Parents Read to 14-Month-Old Since Birth: What Happens Next Shocks Viewers
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A 14-month-old from New Zealand has shocked viewers for her outstanding reading skills in her own language.
In a clip on TikTok, little Eliana is sat with a book in her lap, her tone rising and falling as she reads aloud to her parents in what her mom calls "Gibberish."
Her mom, Carrie Rad (@carrierad) who posted the video, told Newsweek that she had always imagined reading to her children.
From left: Eliana the 14-month-old baby holds a book in her lap and turns pages.
From left: Eliana the 14-month-old baby holds a book in her lap and turns pages.
@carrierad
"When our daughter was born, I couldn't wait to read to her, so we started right away," the 36-year-old said.
Reading together with Eliana's father Alexander Ayling soon became a family activity very early on and one that has stuck. "Now, Eliana reads back to us in her own little language," Rad said.
Rad's clip became viral in a matter of days, amassing more than 4.7 million views since it was posted on April 20—and viewers are captivated.
Thousands of other TikTok users have commented, including educators, librarians and fellow parents praising Eliana's natural rhythm and intonation.
"As a reading instructor, you have no idea how far along she already is," one user wrote.
Another posted that Eliana was demonstrating her skills of prosody—the patterns of stress and intonation in a language. "Skills for reading begin way before starting school at age 5. Good job mama!" they said.
"They've pointed out how incredible it is that she mimics the rhythm and tone of reading, even before she's speaking full words," Rad told Newsweek. "It's been so heartwarming to see people in the field recognize and celebrate what we're doing as a family—creating a joyful, connected relationship with books from the very beginning."
Rad added that Eliana's preference has always been books, despite the potential distractions from toys.
Rad said: "When she was younger, she would chew on them and rip pages, but as she grew, she started flipping through the pages, opening and closing the books, and making sounds while doing so. It became obvious she was imitating how we read to her."
In the mornings when Rad and Ayling are having their coffee, Eliana grabs her bottle and heads to the bookshelf.
Eliana's current favorite read is Birds of New Zealand, but Rad said that her daughter is not fussy, exploring everything from poetry to novels.
"She's not reading at that level yet, of course, but she flips through them all and pretends to read, sometimes for hours," Rad said. "She's either outside in nature or at the bookshelf."
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