Babies & Toddlers (Under 5s)

At Wigan Libraries, we believe it’s never too soon to introduce your baby to books. At all our libraries you will find a wide range of books and audio visual material (CDs, DVDs, videos & storytapes) to help you and your baby explore the magical world of books together.

Join Our Gang!
It’s never too early for children to join your local library; we always welcome babies and toddlers as members. All children love to have their own membership card, and best of all, it means that you and your baby/toddler get to take home the maximum amount of books (you can take out up to 15 books on each library membership card). Remember that if any children’s books issued on a children’s ticket are late, there are no fines, so you could save money, too! Please ask a member of library staff for more details of child membership when you next visit us.

Bookstart & Book Crawl
Don’t forget that all babies and toddlers in the borough are entitled to a free book as part of the national Bookstart scheme. In conjunction with Bookstart, all Under 5s in the borough are welcome to participate in Book Crawl. Book Crawl rewards babies and toddlers who regularly visit their local library (with their parents and/or carers of course!) to borrow books. Each time an under 5 visits the library he/she will receive a bear sticker. For every five bear stickers collected on the special card, a certificate of achievement will be issued.

Choosing The Right Books
With all the books available for babies and toddlers, it can be daunting to know which ones will be best for your child. Hopefully, our helpful hints below will help you to select the perfect book for a magical reading experience:

Board Books: These have pages made of thick, sturdy cardboard, which is perfect for inquisitive little hands! There are always plenty of pictures to point at, words to learn and sounds to copy.

Picture Books: When baby grows and can concentrate more, these books tell a whole story, whilst still offering lots of colourful pictures. Many contain rhythm and rhyme, helping babies and toddlers to recognise letters and phonic sounds.

Story CDs and Tapes: Children’s story CDs and tapes can be borrowed for free, and our collection also includes recordings of songs and rhymes.

DVDs: Children’s DVDs  can be borrowed for a week at a time at a cost of £2.00 per week.

Under 5s Storytimes
Come and join us with your baby or toddler every week for a storytime session. Storytimes include stories, crafts, sing-a-longs and refreshments. Please note that all Storytime sessions are free and there’s no need to book. The list below shows where and when these sessions take place.

Library	Day	Time
Ashton	Wednesday	10.30 - 11.30am
Ashton	Sunday	11.00am - 12.00noon
Aspull	Tuesday	10.00 - 11.00am
Atherton	Wednesday	10.00 - 11.00am
Beech Hill	Wednesday	2.00 - 3.00pm
Golborne	Thursday	1.45 - 2.45pm
Golborne	Friday	2.00 - 3.00pm
Hindley	Tuesday	10.30 - 11.30am
Ince	Tuesday	2.00 - 3.00pm
Leigh	Wednesday	1.30 - 2.30pm
Marsh Green	Tuesday	2.00 - 3.00pm
Lamberhead Green	Thursday	1.45 - 2.45pm
Platt Bridge	Friday	11.00am - 12.00noon
Shevington	Wednesday	10.30 - 11.30am
Shevington	Wednesday	2.00 - 3.00pm
Standish	Tuesday	2.00 - 3.00pm
Tyldesley	Monday	2.00 - 3.00pm
Wigan Children's Library	1st Tuesday in month Wednesday Saturday	1.00 - 11.00am 2.00 - 3.00pm 10.30 - 11.30am

Baby Rhymetimes
Come and join us for a fun rhymetime session. Learn songs and rhymes and join in with the actions in these interactive sessions with your baby or toddler.

Library	Day	Time
Ashton	Tuesday	9.30 - 10.00am
Aspull	Last Thursday of month	10.00 - 10.30am
Beech Hill	Friday	11.00 - 11.45am
Golborne	Monday	10.00 - 10.30am
Hindley	Tuesday (term-time only)	2.15 - 2.45pm
Lamberhead Green	Wednesday	9.45 - 10.30am
Platt Bridge	Monday	2.30 - 3.00pm
Shevington	Friday	10.30 - 11.00am
Standish	Monday	2.00 - 2.30pm
Wigan Children's Library	Thursday	10.00 - 10.30am