Story time with my little guy is one of my most favorite times. When he was a really little baby, he loved looking at the different pictures and watching the pages turn. When he got a little older, he became an expert at grabbing the books and putting them in his mouth. Now at about a year and a half, he's become quite the bookworm. One of his favorite things to do at home is snuggle up together in our comfy rocker next to his bookshelf and choose book after book to read together. It's something I really looked forward to doing together before he was born, and it's just as sweet in real life as it was in my imagination.
Studies have shown that reading with your baby has lots of positive effects like increased vocabulary and language skills, bonding time, and visual stimulation to name a few. If you're interested in learning more about the positive effects of reading out loud as a parent or teacher and some good read aloud strategies, I highly recommend Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook. I read it before my first year of teaching and before my son was born. It's an easy and interesting read.
So we know reading to your child is good. Board books, in particular, are awesome for babies because they are durable and easy to travel with. Here are my family's top 10 favorite baby board books:
My Dad is Amazing by Sabrina Moyle
The illustrations are so fun, and the message is super sweet! This book celebrates dads and everything that makes them amazing. Sabrina Moyle also authored the equally adorable book, My Mom is Magical.
2. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle
This book is a classic for a reason! The repetitive wording and simple, colorful pictures are perfect for little babies and continue to be a favorite even when your little one gets older.
3. Shhh! This Book Is Sleeping by Cedric Ramadler
This book is SO cute! It's about a little mouse getting this sleepy book ready for bed. It takes you through his bedtime routine with the book brushing his teeth, getting a blankie, etc. At the very end you give the book a little kiss goodnight and gently close it. When my son was a baby, he loved seeing the big, blue face of the book with all of its different facial expressions. Now, he enjoys seeing the book do things that he does before he goes to bed (he never fails to point to the toothbrush) and then will give the book a little kiss. I melt every time.
4. Baby, Baby! by Diane Stortz
This book is a little tough to find but totally worth it. It has consistently been one of my son's favorites from the moment he got it from his grandmother. Babies usually like seeing pictures of other babies, and these babies are all doing things that babies normally do (clap, crawl, yawn...). So as my son got older, he could imitate what the babies were doing in each picture, which made it a fun and interactive read. The last page has a mirror and ends with the happy line- "Who does God love? God loves ______!"
5. Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox
This is a really sweet rhyming book that highlights babies from all over the world and repeats the line, "And both of these babies, as everyone knows, have ten little fingers and ten little toes." I love the unifying message! My favorite part is the very end when it talks about your own baby that has "ten little fingers and ten little toes and three little kisses on the tip of (his) nose." Then you get to give your little one three kisses. It's the sweetest thing, and my son always lifts his face up ready for those kisses at the end of the book.
6. Ten Tiny Toes by Todd Tarpley
Another book about little toes! This book talks about how sweet and kissable baby toes are and all the things that your little one learns to do as they get bigger (walking, biking, trick or treating...) Get ready for waterworks at the end, though, because then you read about how all the kisses you've given your little one get to be passed along to their babies. It's really beautiful and makes me cry every time but in a happy (maybe bittersweet) way.
7. Bunny Roo, I Love You by Melissa Marr
This book has beautiful illustrations and a beautiful message. The story relates different things that babies do to different animals- maybe that sounds weird, but trust me, it's super sweet! As a parent, you get to remember all the little things your baby did when they were small. And for your child, the story highlights ways that parents love and care for their little one. Definitely a feel good book!
8. Hug Machine by Scott Campbell
This story is about a little boy who hugs everything! It's cute and funny, and my son especially loves when you do different voices for each character.
9. Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
If you don't already have this book, you've probably seen it around. It's a rhyming story about a blue truck who helps someone in need, even though that someone wasn't very easy to love. The message is great, but it's also a fun read. The book features all sorts of farm animals, so there is a lot of mooing, baaing, and clucking- which my son always loves.
10. Where' Spot by Eric Hill
You definitely need to have a flap book in your baby library. This book was one of my favorites when I was little and is now one of my son's favorites. He loves flap books, and he's obsessed with animals- so it's a really good combination. In the story, Spot's mom goes around the house looking for him. You/ your child get to open different flaps to see if Spot is hiding there. Along the way, you get to meet all sorts of different animals, and at my house we always make a big deal about them ("Ahh it's a bear! Quick! Close the door!"), which makes it extra fun. Some other fun flap books are Dear Zoo and Where's the Zebra? - this one's flaps are made of cloth, so your baby can't destroy it as easily.
BONUS!
First 100 Words by Priddy Books
The books on this list are ones that my son and I both love. First 100 Words falls more in the category of a book that just my son loves, but boy does he LOVE it! He pulls it off the shelf multiple times a day. It wasn't until he was about 14 months old that he suddenly became obsessed with it, though. He's at a stage where he loves pointing to everything and "asking" what it's called. This book definitely aids in his desire to learn the name of everything. To add to the learning fun, we try to find different things pictured in the book in real life around the house or outside. I would definitely recommend this book and others in the series as a one year-old birthday gift.
I'd love to hear what your family's favorite board books are! Be sure to write your suggestions in the comments. Happy reading!
About Mama Says
I'm Lauren, a wife and mom living in Texas. I love coffee dates, game nights, football season, and bike rides.
I heavily rely on the wisdom and knowledge of other moms. Whether it's a serious topic such as discipline or something more mundane (but just as vital to my sanity) like, "Is there a diaper that my son won't pee through in the middle of the night?!," my community of fellow moms has been vital. The motto for Mama Says is "leaning into everyday mom life," and I hope that the content here helps you in some small way as you work each day loving and raising little humans.
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