A good friend of mine, who is so great with kids although she has none of her own, asked me when baby D was very little if I was going to take her to the library for story time. I assured her I would, and promptly forgot all about it until fairly recently. Maybe not so much forgot as didn't think D was quite ready; she does love books and reading, but it's tricky to get her to sit still. When I finally looked into it, I was surprised that they have story time for babies (0-18 months) and toddlers (the improbably age category of 18-35 months). At the libraries nearest us, toddler story time falls on the days I babysit or on Wednesdays, when I have ladies' Bible study. So, if I was going to be able to go at all, I'd be taking two toddlers. One day, I was crazy enough to do so.
It went pretty much exactly the way I thought it would. I made sure that if I had one kid waiting around (to be buckled into a carseat, or for other other to get out), it was my young charge (E) and not D, since E is better behaved. I got to the library, parked, unbuckled both girls, and made my way inside, carrying D and holding E's hand. I got their coats and shoes off, since that's what the other moms and kids were doing, and we all sat on a big rug. D was really excited to be there, and not the least bit cowed by the presence of many unknown kids and parents (or to be more accurate, nannies and grannies). She was very keen to sit on the rocking chair, unaware that it was for the librarian. E was quite shy and reserved, and stayed by my side.
As for the format, it was very organized. We had a number of songs to get the kids to shake their sillies out, as it were, and then everyone sat for the stories themselves. Anytime D wanted to get up and walk around, I would grab her and have her sit on my lap, to her great consternation. The other kids were pretty good about sitting, and most of them seemed used to being there. One or two of them would be up and about. There were more songs towards the end, this time accompanied by maracas (one per child) and some dancing. We finished up with a craft, which I felt would be beyond the girls, so we left. The librarian came over and gave them each a sticker to take home.
This week, D and I were able to go on our own to story time at our nearest library. This one was completely different! For one thing, there was a wider age spread (kids who looked younger than 18 months, and some who were definitely older than 3 years). For another, the librarian wasn't as strict, so the kids would walk around. As soon as a couple of older ones went and picked up puppets from a bin at the front, D went for it, too. When other kids saw that the librarian didn't mind, they grabbed puppets initially, then other things, like letters from the felt board, props from another song we did, etc. There was a lot more wandering around, and while I wasn't as anxious when D did so, it was also a lot more chaotic. I plan on going back next week, so we'll see if it's more of the same.
Even though the other library is farther away, and the librarian more strict, I think I prefer going there since it will eventually teach her to follow rules. I'd also like to find a playgroup in our area, for another chance to get D used to other kids and routines.
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