Highlights Hello Review

It is a new year, and with that new year comes cultivating good habits. But we aren’t the only ones who need to develop good habits, our little ones do too.

Reading is a lifelong habit that improves comprehension, vocabulary, and independent thought. Someone who cannot read would have a lot of trouble navigating in today’s society.

Keeping up with our little one’s thirst for stories can be difficult. Even taking her to the library isn’t enough. She wanted new stories in books where she could turn pages like the books I read.

So we tried Highlights Hello.

What is Highlights Hello?

Highlights Hello is subscription for the 0-2 year old. From there it progresses to the Highlights High Five and so on.

Like all Highlights subscriptions, it is a booklet tailored to the child’s developmental level. They have subscriptions designed for children 0-12.

So, What’s it like?

When I ordered the subscription, I was worried that the baby would be too rough on a magazine, despite the website’s assurances the magazine could hold up to anything the baby dished out. But the small booklet was more durable than I would have otherwise anticipated.

It is made of vinyl-type pages stitched together to form a book about the size of a half sheet of paper. It is a great size for tiny hands, and the pages mimic the thickness of paper while still being tear resistant. You can run the book under water and clean it when it gets dirty.

Also, they slide across the floor pretty well.

And the content?

Each book is based around a theme. This month was about color. They typically have a short story, between 2-4 pages, that weaves the theme through a common real life situation. The stories are the perfect length for short baby attention spans.

Beyond the main story, there is an age appropriate object search page, as well as a few more short one page stories.

Overall, the content is great and takes into account a baby’s short attention span.

So, any downsides?

While I love the content, size, and durability of the book, it kinda… stinks. It physically smells. Like something sickeningly sweet. I find myself washing the book before giving it to the baby, which is a step I would prefer not to do.

Verdict?

I like it. I think you can’t go wrong with a years subscription. Especially since the books are durable enough to pass on to the next baby or to give to someone having a baby. The baby loves them, and they are easy to take with you anywhere.

Will I continue the subscription beyond this year? Probably not. I will likely just rotate through the old books. I might up to the High Five subscription for a year when that becomes appropriate and then do the same with those books.

Overall, I do think it is worth the money. Especially since it keeps me from having to make trips to the book store.

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