Want to know the best books for babies under 6 months? These are the tried and true books for babies that you need to know about.
The world of books for babies can be overwhelming. There are so many different types of books you might not know where to start. This list covers them all from board books to sensory books to touch-and-feel books.
This list of best books for babies under 6 months contains the most popular and developmentally appropriate books for your new baby. As parents, we all want what’s best for our babies. This list helped me as a new mom to ensure that I offered engaging books to my baby.
Reading to babies in the beginning can be intimidating as you might not be certain that they are getting much out of books. By having a variety of types of books, you will more easily keep your baby interested in reading and build a routine.
This post is all about the best books for babies under 6 months.
Books for Babies Under 6 Months:
1. High Contrast Books
When babies are first born their eyesight takes some time to develop. This means that high-contrast black-and-white books are one of the best options for newborns.
In most high-contrast books the only colors are black and white combined with very simple text. Babies as young as a few days old will get a lot out of looking at the images and hearing your voice while you read.
High-contrast books are also a great option for playtime. When your baby is lying on their play mat, simply prop the high-contrast book up so that your baby can look over and focus on the images. You could also lie down on the floor with them and hold the book above your head.
2. Touch-and-Feel Books
Touch-and-feel books are another great option for babies under 6 months old. But these books also grow with your baby!
In a touch-and-feel book, each page introduces a new texture for your baby to touch and have a sensory experience. The textures might be soft fabric, bumpy plastic, or rubber.
There are many different touch-and-feel books on the market. You can find one specific to your interests easily. One great series is the “That’s Not My ____” book series by Usborne.
My toddler still loves the touch-and-feel books from when he was a baby. We even keep one in the car to entertain him when out and about. These types of books are a smart choice to add to your home library!
3. Crinkle Fabric Books
Soft, fabric books with crinkly paper embedded into the pages are another wonderful sensory option for newborns. Babies love to hear that crinkle sound when they grab the book and it helps them understand how they can affect the world around them.
You can use these books from the very beginning with your baby. They often include different textured fabrics and sometimes have teethers attached as well.
I like to buy crinkle books with text on the page so that I can read while the baby plays with the book. This helps build a reading routine for the family, and your baby will love nothing more than to explore a new toy while simultaneously hearing their favorite sound: your voice!
4. Padded Books
Padded books are a softer version of the classic board books for babies under 6 months old. The front and back cover, and sometimes the pages are a squishy, padded material.
These books are great for babies who are just starting to grab books and bring them to themselves. Often babies work on their coordination by bringing toys to their faces or mouths. Padded books are soft enough that your baby won’t hurt themselves, but substantial enough for your baby to have to work hard.
5. Board Books
Board books are classics for a reason! They are made of extremely durable, thick cardboard that babies and toddlers can play with without destroying. As your baby begins teething they might also like to taste a board book.
Board books are the most diverse of the suitable books for babies. You can find board books for all your favorite childhood stories, and publishers are constantly printing new board books.
I love to look for board books at the thrift store. Since they are so durable, you can find them in good condition, sometimes barely used. Plus they are easy to clean with a wipe!
Board books are also a great type of book to borrow from the library because your baby can be tough on them and you don’t have to worry!
6. Bath Books
Bath books are a fun way to bring a love of reading to bath time. This set above includes bath toys, a book, and cups for pouring water. It’s the perfect set to make bath time a blast!
Bath books are made of waterproof materials and can be fully submerged in the bath without damaging the book. Your child will love to have a sensory experience handling books in the bathtub.
There are even some bath books that change color when they come in contact with water. How fun for your baby!
7. Books with Baby Faces
There is something about baby faces that will make your baby so engaged in reading. Babies are social and they LOVE to see what other babies look like.
Books with real pictures not illustrations can be a bit of a challenge to find. They are much less common than illustrated books. This book of emotions is perfect for engaging your baby with a book, and it includes a mirror inside.
You can begin to teach social-emotional skills with books like this one. Show your baby the pictures of the faces and label the emotion each baby is showing. As your baby gets older you can practice making the faces they see in the pictures.
8. Poke-A-Dot Books
Poke-a-dot books are another book that will grow with your child. When they are a baby they will love the interactive buttons they can push. As they get older, they can really understand the counting that each book teaches.
In poke-a-dot books, there are small buttons on each page that babies and toddlers can push. The dots make different clicking and popping sounds which are satisfying to your baby.
When your baby interacts with a book like a poke-a-dot book they learn that they can impact the world around them. They also work on the fine motor skills of pushing buttons.
9. Sing-along Books
Sing-along books are one of my favorite options for babies under 6 months. Babies love to hear the sound of their caregivers voice, and one fun way to interact with them is by singing.
If you don’t know children’s songs or feel self-conscious singing to your baby, song books are a great way to break the ice! You can find books with audio recordings of songs or books that just include the text.
When you sing to your baby you are also helping to develop language. Babies can learn a lot from nursery rhymes and songs such as rhyming, the cadence of language, vocabulary, and listening skills.
10. First Lift-A-Flap Books
Lift-a-flap books are such a fun way to interact with books. In these books, children can lift up a flap on each page of the book to reveal more text and a picture.
This specific series of lift-a-flap books is particularly good because they are extra durable. The board book pages are thick, and the flaps are made of the same thick cardboard instead of thin cardstock.
There are so many books in this series that your baby will love. We especially love “Babies Love Kittens” in our house.
11. Silicone Touch-and-Feel Books
Another great sensory book option is the silicone touch-and-feel books. In these books, each page has a different silicone texture from bumpy to ridges to dots.
Your baby will love to touch all the different textures found in these types of books. Plus the textured areas tend to hold up over time better than other touch-and-feel books can.