The Best Bedtime Books for Babies

Babies, yes even newborns, need to be read to. Babies that are read bedtime stories learn to associate the sounds of their parents' voices to comfort and safety. Reading bedtime stories is a wonderful way to help your baby wind down, relax, and prepare for a long night of sleep. As a librarian and mom, I am always on the lookout for great bedtime books for babies (for my own and great baby shower gifts). Check out this ultimate guide to the best bedtime books for babies.

First of all, when choosing any bedtime book for baby, keep these tips in mind. Only choose board books for your baby. Paperbacks are indeed cheaper but they will not last as long. Babies love to grab the pages and they should be allowed to do so. Don't worry with paper pages for a young baby. Secondly, avoid interactive bedtime books. While touch and feel books and books with moveable parts are wonderful for daytime reading and interaction, bedtime books should have less stimulation to help your baby relax and calm down for a great night's sleep. Finally, be sure you choose short books that your baby can start to recognize as you read the same bedtime books each night.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. Probably the most well-known and classic of the best bedtime books for babies, Goodnight Moon continues to be a favorite decades after it was written. The sing-song rhyming words of this book sound like relaxation to babies. As babies grow and start to recognize words, Goodnight Moon offers many words that baby will find familiar and comforting. Of all the great bedtime books for babies out there, Goodnight Moon tops the list.

I Love You as Much by Laura Krauss Melmed. Mom will find this touching bedtime book for babies heartwarming and beautiful. Babies will enjoy the lovely watercolor animals that adorn the pages and the rhyming words. The final line of the book wishes your baby goodnight from a mom who "loves you as much as a mother can love." I Love You as Much is printed in various versions, but look for the board book for your little one.

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow. You probably know the song Five Little Monkeys Jumping the Bed. Well this great bedtime book for babies takes the song and turns it into an adorable book, perfect for bedtime. Babies will love the repetition in the book and will learn to associate the sounds with bedtime. The cute illustrations of those five little monkeys add to a short and sweet story.

Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann. With few words and even some wordless pages, your baby will prepare for bedtime with the illustrations in this great bedtime book for babies. The zookeeper says goodnight to all of his animal friends, but little does he know what they are up to. A short story with a really cute ending, Good Night Gorilla is a great bedtime book for babies.

Time for Bed by Mem Fox with illustrations by Jane Dyer. While Time for Bed is a little longer than most of my picks for the best bedtime books for babies, it still makes the list thanks to great rhyming repetition and adorable animal illustrations. Your baby will undoubtedly start to recognize this book as a cue for bedtime and will love looking at the sweet illustrations and listening to the repetitive verse.

There are hundreds of bedtime books for babies out there, but only a few make this librarian and mom's top list. Check out these wonderful bedtime books for babies. Sweet dreams!