Our Favorite Books About Babies

Gwen could go through her entire little library of books about 2 times a day. Thankfully, she doesn't rely on me to read to her every time she wants to look at her books. When we were still co-sleeping, Gwen would wake me up each morning by literally throwing a book on my face so I'd read it to her. It was so rude. And often painful. I think she still grabs a book or two to "read" to herself every morning before coming to wake us up. It's really cute to hear her little voice mimicking the phrases that she's memorized from her books. You can imagine that this makes my mama heart so happy and then I want to BUY HER ALL THE BOOKS. Thankfully places like the library and thrift store exist so I don't end up breaking the bank. 

When I found out about this pregnancy I was determined to help Gwen understand that we'll be adding a little baby to the family, and that he's staying for good. Also, it would be nice if she learned where the baby came from, but I don't really expect her to grasp that just yet. We already had a couple books about babies but I've added a few more to Gwen's library since finding out the good news. 

Baby on the Way- Martha Sears, William Sears, Christie Watts Kelly.
Martha and William Sears are responsible for "attachment parenting." If attachment parenting isn't your jam. this book is still for your family! The authors mention how you can tailor the book to your specific beliefs and needs of your family. I like this one because AP kind of is our jam, plus I love how it shows the mom going through all the pregnancy symptoms, and it mentions how the kids in the family can help out. Example- "During mommy's contractions you can help by being really quiet." That's perfect advice.

What a Baby Needs- Martha Sears, William Sears, Christie Watts Kelly.
I've mentioned this book on the blog before. This book explains why babies cry so often, what breastfeeding is, why newborns need to be close by mom, etc. Having a newborn and a toddler is going to be rough, so I predict we may be reading this one a lot after baby brother arrives.

How a Baby Grows- Nola Buck, Pamela Paparone.

This one is not too informational. It's just a cute rhyming book about cute things babies do. Gwen really enjoys it and it's fun to read. "These are the things a baby needs: Bottle, blanket, rattle, beads." I figure any book that gets Gwen interested in babies could potentially prepare her for baby brother. 

The Baby's Book of Babies - Kathy Henderson, Anthea Sieveking 

Holy smokes! I'm just finding out that the cheapest copy of this book is $30 on Amazon! What?? And the most expensive copy is $470. Jaw drop. Looks like we've got a much coveted book on our hands! This book was a birthday present from a friend when Gwen turned one. She said her sons loved it when they were younger (it was her old copy that she gave to us), and Gwen has loved it as well. Half of the pages in our copy is covered in tape because of all its wear. Usually when Gwen tears a few pages from a book I just throw it away, but this book is too cute and the rhythm of the text is fun. This book is full of photographs rather than drawings and I think that's what Gwen loves most about it. 

Baby books and photo albums

I've been trying to show Gwen photos of myself when I was pregnant with her to help her understand that she was once a little "baby inside mama" too. I don't think she gets it. But maybe? She likes the photos of herself as a baby, but I don't think she understand that the baby in the pictures is her past self. I'll keep trying. 

Books on Amazon Free Time
I am a firm believer that printed text will never become extinct. I just love the feeling of a paper book, especially for children's books. Digital books are ok and I can definitely see the appeal of carrying hundreds of children's books with you without the weight. We bought this tablet for Gwen before our two trips last summer and it did come in handy.

We Just Had a Baby- Stephen Krensky, Amelie Graux 

The illustrations in this book are adorable. After the little boy gets used to his new baby sister, it shows several scenes of them playing and bonding. It's just sweet. 

A Baby's Guide to Surviving Mom/Dad-  Benjamin Bird, Tiago Americo
I've saved these two for last because they're definitely geared more towards new parents, rather than a child. The books are clever and quirky, ending with the perfect "Aw!" moment. They'd make a perfect baby shower gift.

Thanks for reading! Have you read any of these books? Does your toddler have a favorite baby book that we should check out? 

p.s. I felt like the photos in this post were portraying my life as too perfect, so I'll add this outtake photo of Gwen throwing a little tantrum over not wanting to sit in this chair with me. I wanted so desperately to take photos in our rocking chair because that's where we usually read half the time, but this little girl wouldn't have it. #reallife 

All the photos in this post were taken by Lydia of Photography Hill 
Y'all should check out her Love Project on her blog ^. I'm featured! ;)