Recommended Books for Babies 0 – 12 months
We believe that the best books for babies are those that nurture visual development and help to develop a love of books from a very early age. Books with simple, high-contrast images are proven to have the most appeal to newborn babies because they are most easy for baby to see while their eyesight is still developing. This opinion is shared by Australian website Raising Children, who suggest the best books for babies from birth onwards are as follows:
- books with bright colours or simple, large and high-contrast pictures such as black and white pictures – these are interesting and easy for babies to focus on
- books with different textures so your baby can hear, see and feel the book
- books with pictures of babies and faces
- soft, waterproof plastic and cloth books that can go in your baby’s mouth and into the bath.
The Mesmerised range (below) by Katey Love consists of 2 board books and 2 cloth books. Our black and white books will be most useful for newborns up to 6 months, while Babyface board book features black and white patterns but also introduces bright, contrasting colour, and will appeal particularly to babies 3-4 months old and beyond.
Of course, all babies, no matter how young or old, will enjoy being read to and exploring the pages of these books, so the recommended ages are guidelines only. A mixture of black-and-white, cloth and activity books would be the perfect starter library for your baby, and would get an enormous amount of use over a wide period of time.
