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7 Best Baby Books for 2020

Note: Always consult with a medical professional prior to making decisions on behalf of your child or if you are pregnant. This article is not medical advice. Raising Them is ad supported and may earn money from clicks.

Baby books might seem like something that isn’t needed for the first few years of life. Babies are just learning how to communicate, so they don’t need books if they can’t read, right?

This isn’t true. The use of baby books has seen many different positive effects on children, even though they can’t read the books themselves.

From increased levels of hand-eye coordination from handling the book themselves to being more receptive to learning when being read to from a young age, baby books can help a child more than you might think.

However, you don’t want to buy just any baby book that could be cheaply made. We looked for several baby books that would be a good choice for any parent wanting to help their child learn early.

These choices are well made and will help your child learn in the early stages, and with these products, we hope that the information given will help you make a final decision about which baby book to get your child.

Bargain
best-bargain-baby-book
Baby Einstein Primary Pages High Contrast Book
4.5/5.0
Check Amazon
Top Pick
top-value-baby-book
Lamaze Peek-A-Boo Forest, Fun Interactive Baby Book
4.8/5.0
Check Amazon

Quick Comparison:

The Baby Books Number of Pages Age Range Recommendation Check the Price
Lamaze Peek-A-Boo Forest, Fun Interactive Baby Book Six, full length Six months and up Check the Price
ToBe Ready For Life Premium Soft Baby Book First Year, Cloth Book Eight, full length Three months and up Check the Price
Baby Einstein Primary Pages High Contrast Baby Book Five, full length Newborns and up Check the Price
World of Eric Carle, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Cloth Book Three, full length Newborn to toddler Check the Price
MAMMA Kiddie Soft Activity Book, My First Word Book, Best Cloth Book Ten, full length Newborn and up Check the Price
Guess How Much I Love You Soft Book for Babies Three, full length Newborn to toddler Check the Price
Beiens My Quiet Books – Soft Activity Books for Babies, Toddler Learning Sensory Story Book Eight, full length Newborn and up Check the Price

Why Use a Baby Book?

Reviewing the baby books that we choose will come later, but first, we wanted to address a question that many people might be asking: why buy a baby book?

It might seem strange to buy a book for a baby that is years away from being able to read. It is understandable that people would be questioning its usefulness.

However, the fact is that these baby books have many different uses that make them an important part of a child’s early education.

Babies grow a lot during the first year and anything that helps them develop is a positive choice. With the need to fully develop their eyesight, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills, babies have a lot to learn during their first few months.

Even though they are not able to read books as adults do, the act of turning the pages and looking at the pictures and words can help them develop their eyesight and motor skills. The earlier a child is able to do this, the better their educational journey in school will likely be.

As an added effect, letting babies play with baby books will build their desire to learn and help them later on when they are in school.

Baby books can also be a way to expand their imagination and start their brain development as they use their minds to decipher what is on the page they are looking at.

As a result of this ability to grow intellectually, babies also become more receptive to the idea of learning, which can help them learn how to communicate faster and be better students when they attend school.

Using a baby book to teach your child about language is an option that many parents enjoy. However, finding the right books that will interest your child and allow them to reap these benefits can be tough.

Finding ones that you think are right for your baby is up to you, and that is a choice that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

How Long Will You Use a Baby Book?

A baby book is not meant to be used for a long time, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t be useful during that time.

Many baby books are meant to be given to newborn babies and can be used until they are able to read on their own.

However, because many baby books are very simple and often only contain a single word or picture on each page, some children will outgrow them once they began reading sentences.

The typical use for these types of baby books is until the age of a toddler, which is around two years old. At this time, they will be learning the alphabet and how to read words.

When they pass this stage, they will no longer need to use baby books.

The Best Baby Books:

1. Lamaze Peek-A-Boo Forest, Fun Interactive Baby Book – Top Pick

Lamaze Peek-A-Boo Forest, Fun Interactive Baby BookView on Amazon

Editor’s Rating: 4.8

The Lamaze Peek-A-Book Forest baby book is a top-notch product that can be given to your baby to help them develop their motor skills and coordination. The soft cloth material is easy on their hands and will give them texture to discover while they hold it.

The pages are easy to turn and will help them build their hand-eye coordination as they learn to flip through the pages one at a time. The soft cloth also makes the book durable enough for your baby to chew, throw, or crawl on without it being damaged.

This particular book has a higher reading level than others, which is too much for a newborn but can still be read to the child as a naptime or bedtime story. The wider vocabulary and storytelling also let your child use it for a longer amount of time since they will have sentences to learn to read.

The pictures are kid-friendly and colorful to help them develop better eyesight and associate certain colors with normal items like the sky or grass.

