Top 20 Books for Your Baby’s First Year

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Books play a huge part in our days at our house! We always read before bed time and all throughout the day. Rosy loves being read to, and I think that has a lot to do with the fact that we have read to her since she was born!

When she was tiny she started learning how to turn pages on her own while she was being read to. Now she not only takes charge of the speed a book is read to her, but she is content to sit and look through a book on her own.

This is super helpful in the car, or when she needs to have a relatively quiet activity during church. We want to avoid screens as much as possible in our family (we don’t even own a TV), and reading books is a great past time to do together.

I know that by establishing the discipline of reading in her days now, she will be much more likely to enjoy reading as she gets older.

Right now, since everything she touches immediately goes to her mouth, board books are most of what we use daily. They are super durable and it doesn’t give Rosy the chance to rip a page out.

There are definitely some books that she enjoys more than others. I have a list of 20 books that we love and I think would be a great starting point for a baby library in any home!

1. Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Softly Book

This one is our favorite! Not only is the story adorable (we both have it memorized!) but the inside of the book is also touch and feel. We can read this 4 or 5 times before she is bored with it, and it puts you in a super sleepy mood.

2. I Love You Through and Through

This book is the sweetest. I love reading it to Rosy and the colors and pictures keep her engaged. She started saying “baby” while reading this book because I always called the character baby!

3. A is for Apple

Not only is this one great for learning letters, but it has flaps on every page which means double the fun for a baby who loves to turn pages!

4. Hoot

I have to admit, the math teacher in me LOVES this book. It teaches numbers in a super sneaky way and Rosy really enjoys putting her fingers in the eye holes on each page!

5. The Jesus Storybook Bible

This is the only one that isn’t a board book, but it is so good. I love reading out of this book and I plan to use it way past her first year.

6. Go, Dog. Go!

7. The Foot Book

8. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

9.Colors

10. Farm

11. Indestructibles Wiggle! March!

This one also isn’t a board book, but the entire line of the indestructible books is really great! Rosy loves the feel of paper and this book lets her play without the risk of being paper cut!