Parents, does help a child later in life if you teach them to read early, rather than waiting for them to be?

If you sat and read books to your child you WERE teaching him to read. In a process very much like osmosis he was learning the shapes and sounds of words while you were reading to him. Each kid is ready to read at a different age and the most important determiner in your kid's future reading is that you read to him on a consistent basis. You have nothing to worry about.