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I’m a firm believer that one of the best gifts you can give an expectant mom is a book! Bringing books as gifts (or even in lieu of a card) is a great way to help parents build up their child’s library. Studies even show that the more books a child has at home, the more likely the child will be to receive higher education1.
At our own baby shower, we requested books in lieu of cards since cards can often be as expensive as a board book. This is becoming a new trend as parents want to help jumpstart their child’s education as early as possible. Not only do books and reading help with literacy and education, but books can have a huge impact on emotional development. That’s why I’ve compiled a list of the best baby books to bring to a baby shower or to gift to your favorite little one in your life. Scroll down to see our list of favorite baby board books!
Our 20 Favorite Baby Board Books for Gifts
1. Goodnight Moon
One of our favorite books to read with baby N was Goodnight Moon – I swear we read this book 4 times a day for 6 months. It was our go-to last book before bed for each nap and bedtime routine. N loved it – he loved pointing to the little mouse and the red balloon. This book is such a classic that you can’t go wrong bringing this to a baby shower. And if expectant parents end up with multiple – that’s ok. Trust me, they’ll want multiple versions for taking with them traveling or to grandma’s house!
Get Goodnight Moon here.
2. My First Book of Baby Signs
This book is so cute and so unique, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll see two of these at a baby shower. A book of baby signs is helpful to new parents as it is both educational and fun to read with baby. Before they are verbal, babies can pick up on sign language they can use to communicate their needs. That makes this book is great for both parents and babies!
Get My First Book of Baby Signs here.
3. Love You Forever
Oh, such a classic. I remember reading Love You Forever with my mom when I was little. (Re-reading it as an adult definitely has a different vibe but it’s also so sweet to me now being a boy mom.) A friend of my mom’s brought this to our baby shower with a sweet note on the inside cover. I will cherish this book forever because of the sweet memories and the sweet note. Definitely a great gift to bring if you’re the sentimental type.
Get Love You Forever here.
4. Hello, Farm!
This Hello, Farm! book is so cute and showcases a bevy of cute little farm animals for your little one. Babies love animals, especially all the unique creatures you find on a farm. They’ll love making animal sounds as they learn to follow along as they get older. A great baby book gift if you’re an animal lover. This one is also great because it’s indestructible and chew proof – and you know those babies like to chew!
Get Hello, Farm! here.
5. The Going to Bed Book
We’ve read the Going to Bed Book countless times to little N. This was our fall-back option when we got tired of Goodnight Moon. It’s so short and sweet but the illustrations and rhymes are so fun for little ones. The simplistic design also makes pointing out new words easy. My husband even remembers reading this book when he was a kid, so it’s definitely a classic.
Get The Going to Bed Book here.
6. The Wonky Donkey
We got The Wonky Donkey as a gift at our own baby shower and it was so sweet because we knew the person brought it because their own children loved this book. It’s a silly tale about a donkey who gets up to mischief based on a song from New Zealand. This gift is a sweet one if you want to have books with characters with imperfections.
Get The Wonky Donkey here.
7. The Pout-Pout Fish
We picked up the Pout-Pout Fish on our first trip to the Aquarium. Little N immediately started cackling when we read it. There was something so funny about the faces of this glum fish that we couldn’t understand! I’ve heard the same from other parents. This book is a great baby shower gift if you want to bring some fun to baby’s library.
Get The Pout-Pout Fish here.
8. First 100 Words
Whether you choose this specific book or not, bringing a book with 100 words is a great baby shower gift. These kinds of books can hold baby’s attention for a while because there are so many different pictures and words to learn. Our little guy still loves reading his 18 months in because he’s still learning and understanding each word. It’s a bonus if you can find one with flaps which add an extra layer of fun to learning new words!
Get First 100 Words here.
9. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Another classic on the list here! You can’t ever go wrong with bringing a classic baby board book to a baby shower. We often all have our favorites from when we were little and you never know what someone is going to bring. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is great because it’s interactive with the worm holes for little baby fingers to poke, and there are lots of common food names to learn! Nom Nom!
Get The Very Hungry Caterpillar here.
10. Press Here
This book is so simple and yet so cute. Press the yellow dot on the cover to start a magical journey through the book! This is great for working on baby’s fine motor skills and index finger skills. And the interactivity of the book makes little ones feel like they’re creating magic just by reading. This one is so unique and sweet, you can’t skip past it!