Each one of the pages of this book also has a flip-down piece that uncovers a different animal hiding behind it. This helps babies learn how to use their hands to move the piece, and it excites them with the finding of a hidden animal on every page.

This baby book has rhymes on each page as well, because it has full sentences, so your child can hear the musicality of the sounds of the word. This can also help them as they get older to memorize the words, which helps inform them on how to read the sentences.

Pros
Durable cloth material
Easy to turn pages
Wider vocabulary
Features engaging pictures
Has flip-panel for extra motor skill development
Cons
May be too tough for newborn to use
Fabric feels stiff at first
Specs
3 ounces
Six full pages
Polyester material
Recommended for 6-month and up
Detailed story
Rhyme scheme

2. ToBe Ready For Life Premium Soft Baby Book First Year, Cloth Book

ToBe Ready For Life Premium Soft Baby Book First Year, Cloth BookView on Amazon

Editor’s Rating: 4.7

The ToBe Ready For Like Soft Baby Book is a cloth book that is great for all baby boys and girls. The engaging story and peek-a-boo feature resemble the first choice on our list. With bright colors and large pictures that capture a baby’s attention, this book is a great choice for any baby.

The front cover of the book has a 3D effect with a dog that has a 3D head and ears. This entices your child to pick up the book and play with it even if they are too young to understand the words of the story.

The vocabulary of the book is higher than beginning readers will understand, so the babies will simply learn to look at the pictures and turn the pages. However, the large vocabulary will keep this book being a good toy for them for the first few years of their lives, or until they begin reading full sentences and move onto toddler books.

This baby book has eight full pages of pictures and storytelling that will keep your baby turning the pages and learning better coordination within a shorter amount of time.

Select pages of the baby book have peek-a-boo panels that are moved to show a hidden picture of an animal. This is a great way to teach your babies to figure out how to move the panels on their own.

The reveal of a hidden picture will also keep them interested in the book even after playing with it multiple times. There are also some sound effects that help keep your baby interested.

Pros
3D front cover
Eight pages
Large vocabulary
Peek-a-boo panels
Interesting story
Has sound effects
Cons
The lines aren’t that interesting
Sound tends to go out easily
Specs
2.4 ounces
Eight full pages
Peek-a-boo panels
Polyester material
Soft cloth book

3. Baby Einstein Primary Pages High Contrast Book – Best Bargain

Baby Einstein Primary Pages High Contrast BookView on Amazon

Editor’s Rating: 4.5

The Baby Einstein baby book is a bargain choice for parents that don’t have the money or means to purchase high-end products for their baby. You don’t want to buy low-end products that would be a danger or choking hazard, and this book poses no risk to your baby.

This baby book is designed specifically for newborn baby’s eyesight and presents high contrast visuals to help them improve their sight. The bright colors not only help them see the pictures better but also keeps them engaged in the story.

There are also a large number of different patterns and shapes throughout the book, which makes it more interesting for children to look at, even when they don’t understand the story.

This baby book has three pages that are front and back, and the inside page of the front and back covers for a total of five pages of the story. This gives your baby multiple pages to turn and will keep them occupied for a good amount of time.

The book edge has a loop that attaches to a ring that makes it easy to hook onto a diaper bag or stroller when you need to go somewhere. This makes it easy to take along to the grocery store or park for your baby to play with.

The soft material of the book is made for the baby’s hands and is flexible enough to be squished, twisted, and tossed without being ripped or damaged. This ensures that the book will last through years of use.

Pros
Bargain option
High contrast design
Five total pages of story
Soft material for durability
Edge has ring attachment for travel
Various patterns and shapes throughout
Cons
The red has an orange tint that could confuse the baby
No actual storyline, just pictures and words
Specs
3.68 ounces
Polyester material
Gender neutral
5 inches wide
Five pages in total
Loop with ring for travel attachment

4. World of Eric Carle, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Cloth Book

World of Eric Carle, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Cloth BookView on Amazon

Editor’s Rating: 4.5

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a cloth baby book that is a classic story many parents will love to share with their kids. The story features a caterpillar eating a certain number of fruits and items that are shown on each page.

Not only does this story have a plot with images that coordinate with it, but it also helps your child learn their numbers as they play with it. The images are made for little ones and are simple and easy to understand.

This book also utilizes crinkling and squeaking sounds to make the experience more enjoyable and exciting for your baby. There is also a teething section at the corner of the book so your baby can chew on the edge without causing damage, which will help when they’re teething.

There is a loop at the corner of the book with a ring that you can use to hang it from a carrier or stroller when you need to travel. This book is also safe for use in the washing machine for quick and easy cleaning.

