There are a lot of advantages associated with reading books to your newborns or one-year-olds. Apart from creating a bond with your baby, it will also help your child learn new words. This will further enhance their vocabulary skills when they grow older.
The AAP or the American Academy of Pediatrics published the advantage of reading to your baby from a young age. You can make this a practice even if they do not understand your words at first. Once this becomes a habit, you will create a foundation for your child’s reading ability for pre-school.
5 Best Baby Books for Newborns to 1-Year-Old in India
When it comes to selecting books for babies and one-year-olds, there are many options to choose from. However, we have made that task convenient for you. Below, you will find a list of books that will improve your child’s reading and learning abilities.
1. Black & White Board Book
Black & White Board Book by the acclaimed book creator and photographer Tana Hoban. Besides, this is a foldout book in accordion style, which is strong enough to hold itself. The book contains fourteen black and white bold high-contrast images. These images capture and engage the attention of newborns and one-year-olds.
Books of Tana Hoban are a favorite among readers, parents, teachers, and librarians. Hence, they are perfect as a suitable gift for babies and new parents. Before responding to normal colors, babies find out the contrast between white and black colors. This not only works towards the development of young children but also stimulates the optic nerve and retina.
This book is so popular among new parents that it has already sold around one million copies. Moreover, her supple compositions and balanced layouts make the whole reading experience magical. All these things make it one of the best baby books for newborns to one-year-olds.
- Foldout accordion-style book.
- High-contrast black and white images.
- Engages the attention of newborns.
- Stimulates the optic nerve and retina.
- Provides a magical experience.
- Required more pages.
2. Baby Touch: Tummy Time Board Book
You can introduce Baby Touch: Tummy Time Board Book to your newborn and one-year-olds during their tummy time. It is a carousel book that your baby can feel and touch. The book provides an immersive experience for your child with its highly contrasting colors. In addition, it stimulates the feel and touches with its peepholes.
Once you tie and fold it together with a ribbon, the carousel book will sit on the floor securely. And, babies can freely interact and explore it as it is sturdy. There are three bold and bright sections for any baby to play with. It encourages them to lift up their head and stretch or reach out towards the book.
Besides making your baby’s tummy time happy and interesting, it will boost sensory development. Therefore, it is one of the best baby books for newborns to one-year-olds. And, it also enhances motor skills.
- Perfect for tummy time.
- Babies can touch and feel this carousel book.
- An immersive experience with colors of high contrast.
- Three bold and bright sections.
- Promotes sensory development and motor skills.
- It does not sit flat on the top of the floor.
3. Baby’s Very First Cloth Book
The author of Baby’s Very First Cloth Book Jo Lodge is a paper engineer and illustrator by profession. Her influence came from her artistic parents. Her animal characters and distinct bright colors have made her one of the best authors for one-year-olds and newborns.
Baby’s Very First Cloth Book contains high-contrast images for helping newborns to focus. It is a cuddly book made of cloth for babies. Additionally, it consists of crinkly pages that stimulate the senses of your baby. And, they are good for some tactile fun.
It has eight pages that hold your child’s attention for a long time. The book comes in a beautiful gift box suitable for babies. And, it is one of the best baby books for newborns to one-year-olds.
- Distinct bright colors and fun animal characters.
- High-contrast images to hold the newborn’s focus.
- Comes in a beautiful gift box.
- Cuddly book is made of cloth.
- Holds your baby’s attention for a long time.
- Not very durable.
4. Baby Touch: Moo! Moo! Tab Book
One-year-old toddlers and newborns will love this touch-and-feel interactive book. Baby Touch: Moo! Moo! Tab Book is part of the Ladybird Baby Touch Series. Parents can make use of the animal-shaped tabs in order to turn the pages. They have the option of naming and finding the pictures with farm themes like the cow, pig, barn, and tractor.
Some of these themes are for your baby to touch and feel. It is a big stimulation for newborns and one-year-olds. You can encourage your toddler to talk and stroke about the animals. Parents can ask questions like which animal seems smooth and which one seems furry.
Ladybird publishes playful books for your baby’s little hands. Besides non-fiction, they publish bedtime stories for newborns to grow up their imagination. You can also lookup Peppa Pig and Ten Minutes to Bed.
- Touch-and-feel interactive book.
- Animal-shaped tabs.
- Pictures of farm themes and animals.
- Stimulating for newborns.
- Good for development.
- Quite expensive.
- Thin cardboard.
5. Squirty Duck Bath Book
Squirty Duck Bath Book is a waterproof book that your one-year-old can play with during bath time. With its engaging and bright illustrations, the book makes it fun for parents, carers, and babies. The author, Kay Vincent, took inspiration from the children’s storybooks of the 1950s and 1960s.
Parents can turn all the pages together. Besides, you can read the rhyming story about animals that are under the sea. For making it more fun, you can squirt some water. The waterproof pages are safe and durable. Moreover, for hygiene purposes, you can wipe it clean.
- Bright and engaging illustrations.
- Makes it fun for parents, carers, and babies.
- You can read the rhyming stories during bath time.
- Waterproof pages are safe and durable.
- You can clean it for hygienic purposes.
- Has a simple design.
There are a lot of things to keeping in mind when buying baby books for your one-year-old or newborns. You can read our Buying guide to know what books will be suitable for your baby. There are countless books that one can choose from. However, choosing the following books will help enhance your baby’s developmental skills.
A black and white book
When babies are few days old, they do not have fully developed eyesight. This is why you can choose a black and white book for your newborn. The high contrast between the two colors will be stimulating for your baby. Moreover, the different outlines and patterns will give their little eyes few things that they can focus on.
