What books will your baby actually enjoy during their first year? My sister, Caitlin Khan, is posting today to share the books her daughter loved in her first year and some tips of picking out books for each major bookish stage of the first year.
First Year Favorites:
Board Books My Daughter Loved Throughout Her First Year
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Reading Time with Your New Little One
I love books so one of the things I most looked forward to doing as a new parent was reading to my little baby. I eagerly read up on good board books and started adding them to my baby shower wish list anticipating the day when I could see her squeal with delight…or not as the case often was. Fresh on the job, I quickly discovered that just because it’s a board book doesn’t mean your baby’s going to like it, or pay attention to it, or understand it. I would pick out a board book with raving reviews only to discover my little Emma blinking back at me with an expression that said, “okay, why are you reading this to me?”
So, for future reference, I started keeping track of at what point in her little baby development she started to get interested in a book. I bought some white label stickers and wrote in sharpie on them and placed them on the back of each of our books.
This article is a summation of my findings.
This is my husband reading to Emma when she was about 3 months old.
“Fresh on the job, I quickly discovered that just because it’s a board book doesn’t mean your baby’s going to like it, or pay attention to it, or understand it.”
— Caitlin Khan
Newborn
From when Emma was born until she was around 6 months or so, most board books went right over her head. However, this counting books series were a BIG hit.
Count On California by Nicole LaRue
She loved the simple, clear cut images used in the counting books. As a newborn, her eyesight wasn’t good and I’m assuming that these were easier for her to see.
At this age, my daughter also loved:
“Ten Little Finger and Ten Little Toes” by Mem Fox
“Sleepyheads” by Sandra Howatt.
I think she loved because they both had a nice sing-songy rhythm to them which was enjoyable to listen to. I read these two books to her cousin who is six weeks younger than Emma around the same time and she also loved them.
Takeaway: When shopping for newborn board books, I would look for simple easy to see imagery and a sing-songy rhythm. Avoid peekaboo books, books with lots of text, or texture books at this stage. They won’t understand them.
Six Months
Around six months or so, things got a lot more fun! Emma finally understood Peek-a-boo books like:
“Peekaboo Zoo” by Rod Campbell
She also enjoyed the silliness of Sandra Boynton books like:
“Hey! Look at You!”(bonus: this one has lots of mirrors)
What’s more, she discovered a love for sing-a-long books like ones by Raffi.
Her absolute favorite Raffi books are “Baby Baluga” and “The Wheels on the Bus.”
She also enjoyed “Where is Baby’s Belly Button” by Karen Katz.
Takeaway: When shopping for board books for a 6-9 month old, I would look for peek-a-boo books, books with mirrors, silliness with animal sounds, and sing-a-long books. I would avoid books with lots of text on the page, or texture books. They are too young at this stage to understand that they’re supposed to feel the textures.
Also Read: 10+ Best Books for Baby’s First Year
(the books my twins loved the most their first year)
Ten Months
Around ten months, things got even more fun! Emma finally understood texture books and loved them! Two of her favorites were:
“Oh So Sleepy Head to Toe” by Scholastic Inc.
She also really loved another sing-a-long book:
“Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” by Annie Kubler.
She got a kick out of when I would place my hand on each head, shoulder, knee and toe of hers while I sang. She also enjoyed:
“Barn Yard Dance” by Sandra Boynton.
Before I felt like she wasn’t too interested in this one, but around 10 months she would laugh at the silliness.
“Count to Ten and Back Again!” by Workman Publishing was an instant hit.
She loved to open the flaps and the ones in this book are particularly easy to open. Other books with flaps she grew more and more interested in as she got closer to that year mark, but most of them frustrated her because they were still too hard to open and so I would help her.
Takeaway: When shopping for board books for a 10-12 month old, I would look for texture books, sing-a-long books, silly books like ones with animal sounds, and books with easy flaps to open. I would avoid books with a lot of text, books with difficult flaps, or books like the Peekaboo series by Camilla Reid. At this stage, the fact that they can’t move the tabs by themselves will only frustrate them.
Post By Caitlin Khan Nov 4, 2025