Pros
Classic storybook
Plot with related images
Has crinkling sounds
Has squeaking sounds
Has teething corner
Ring for travel attachment
Cons
Very few pages
High price for a short book
Specs
2.4 ounces
6 inches in length
Polyester material
No batteries required
Recommended for newborns and older

5. MAMMA Kiddie Soft Activity Book, My First Word Book, Best Cloth Book

MAMMA Kiddie Soft Activity Book, My First Word Book, Best Cloth BookView on Amazon

Editor’s Rating: 4.3

The MAMMA Soft baby book is a long option for a baby’s first book that will last a long time. With the most pages of a single book than any others on this list, this book offers more pictures and pages than any other.

This book is filled with educational language and images that can be used to read to your child and learn the basics of language and images. The vibrant colors will keep your baby’s eyes on the page and the words will begin to build associations with the images.

This book is longer than many others and will last a long time because of the number of words and images that your baby can learn. There are more pages than other books, which allows your child to spend more time flipping through pages and building their hand-eye coordination.

This baby book also contains a teething corner on the edge of the book for your child to bite on. This is great for helping them during teething and will assist in making their teeth grow in quicker. The tough material on this corner will also stand up to consistent biting.

Pros
Long storybook
Helps baby’s eyesight
Lasts longer than others
Has a teething corner
Helps coordination
Cons
The middle stitching isn’t that strong
A bit heavy for a baby to teeth on
Specs
5.4 ounces
Polyester material
Recommended for newborns and up
Velcro strap for closure
Ten full pages

6. Guess How Much I Love You Soft Book for Babies

Guess How Much I Love You Soft Book for BabiesView on Amazon

Editor’s Rating: 4.2

The Guess How Much I Love You baby book is an adorable option that many babies will love to play with. With a story about parental love, this book can be a positive influence on kids as they begin to learn about language.

The pastel colors give the book an alternative look to that of most baby books that use bright primary colors. This book is also interactive and features a crinkling sound, a kissing sound, and a teething spine and attachment.

The spine of the book is thick and can be used when your baby begins teething. The heart-shaped teething ring at the end of the string attached to the spine is a smaller option that they can start with when they start feeling their teeth coming in.

This baby book contains three full pages of story and images for the baby to follow and will keep them interested for the entire time you are reading to them, or they are flipping through the pages.

The soft polyester material is easy for your baby to hold, but also strong enough to stand up to being thrown around or walked on. This material is also machine washable for easy cleaning after a spill or spit-up.

Pros
Positive message
Alternative style and design
Interactive sounds
Teething spine and ring
Three pages of story
Soft yet strong material
Non-toxic
Cons
High price for the amount of pages
The sounds tend to not work consistently
Specs
3.5 ounces
7 inches in height
No batteries required
Three full pages
Includes teething ring

7. Beiens My Quiet Books – Soft Activity Books for Babies, Toddler Learning Sensory Story Book

Beiens My Quiet Books - Soft Activity Books for Babies, Toddler Learning Sensory Story BookView on Amazon

Editor’s Rating: 4.1

The Bejens My Quiet Book is a soft cloth baby book that can help your baby grow and learn from a newborn stage until they are toddlers. This baby book is made for young children to learn and discover different things about the world by showing images and related words on each page.

The book is made from soft material that won’t break or bend like a real book and can withstand drool, spit-up, and crumpling. Looking at each page will help your child become curious and boost their engagement in learning from a young age.

This educational baby book is interesting enough for newborns to play with, but also keeps the attention of older children as it has activities throughout the book like tying a shoelace or adjusting the hands of a clock.

These activities keep the book interactive and make sure that your child stays engaged when reading the book over and over again.

The primary colors and vibrant pages will give your baby something fun to look at, even before they are old enough to truly understand what to do with the book. Because of the soft pages, it will work as a toy until your child can grab ahold of it and begin turning the pages.

This baby book has a loop at the top of the book that can be used to hook it onto a stroller or hanger for easy storage and travel.

Pros
Ideal for newborns to older toddlers
Durable material
Includes activities
Uses bright colors
Has loop for travel or storage
Cons
Higher price that not all families can afford
Zipper could be a choking hazard if broken off
Specs
4.2 ounces
10 inches in length
6 inches in width
Recommended for newborns and older
Non-toxic materials
Machine washable

Conclusion

Purchasing a baby book for your newborn baby might seem like a gift that is given too early, but children can get a lot out of baby books even though they are not yet able to read or understand them.

The pages filled with interesting images and words that they can learn as they grow will help them develop their brains at a faster rate than without them.

Not all baby books are as beneficial as others, but with the list of top choices that we choose for this article, hopefully, this will help you find the ideal option for your child.

With images that interest them, and interactive activities making baby books exciting for your child to play with, you will be able to use the information from this article to help find a great choice that your child will love.

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