A cloth book
Cloth books are quite tactile for the little hands of your babies. Besides, one of the main benefits of using a cloth book is that they are washable. As a parent, you do not have to worry about the book getting covered in poop, pee, or vomit.
The softness of these cloth books makes them perfect for your baby’s mouth. This will be especially beneficial when your baby is teething. In addition, they are light and compact, which the baby can hold quite easily.
A buggy book
Among all the books that you choose for your baby, buggy books are a must-have. You will have a lot of options to make your choice from. For instance, you can find touch and feel, fabric, and board books that have cut-outs.
The best thing about a buggy book is that you can attach it to anything. Like, if your baby is at home, you can attach it to the buggy or a high chair. Or, in case you are traveling, you can keep it attached to the car seat of your baby or on the baby gym.
A simple story book
You can start reading to your baby also before they are born. So, you can definitely look for storybooks when they are newborns or one-year-olds. Do not think that your baby cannot understand anything. Your baby will enjoy these storybooks while snuggling with you and hearing the voice of their parent.
Studies reveal that babies who are less than three months old benefit from listening to stories. This enables them to build up social routines and begin their journey towards comprehending vocabulary as well as language.
For young babies who are a few months old or newborns, the length of the stories does not matter much. You can select those types of books that they love hearing. For this, you have to observe which kind of stories best stimulates them.
Moreover, babies have a low attention span. Hence, please get to the end of the book to complete your story. Do not prolong reading when your baby starts to get irritated or annoyed.
FAQs to Buy Baby Book for Newborn in India
What must the books for newborns be made up of?
Books of newborns are generally made up of three materials- Cloth or Fabric, Paper, and Board. For one-year-olds and babies, cloth books and board books are two of the best options. They are easy on teeth and hands as well as are hard to tear, which makes them durable and sturdy. However, remember that your baby will mouth it in any case.
Board books are also great as you can wipe them easily. Hence, it is quite easy to maintain. If you do not find cloth books in the nearby stores or you can opt for board books. But, you insist on buying cloth books, then you can find them online.
What should be the size of a newborn’s book?
Toddler and baby books come in different sizes. They can be medium, large, and small. For your newborn baby, you can buy books that have small sizes. This will enable them to interact and hold the little books in their tiny hands while you are reading them a story.
After your baby starts learning how to flip through pages, you can buy large-sized or medium books. It will allow them to hold the books in their hands and connect with the story. Therefore, keep buying books of different sizes once your baby starts turning into a one-year-old toddler.
Books for toddlers and babies mostly contain words along with some pictures. They can further be classified on the basis of their content like alphabets, stories, shapes, first words, numbers, and colors. Therefore, you do not have the content when you are buying a book for your newborn. Keep in mind that during this time, all the books that you purchase for your babies have more pictures than words.
In addition, the illustrations present in this book must be spaced out, bright, bold, and simple. The books for newborns must contain white and black pictures or high-contrast images. When your baby becomes a one-year-old toddler, he will start to get more interested in words. Then you can buy books that have more words with two and three sentences and illustrations on every page.
What will your baby do with the book?
Besides reading, parents must consider what their babies can do with books. Babies cannot read books, and it takes a lot of time before they can start with the actual reading process. So, in the beginning, you will notice that your newborn baby is mouthing his books. The next thing that your baby will do depends on what the book is likely to offer.
Lifting the flap books
These books have flaps and illustrations. When your baby lifts all these flaps, s/he will find something that s/he can enjoy.
Feel and touch books
Feel and touch books have a lot of pictures with different kinds of textures within the book. For instance, the picture of a basket will have the texture of a woven basket. At the same time, a picture of a puppy will contain a soft, furry texture. It will allow the baby to learn about different things and how they look while keeping him/her engaged.
Musical or sound books
Musical or sound books enhance the auditory development of your baby. It encourages them to learn which animals make what sounds. In addition, it encourages them to imitate these sounds while working on their speech. Altogether, it allows babies to have fun when learning new things.
Normally, these musical books have more than one button to read the story and play the music out loud. These books are further useful for helping babies and one-year-old toddlers to understand the relationship between cause and effect. Additionally, your babies will understand which action will lead to a reaction. Thus, it will promote the developmental skill of your newborn baby and one-year-old toddler.
Pop-up books also help stimulate motor skills and sensory development. These pop-up books will allow your child to engage with them. Therefore, you can buy these books for your baby and one-year-old toddler to stimulate your child.
The pop-up books contain pictures embedded between them. This makes them perfect for babies and toddlers. One-year-old will find the pop-up similar to magic when they flip the pages. However, keep in mind that this pop-up lasts for few months.
Puppet books are great fun when it comes to babies and one-year-old toddlers. These books mainly contain hand or finger puppets inside them. So, when you read these books you can make the use of puppets to make the experience more enjoyable and interesting. Thus, your baby will not only get the opportunity but also interact with these books.
You can also use these books for your baby to learn about different shapes, sizes, and colors. It can improve the ability of your baby and toddler to recognize new things. Moreover, they will be able to learn things faster while enjoying them. So, the next time you buy anything for your toddler for their birthday, go for these books.
Babies or one-year-old do not have the ability to read books. However, listening to their parents read these books can enhance their reading and learning abilities. Thus, the newborn babies and one-year-old toddlers will try to interact with their books. Hence, you can buy books that draw their attention and hold their focus, like the black and white books.
In addition, once your baby grows older, you can gift them feel and touch books which can allow them to reach out to these books. Even feel and touch books will allow them to grasp different shapes and sizes. This will stimulate their sensory development as well as their various motor skills. Books that have rhyming words and colors will further act for improving their optic nerve and their auditory abilities.