A list of books for babies, guaranteed to promote cognitive development and keep them entertained.
As a former teacher and now mom, I know just how crucial the first years of a child’s life are for their development. Books for babies can play a key role in supporting their brain development from the start.
This list of books for babies will keep your little one engaged long enough for you to get things done, and you can feel good knowing your child is spending time doing something beneficial for their development too.
Each of these books uses high contrast colors and images to create something that truly benefits babies to look at.
My boys both love books! My toddler constantly asks me to read with him, and my 6-month-old eagerly looks at the pictures. They love books so much because I’ve introduced them to some fantastic books for babies packed with high contrast, vibrant colors, and engaging sound combinations. These books inspire them to keep reading together and explore more and more book choices as they grow older.
With a baby and a toddler in the house, I have to have things to keep my baby entertained while I take care of my toddler. Books are my go-to because they don’t involve screens and they build the foundation for a lifetime reader.
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What kind of books are best for babies?
High contrast books are best for babies. High contrast books are black and white or have vivid contrasting colors.
Why are high contrast books best?
-When babies are born they have limited vision. They can only see 8-10 inches in front of them. High contrast books are one of the few things they can actually see because the shapes are clearly defined. The contrast between the colors allows the baby to distinguish between them and differentiate between the shapes on the pages.
-High contrast books help your baby develop cognitively. When their brain processes all the new shapes and images, they are stimulating different areas of their brain. This fosters cognitive growth and development. Laying the foundation for language skills and spatial awareness. (Bear & Moo)
-When books are designed with babies in mind, they use simpler shapes and larger designs so babies can process them easier. The shapes create contrast in the pages and expose babies to new and exciting things that their limited vision wouldn’t allow them to see otherwise.
Recommended Books for Babies
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Hello, Baby Animals
My baby will look at this book for so long! Each pages features different baby animals in black and white high contrast images. The pages have simple greetings to each animal so baby gets to hear the names of the animals too.
Dr. Rapeti Soft Cloth Books
These books are soft, lightweight, and washable. Perfect if your baby is constantly spitting up like mine is. Each of these books has a different theme for babies. They all use high contrast images and splashes of color. Babies will love to look at these and because of their material, they can maneuver the books with their little hands to see the images at different angles.
My Very First Library
This set of books for babies includes: My Very First Book of Colors, My Very First Book of Shapes, My Very First Book of Numbers, My Very First Books of Words.
Each book features illustrations by Eric Carle using bright colors and shapes babies love to look at. The high contrast is provided by the bright colors against white paper. As a baby develops their vision, they can see more and more colors and their will continue to find this book interesting as they grow.
I ordered this set for my 6 month old for Christmas and I can’t wait to show him all the pictures! He is going to love it.
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Hello, Bedtime
This bedtime book is one that babies will love looking at as you read the simple phrases on each page. Each page has an element from bedtime, like pajamas, a blanket, and a teddy bear. The images are high contrast in black and white, designed to keep baby engaged.
Baby’s Black and White Contrast Book
This adorable book is accordion style so it can stand up easily and be used for tummy time. Each page features hand painted images of animals in a high contrast colors. Your baby will love looking at each animal as they strengthen their muscles during tummy time.
Baby Loves Sport
This high contrast sports book for babies has pictures of different sports on each page. This book uses very minimal images to show athletes playing different sports. This is a great introduction to sports for babies.
What Does Baby See?
This book alternates black and white pages with contrasting images on each side so baby can become familiar with objects they see everyday. Items in the images include a baby bottle, tree, flower, apple, clouds, and more. The images are large on each page so baby can easily see what they are.
Indestructibles: Taste the Fruit!
This book is made with babies in mind. It is waterproof and rip proof, which is ideal if your baby likes to chew on everything like mine does. Each page has very bright high contrast images of fruit with their colors labeled and names. This book is going to keep your baby entertained for a long time.
Hello, Ocean Friends
This book is all about ocean animals. It uses simple sentences to introduce the ocean animals, along with high contrast black and white images to show each animal. This simple introduction to ocean animals is sure to interest your little one as they look at each page.
Sassy Peek-a-Boo Activity Book
This crinkle book is filled with fun high contrast patterns for babies to look at. They can pick it up because it is soft and light weight. My baby loves moving crinkle books around so he can hear the noise they make as he looks at the images.
Black & White Board Book
This accordion style book is designed to stand on its own. Making it a perfect choice for tummy time for your baby. There are 14 black and white images for baby to look at in this book. The high contrast and large images makes it easy for baby to see and learn to recognize new objects.
Hello Animals
This book introduces your baby to animals from around the world through the use of high contrast images. Baby will love to look at all the different animals. The pages are designed to withstand being wiped clean and it has rounded edges to keep baby safe.
Hello Sea
This book uses high contrast images so your baby can meet all kinds of sea creatures. This book will be fun for your baby to look at because of the interesting shapes of the animals and the contrast of the black and white together. This is a great way to introduce your baby to sea animals.
Soft Tummy Time Book
This accordion style tummy time book uses high contrast black and white images and designs to engage your baby. This soft book has interchangeable design cards so your baby never gets bored. There is also a mirror so baby can look at themselves. What a fun way to engage baby’s brain during tummy time.
Baby’s Tummy Time Book Box Set
This box set of books for babies is designed with each stage of baby’s development in mind. Created with tastefully and beautifully done high contrast art on each page, baby is going to love this set each step of the way. These books were written by a speech pathologist and artist. Each book is made according to how baby’s vision will process the images as their eyes mature. Each book is accordion style so they are all perfect for tummy time.
Enjoy reading these wonderful books for babies! Let me know which one your baby loves the most!
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Save This for Later!
Dawn
Thank you for this article. It is such a great and informative post. I am definitely saving this, being a new grandma, it is very helpful! 😉