25 Best Books for Babies & Toddlers

September 4, 2018 /
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Back to School is at hand! My kids are obviously still a little young for the “back to school” season and maybe it’s just all the school busses coming back or seeing all the school supplies out at every store, but there is something about September that always gives me that feeling of starting fresh and wanting to revamp some of our activity times. I like to get my babies a couple of new books around this time so they can join in the back to school season too. Whether you’re getting ready for back to school, looking for a gift or just looking for something new to read with your little one this list is sure to help.

These are hands down the 25 most loved books! Thoroughly tested favorites not just with my own kids but through countless families and children over the course of my career and then mommy-hood. It’s a great mix of classics and newer less well known books so I’m sure that each and everyone of you will find some new titles to enjoy.

Around 6 Months

  1. Bright Baby First Words I swear every first word my kids had seemed to come from this book! If it wasn’t where they learned it – it was sure a great starter and one that babies brought back to read over and over and over!
  2. Roar, Roar A really cute touch and feel – great for working on sounds!
  3. Twinkle, Twinkle A cute book version of the song and perfect first bedtime story.
  4. Peek-a-Boo Forest This one is a soft book – so awesome for little hands to hold and the peek-a-boo theme is one that is loved by babies for a long time.
  5. Playtime with Sophie Another great touch and feel to get baby thinking about textures and toys.
  6.  Baby Beep Beep I honestly don’t know why this one is so well loved, but my babies still want to read it constantly! Plus its a perfect chunky size for little hands and length for a baby whose ready to be on the go.
  7.  Let’s Talk First Words This is a great one that kids love to play with on their own because they can press the buttons and hear the words themselves! Another great one for beginning language development too.

 

1-3 years

  1. Poppy and The Big Brass Band I’ve mentioned this one before during our music week, but my kids just love it so much I couldn’t help but include it here! Most well loved book in our house.
  2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar A classic but real favorite & great one to work through with picky eaters!
  3. Where is Baby’s Belly Button? A fun lift the flap book to talk about body parts! They make a whole series following babies as they search for items, learn about seasons or just play peekaboo!
  4. Madeline Another classic & well loved story that encompasses lots of important childhood themes.
  5. Chicka-Chicka Boom-Boom Fun and bright this a great and silly way to learn your letters without even trying. Another one that they will keep coming back to.
  6. Brown Bear Brown Bear  A great way to learn about colors & animals – plus if your being silly practice those animal sounds! The repetition is great for language development too!
  7. I Am So Brave My kids and I just love this book! It’s great for any kid overcoming fears or just learning about new things! Plus the pictures are just awesome.
  8. Llama Llama Red Pajama I got this for my kids when they started having separation anxiety and it really seems to help. We have a lot of fun sort of acting it out with panicky vs calm voices or trying out some of the shouting for mom!
  9. Goodnight Moon Another classic and beloved bedtime story – great for early literacy and identifying objects (similar to a first word book but with more depth).
  10. Dr. Seuss ABC’s  This is a classic for a reason – its a fun almost rhythmic story with great pictures. Plus gives your kids phonics skills a boost since you are giving multiple examples on each page!
  11. Little Owl’s Night Another favorite bedtime story – lots of forest animals and great discussions about the world while you were sleeping! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read this one, but I’ve got it memorized by now.
  12. Mr. Brown Can Moo – Can you? A great Dr. Seuss book to get your kids to start talking/making sounds. Each page is full of fun sounds and encouragement to imitate them – play along and give your baby some time you’ll be surprised which ones they start saying!
  13. Moo, Baa, La La La A beloved Sandra Boynton book – people couldn’t believe when my kids knew & could answer what animal sounds were before they were 1!!
  14. Little Blue Truck Trucks, animals, friendship this one appeals to every crowd! Get started on that being nice to people campaign early with a fun and easy read.
  15. Trucks (slide and find books of interest) So we’ve got the trucks version of this series which is great, but they make several different versions (christmas, animals, colors, you name it) so find one that’s got your kiddos interests! Technically it’s great for memory/matching skills, fine motor skills, spatial awareness and learning about detail. But my kids know it just as a super fun book to read together or they can enjoy on their own too!
  16. Happy Hippo, Angry Duck This is a great one for learning about feelings in a kind of fun and silly way. Love it for those “terrible twos” But it’s also helpful to get them to start to understand that emotions come and go.
  17. Big Red Barn  This is a less well known book by the author who did Goodnight Moon, and its a favorite bedtime story – learning about the animals on a farm before they all go to sleep!
  18.  If You’re A Robot and You Know It  This is such a fun version of the classic song, and while my kids can’t do all the actions (like shoot laser beams from their eyes) they love to follow along where they can and watch the pop-ups go!

 

 

As for us this ‘back to school’ season we are picking up:

Once Upon a Potty Sound BookChicka Chicka 1, 2, 3 and I Can Do It Myself!

will keep you posted how they turn out!

 

 

 

 

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