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Suggested Reading for Infants and Toddlers

These are all books that I read with my children when they were little and that became instant favorites. It is never too early to instill a love for reading in your children and the sooner the better. Reading to your infants and toddlers can be a great way to bond as well as a way to help them understand the world around them. Many families start incorporating reading as part of the bedtime routine when their babies are just a few months old.  It’s a habit that they can carry through their whole lives.

Also, remember that part of their learning process won’t just be looking at the books, but touching and even chewing on them.  Some of these books are designed especially for that purpose, while others can hold up to this wear and tear pretty well. Others may be ones you save for time when you can share them together.  Plus, there’s always tape.

1. Press Here 

By Herve Tullet

This clever little book will engage the youngest readers with it’s bright colors,
and simple images. The interactive nature of the narrative makes it perfect for active little ones who might not always be the most cooperative with sitting to hear a book read to them.  Fun and quirky this book is definitely good for a giggle and to foster an early interest in books.

2. Indestructibles: Jungle Rumble!

by Kaaren Pixton

Infants and Toddlers typically are more interested in tasting books than reading them. By taking away these fantastic chew toys because we don’t want to see them ruined, we may dissuade our curious kids from taking the next step to actually opening the books up and seeing what wonders are inside. Leave it to a smart mommy to figure out just how to solve this problem.  Indestructibles are both little literature and teething treasure all rolled into one. Several great stories are available to appeal to children with many interests.

Indestructibles: Baby Babble
Indestructibles Wiggle! March!
Indestructibles: Baby Faces

3. Barnyard Dance! (Boynton on Board)

by Sandra Boynton

Honestly, I love just about every book Sandra Boynton has written and boy are there a lot of them.  I was always thrilled when my kids would choose one of these for a bedtime story, because they just were plain fun to read. Barnyard Dance with its crazy two-steppin’ farm animals whose moo moos and oink oinks become the musical background was always a favorite.  Even as my kids have gotten a little older, they still on occasion will pull these back out and I never mind a bit.  This also tells you that these sturdy little board books stand up to the test of time, both in terms of entertainment and durability.

 

4. I Love You As Much…

by Laura Krauss Melmed

One of the sweetest books I ever read and one that I will always keep as part of our library. I actually preferred this one to the more popular “I’ll Love you Forever” favorite (which I thought was weirdly creepy, but maybe that is just me).  The images are gorgeous and the story is exactly what every new mom feels in her heart for her newborn baby. However, I was warned not to read this in the first few months post delivery as it can trigger some serious waterworks.

 

5. Fisher-Price Little People Lift the Flap Library

by Readers Digest

Okay, so I’m going to be completely honest. I actually don’t enjoy these books. So, why am I including them you may ask? Because my children absolutely LOVED them and would pick at lease one of them up every day.  The reason I didn’t like them was because they don’t tell a story and I prefer to read stories. Plus, for those evenings when you really just want to do a quick bedtime story and be done, these are NOT the books. However, the bright colors, simple concepts and fun flaps to open are appealing to almost all children, even your older ones as I’ve discovered. Toddlers can actually play with these on their own too,you’ll just have to expect a few ripped flaps.  If anything can encourage our littlest ones to interact with books in a fun way, then it is worth the investment even if they aren’t award winners and can on occasion inspire dread in parents when they are presented to you to read for the 6,000th time.

6. My Big Word Book (My Big Board Books)

By Roger Priddy

This was the one book that my kiddos literally wore out. We taped it and repaired it so many times, I knew we got our money’s worth. It wasn’t about teaching them to talk early or anything like that, it just had big pictures that they could easily recognize from the world around them. As they did learn to talk, they took great joy in pointing out to me the words they could say (over and over again).

 

7. Animals (Baby Touch and Feel) 

by DK Publishing

Another series of books that provide a variety of choices based on a child’s current fascinations. Each page offers a sensory opportunity  for the child to touch and feel everything from a  soft and fluffy bunny tail to a smooth and slick snakeskin.  Overall, while the classic Pat the Bunny also falls in this group and is one I fondly remembered from my childhood, my kids actually preferred these.

 

Looking for my reading suggestions for your infant or toddler?

Follow Sunshine and Hurricanes ‘s board Baby/Toddler Reading on Pinterest.

 

LOOKING FOR BOOK IDEAS FOR KIDS OF OTHER AGES?
CHECK OUT SOME OF THE OTHER POSTS IN THIS SERIES:

Book Suggestions for Infants and Toddlers

Early Chapter Book Suggestions for Pre-K, Kindergarten and Early Elementary

Suggested Reading for Middle Schoolers

Book Suggestions for Teens – 14 and up