough receive Bookstart Baby alongside every baby born in England and Wales. This initiative will support parents and carers to engage in early reading with their babies and ensures every family has access to high quality books and materials. 

"We would like to see the return of funding for this for babies born across Northern Ireland who are missing out on this crucial opportunity. Reading together with children has profound benefits with a lifelong positive impact, bonding and attachment, health, wellbeing, sleep and social development.

"86% of parents responding to our evaluation survey said the books included in the pack were among the first they owned for their child, whilst 68% of parents said that Bookstart Baby prompted them to read share stories with their child more than they may have done otherwise."

The Book Start packs will be provided to families at the time of registering a child's birth.