Everybody knows that reading to babies is very important, but just exactly how does one set about picking a book for the baby? This indicates ridiculous to consider there might be a distinction between two baby books, and one could be much better than the other, however there are various factors which needs to be considered. For the purpose of this piece, we’ll be looking at babies as being any child up to 1 year old.

Firstly, you should consider what the book looks like. This is one of those times where you absolutely should judge a book by its cover. Choose books with contrasting colours and simple, large pictures. These are far more likely to grab your baby’s attention than a generic coloured book. Similarly, consider the type of material the book is made from. For very young children, consider cloth or material style books that allow the baby to touch the page and identify a distinct touch sensation. If not cloth or material, go for a hard cardboard book with stiff pages so that the book can be propped up.

If possible, try and choose books that have a rhyming style to their story. This allows you to read with a more natural flow, and your baby will pick up on this cadence more quickly than normal speak. Rhyming text forces us to read in a consistent pattern, and this can be particularly peaceful and soothing for babies.

When considering the types of images in your book, look for books with images that are similar to things that the baby sees in real life. This could be a picture of a ball, if your baby has a ball, or a picture of a teddy bear if your baby is fond of a particular teddy bear. It could even be a picture of a bottle. Choosing images that match what the baby is seeing in real life encourages familiarity.

You could also consider books with pop up items that may be familiar to the baby. Again, these items should be things that the baby has seen before, like of a dog if the family has a pet dog. The important thing to remember throughout is that any reading to your baby will be beneficial. However, if the opportunity presents itself for you to choose a book that has more obviously colour contrasts, has more recognizable images or features a rhyme, then it could be worthwhile choosing that option.