Why Wednesday is My Favorite Day of the Week…

Wednesday, better known as “hump day,” is right smack in the middle of the work week.  Most people like Wednesdays because it means they are halfway to Friday, but for me Wednesdays mean so much more.  Wednesday is the day of week when I teach my Baby and Toddler Time classes.  A room full of babies and toddlers may sound like someone’s worst nightmare, but for me it’s one of the best things about my job as a youth services librarian.

These classes are filled with music, singing, fingerplays, scarves, shakers and board books (some of my favorites are attached to the end of this post), but that is just scratching the surface. In many cases, these classes are a child’s first exposure to the library and books; the very first step in early literacy! These classes are also the place where babies have taken their first steps, said their first words or clapped for the first time. These classes are some babies’ first exposure to the English language. These classes are a place for our tiniest patrons to interact with other children for the first time, but also a place for their caregivers to get out and socialize as well.  I have seen so many friendships develop from connections made in my Baby and Toddler Time classes over the years; friendships that last well past the days of Baby and Toddler Time.  Case in point, my very own branch manager met some of her best “mom friends” at my Baby Time class when I worked at the Hightstown Branch many years ago. Although their children are now in college, these ladies are still friends and so are their children.

For me personally, these classes lift me up.  No matter what else is going on around me, I always feel good after my Baby and Toddler Time.  Doing these classes is just plain fun. I get to sing, dance, be silly, and make children happy and I get paid for it! When class is over, I am bombarded by hugs, hive fives and fist bumps.  How can you have a bad day after that?  Also, as a proud mother of an only child (with no plans for another), these classes also give me my “baby fix.”  My heart just swells when I hear them say “Miss Andrea” for the first time or when they come running over to my desk from the front door. There is no better feeling in the world than knowing you made a difference in the life of a child.

If you have a little one, please consider bringing them to one of our branches for a baby or toddler program.  You can find them on our library’s website. You and your child will definitely have fun and maybe even make some new friends along the way!

Board Books Used in Baby and Toddler Time That You Can Check Out from the MCL catalog:

Jamberry by Bruce Degen

Brown Bear, Brown Bear WhatDo You See? by Bill Martin Jr.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton

Barnyard Dance! by Sandra Boynton

The Baby Goes Beep by Rebecca O’Connell

Little Blue Truck by Alice Shertle

Some Favorite Songs Use in Baby and Toddle Time:

“Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”

“Shake Your Sillies Out”

“Old MacDonald Had a Farm”

“Bingo”

“The Wheels on the Bus”

“The Grand Old Duke of York”

“Pop Goes the Weasel”

“Mr. Sun”

“Hurry, Hurry, Drive the Fire Truck”

“Row, Row, Row Your Boat”

- Miss Andrea, Hickory Corner Branch