Get Press Here now.
11. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
This was one of my favorites as a kid and one of the first books I knew I wanted to add to little N’s library. This colorful book is so fun to read and is full of energy and learning. We even sing the alphabet at the end every time – I have a secret hope that my 18 month old will pick up the alphabet super early because of this book (we’re not crossing our fingers on that one).
Get Chicka Chicka Boom Boom here.
12. Little Feminist Book Set
This is a unique book box set for those feminists in your life. It showcases strong women and introduces these famous figures to your children at a young age – making it easy to instill your family’s values early and show both your sons and daughters how powerful and intelligent women can be.
Get Little Feminist Book Set here.
13. My First Shapes with Frank Lloyd Wright
This book is so unique and fun – learn shapes with the help of the famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. This book puts a fun spin on the boring circles and square shapes we all know. This book might be more fun for the parents than the children but it’s a great addition to a little library if you want your family to be sophisticated, of course.
Get My First Shapes here.
14. Hello, Baby Animals
Everyone always skips over the black and white books for more fun, colorful baby board books but in those early months, the black and white contrasting board books are more helpful for baby’s developing eyes to distinguish shapes as they “read”. Many toy kits (think KiwiCo crate) include high contrast books for newborns but you can skip the crate and include this as a gift to help new parents out.
Get Hello, Baby Animals here.
15. Little Blue Truck
Little Blue Truck is another favorite of ours. We specifically have the Springtime version with flaps but I love this one as well as an introduction to the Little Blue Truck series. Babies love the cute rhymes of this series and the fun illustrations. I’ve heard from multiple families that this is a favorite of theirs and it’s definitely more of a unique gift.
Get Little Blue Truck here.
16. AntiRacist Baby
This board book is a great addition to any home library as a way of including not only diversity in your book selection, but antiracism as well. This #1 New York Times Bestseller is a great tool for communicating complex ideas to young minds and helps get the conversation started at a young age. Here’s an interview with the author if you want to learn more about this socially-important book.
Get AntiRacist Baby here.
17. Baby University Board Book Set
Jumping from one socially important board book to another book set covering complex ideas, this Baby University Board Set covers topics like quantum physics in a simplistic way for little minds to start to explore. This gift set is perfect for families who love science and who want to introduce complex scientific topics at an early age – for fun or for education!
Get Baby University Board Book Set here.
18. The Classic Baby Lit Collection Box Set
As a book nerd myself, I geeked out hard when I saw this box set. The Classic Baby Lit series can be bought together or individually so you can choose the classics you want to share with your little one. These books are super simplified and focus on sharing words and images from the books – don’t expect to go in and see a retelling of the novels.
They are such a cute introduction to classic literature and they are also fun to read. Peter Pan, Aladdin and Sense and Sensibility are some of little N’s favorites!
Get The Classic Baby Lit Collection Box Set here.
19. I Want My Hat Back
This baby book is just so cute and simplistic. We’re a huge fan of bears over here so of course we love the adorable illustrations and fun storytelling of I Want My Hat Back. This is another one of those unique baby board books that make a fun addition to a baby shower gift because it isn’t one of the standards.
Get I Want My Hat Back here.
20. Old MacDonald Poke A Dot
Lastly, this book is better for older babies and toddlers but it’s a great gift to bring to a baby shower because it’s one that can easily be overlooked but offers a lot of functionality for little ones. The interactivity of the book helps with those fine motor skills and hand development. It’s also recommended by pediatric physical therapists as a great tool for little ones. There are multiple versions to choose from but the Old MacDonald Farm one is so cute!
Get Old MacDonald Poke A Dot here.
Spreading the Love for Books
I hope you were able to find at least one awesome book to share with an expectant mama or a little one in your life! And if you want to spread literacy even further, there’s a great program called the Imagination Library by Dolly Parton that sends free books to a child once a month for their first 5 years. Check it out and spread the word! (I get nothing from sharing this information except the knowledge that there may be one more child in the world getting access to books!)
If you’re looking for other must have baby items to purchase for an expectant parent, check out this list of best baby items for 2021.
We also wrote about our favorite French board books for baby if you want to check it out and start teaching a little French to votre petit bébé.
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