bonding with baby: read together.

snuggling up with baby and a good book is a great way to spend time together. when reading aloud, i use my best voice, i sing silly songs, i recite poems, i make animal noises and my favorite, i ask questions. i enjoy this time together. i make it a routine to read daily. it helps babies build their language skills and remember, babies learn from repetition, so read the book again and again and again. here is a list of my 12 favorite board books when reading to babies.  i also read to all my postpartum infants, no matter their age. it’s never too early to start reading. i read to newborns and even pregnant bellies….

watch the video below to gather more ideas for bonding with your baby through books.

11 favorite baby books i read to my children:

one. brown bear brown bear by bill martin jr. and eric carle.

my one year old grandson loves to hear me sing this book to the tune of ba ba black sheep and we both end up giggling together. we also make all the animal sounds

two. the very hungry caterpillar by eric carle.

 my kids enjoyed this book over and over and now, we all love caterpillars and butterflies! and we love eating the same foods as that caterpillar! it was great inspiration for my kids to try a new food.  i love all books by eric carle. side note: before today, i could not spell caterpillar….

three. good night moon by margaret wise brown.

 most read book in our house i think. i have a new found love for the old lady whispering hush when it was time for bed. i have decided this book should be made into an adult version and include good night phone, good night keys, good night clothes on the chair, etc…..

four. the little engine that could by watty piper

as a grown-up, i hear myself saying quietly, “i think i can, i think i can”, just like that little train, when i am faced with something i’m not sure i can do.

five. we’re going on a bear hunt by helen oxenbury and michael rosen.

 i love all the noise and excitement this book brings. with the sounds and hand motions, we can feel like we really are going on a bear hunt! where i live now, we see mama bears with her cubs and this book comes to life!

six. the runaway bunny by margaret wise brown

this book is a great reminder to my kids when they feel like running away, that my love will find them.

seven. the wheels on the bus by paul o. zelinsky

you know i love books with hand motions and sounds and this is a favorite. i have to sing it, my mouth is not happy just to read it! i cannot choose a favorite page, they are all favorites!

eight. five little monkeys jumping on the bed by eileen christelow

this book sounds like a song when i read it. i had a houseful of mischief makers and we had medical training in our family, so if we called the doctor, it must be pretty bad! this book gave us permission and did encourage bed jumping which i loved, most of the time.

nine. corduroy by don freeman.

 now, when we read this book, everyone grabs their favorite teddy bear to listen to the story, myself included. yes, i have a favorite teddy bear….

ten. llama llama red pajama by anna dewdney.

this book makes me want to wear red pajamas! this so fun to read aloud. it is so rhythmic and repeats the favorite line every time. a new favorite book for me.

eleven. if you give a mouse a cookie by laura numeroff and felicia bond.

this is totally how my brain works too. started doing this and thought of something else and then something else again and didn’t get back to the original thing for quite a while. i chuckle at this book every time i read it. this is my life.

i wrote a poem. i still enjoy being read to. it is one of my favorite things i enjoy, along with a picnic.

title: read. read. read.

you can read to baby in the womb.

you can read to baby in their room.

you can read to baby anytime, anywhere, from birth to the tomb.

let me know your favorite baby books.

here is another blog with my baby book list of 80 titles, this post gives a longer list of baby board book favorites.

more about grammie doula:

i offer in-person and virtual postpartum doula support in sw virginia and my clients call me “grammie doula” or “grammie d.”.  i have 25 years as a labor and delivery nurse and then 10 years as a birth photographer.

i am a mom to 3 grown children, 6 grandchildren and a baby in heaven. i live in a cabin in the woods with my gray-bearded husband and two pets that prefer his company over mine! ~laura