Baby and Toddler Book Guide: Best Books to Buy Based on Your Child’s Development Stages

Did you know that children whose parents read to them daily are exposed to over 290,000 more words by the age of 5 than those who are not read to regularly?

It’s true! Children who are read to daily hear about 296,660 words by their fifth birthday, compared to the about 4,662 words heard by those who are not read to daily.

Reading has so many developmental benefits. Daily reading increases a child’s vocabulary by exposing them to more words, more complex words, and words they don’t normally hear in their day-to-day. Reading also develops children’s imagination and supports their social skills by exposing them to different social scenarios. Lastly, reading builds early literacy skills, strongly predicts academic success, and increases the chance that children will read on their own later on.

Knowing what books to look for when supporting early communicators can be tough. Thankfully, I have ✨ expert tips ✨ to make shopping easier. Use this month-by-month guide to help you shop for books for your little one.

Click any book title to add the book to your Amazon shopping cart.

Birth - 6 months

Since your baby’s vision is still developing, choose books with little to no words and big, black-and-white high-contrast pictures. You should also consider books with interactive features like mirrors, puppets, and peepholes.

Recommended Books:

1. See, Touch, Feel: Tummy Time - Roger Priddy

2. Look, Look! - Peter Linenthal

3. Baby's Black and White Contrast Book - Tabitha Paige

4. Hello Farm! - Happy Baby

5. Hello Baby: Animals - Roger Priddy

6. My First I See You: A Mirror Book - The World of Eric Carle

7. I’m Up! - Antoinette Portis

8. Animals in the Water - Caroline Davis

9. Peek-A-Boo: Black and White - Sassy

10. Jane Foster’s Black and White - Jane Foster

11. The Wonderful Things You Will Be - Emily Winfield Martin
    
    

6 - 12 months

Your baby enjoys hearing you name the things and people they recognize and they are starting to explore the world with their hands. Choose board, vinyl, or cloth books with one word or picture per page and sensory books like touch-and-feel books.

Recommended Books:

1. See, Touch, Feel: Words - Roger Priddy

2. Bright Baby Baby Animals - Roger Priddy

3. Everything Is Mama - Jimmy Fallon

4. Where is Baby’s Belly Button? - Karen Katz

5. The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle

6. Whose Toes are Those? - Jabari Asim

7. Let’s Talk Baby - Stephanie Ciatti

8. Imitation Book - Stephanie Anderson

9. Let’s Count Soft Book - The World of Eric Carle

10. Poke-a-Dot! First Words - Melissa and Doug

12 - 18 months

Your toddler is starting to take turns, imitate, and say more words, and they might answer a question using one word. Choose books that have a sentence or two per page, and books with repetitive and predictable text.

Recommended Books:

1. Dog's First Baby - Natalie Nelson

2. Tip Tip Dig Dig - Emma Garcia

3. Moo, Baa, La La La! - Sandra Boynton

4. Dear Zoo - Rod Campbell

5. Splash! - Leslie Patricelli

6. Peek-a Who? - Nina Laden

7. Where’s Spot? - Eric Hill

8. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? - Bill Martin Jr.

9. Go Dog, Go! - P.D. Eastman

10. Have You Seen My Cat? - Eric Carle

11. Are You Wiggly? - Tim Button

18 - 24 months

Your toddler is starting to understand and say new words almost every day! Continue to introduce books that help them learn about their environment and daily routines, as well as books that capture their attention through rhymes, and complex images of people and animals.

Recommended Books:

1. Bundle Up, Little Pup - Doris Elys

2. Yummy Yucky - Leslie Patricelli

3. Goodnight Moon - Margaret Wise Brown

4. Chika Chicka Boom Boom - Bill Martin Jr.

5. Llama, Llama, Red Pajama - Anna Dewdney

6. Poopasaurus - Plum Coconut

7. Maisy’s Morning on the Farm - Lucy Cousins

8. Are You Big? - Mo Willems

9. Baby Shark - Stevie Lewis

10. Are You a Cow? - Sandra Boynton

11. Are You Giggly? - Tim Button

2 - 3 years

Recommended Books:

1. Bing, Bang, Pling - Deb Adamson

2. Stir, Crack, Whisk, Bake - America’s Test Kitchen Kids

3. Little Blue Truck - Alice Schertle

4. The Snowy Day - Ezra Jack Keats

5. What to Do When You Feel Like Hitting - Cara Goodwin

6. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt - Helen Oxenbury

3 - 7 years

Recommended Books:

1. Worm Weather - Jean Thaft

2. Ploof - Ben Clanton

3. The Pigeon Has to Go to School - Mo Willems

4. The Pigeon Needs and Bath - Mo Willems

5. What’s in My House?: A Slide and Find Book - Roger Priddy

6. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - Laura Numeroff

7. The Grouchy Ladybug - Eric Carle

8. Grumpy Monkey - Suzanne Lang

9. Don’t Push the Button - Bill Cotter

10. Mix It Up - Hervé Tullet

You’ve probably heard that you need to read to your little one, but do you know HOW to? If you need reading tips, I’ve created a ✨ full-length ✨ book guide just for you! Download this FREE resource here! This guide includes:

• 6 tips for supporting early language skills during book reading

• 6 tips for creating a language and literacy-rich environment using books

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