Sneak peek: What are the best baby books? As new parents, we often wonder which books to read to our babies. Luckily, research can guide us in choosing books to read to our babies that actually boost brain development.
What was the first book you read to your baby? Some parents feel awkward reading to a baby so tiny she can’t really focus on the page. Decades of research have shown us, however, that reading to babies from birth can be beneficial for them. But how do we choose the best baby books? What should we look for in a book to read to our baby?
Reading to Babies: The Benefits
Besides just enjoying hearing the sound of your voice, babies’ brains really benefit from shared book reading. Studies find that children whose parents read to them consistently as infants had better vocabulary and language development. This is not really surprising given that reading helps expose babies to a range of words and concepts.
Perhaps equally important is the idea that shared reading enhances the relationship between infants and parents. The early bond between infants and parents (including attachment ) is based on a reciprocal give and take relationship. This subtle ability to read a baby’s non-verbal signals is key to a strong bond. Reading to babies can only enhance this attunement process as you and your baby share a common point of interest (the book) and you begin to pick up on your baby’s subtle reactions and cues.
Related reading: What Every Parent Needs to Know About Attachment Parenting
Best Baby Books to Read to Your Little Ones
The benefits of reading to babies are clear, but what books should we be reading? What really are the best baby books? We know babies can’t comprehend all of what we are reading to them so why not just read War and Peace? ? Before you turn to classic Russian literature, let’s take a look at what we’ve learned from some recent research.
It’s tricky doing brain research on babies. Since they can’t tell researchers what they are thinking, scientists typically place a cap-like net of sensors on the baby’s head so they can measure electronically what their brains are doing. Using research like this, researchers have found some important discoveries. Researchers compared babies’ brain activity when they were read two different types of books: (1) books with individually-named characters (e.g., Harry, Jamar, etc.) and (2) books in which all characters had a generic, made-up label (e.g., Hitchel).
What researchers found:
- babies who were read books with individually labeled characters could distinguish between the different characters
- babies who were read the books with generic labels could not distinguish between characters
What this tells us is that babies are learning more from books with individually labeled characters. So, it seems some of the best baby books (in terms of learning and brain-boosting potential) are ones with individually labeled characters.
Reading to Babies and Brain Development: One Trick to Try
Now, if you are a parent of an infant, you could go through your bookshelves looking for baby-friendly books that have named characters. However, that’s a little laborious. When you have a baby, you don’t need extra work in your day.
There’s a little trick that one of the researchers mentioned in the article: if the book you’re reading doesn’t have individually named characters, just give them names yourself! Easy peasy. Your baby will think the book was always written that way.
Best Baby Books List
If you are looking for books to add to your home library, I’ve done all the work for you! Here’s a list of some of the best baby books that fit the criteria of the research study–they all use individually named characters (plus they are just lovely books). Enjoy reading to your baby!
Need more book ideas?
Really good children’s books can not only enhance your child’s life but yours too. Reading books to your kids that are actually enjoyable (and not just tolerable) can be a wonderful form of self-care when your kids are little and require so much of you.
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