Today I’m sharing a favorite post from last year: literary gift ideas for the new babies in your life.
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Will you be attending a baby shower or buying a baby gift soon? This is a great time to help build baby’s library and make sure the nursery is well stocked for many bedtime read alouds to come!
If you’re the one planning a baby shower, I love when the invitation asks guests, “Instead of a card for baby and mother, please give a book with your thoughts in the cover”. Many of my daughter’s favorite books and read alouds were baby gifts from friends and family and it is so wonderful to open a book and see a loved one’s name inside.
Not sure what book to choose? Here are some ideas to get you started!
Ten Bookish Gift Ideas for a Baby Shower
1. A Fun, Silly Board Book by Sandra Boynton–she has many!
Board books are also a perfect, durable choice for easy sharing with a little bookworm that might love chewing on the pages.
2. One of Nancy Tillman’s Sweet Stories
These board books make loving, sentimental read alouds. On the Night You Were Born is our favorite.
3. A Delightful Bedtime Read Aloud
Meet Little Nutbrown Hare in the classic Guess How Much I Love You or discover beautifully illustrated dreamlands in Dream Animals. Both are perfect for reading over and over with a sleep little one!
4. A Board Book for Learning
Try a book that teaches–from where baby’s eyes and nose are (Where is Baby’s Belly Button) to baby’s First 100 Words, or well known nursery rhymes such as “Humpty Dumpty” and “Mary Had A Little Lamb” (Usborne Very First Nursery Rhymes).
5. Holiday Read Alouds
A great idea for building baby’s library is by gifting books for holidays. We received books for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Halloween and more at our baby shower and it has been so helpful to have those ready to share with our little one! Some of our favorites are Leslie Patricelli’s funny stories such a Boo!, Fa La La, and Huggy Kissy.
6. A Classic Picture Book
Help build baby’s library with one of these wonderful picture books to enjoy for years to come!
7. A More Recent Picture Book Favorite
Gift one of these stellar books to stock the nursery! Capture the imagination with The Dot or Sam and Dave Dig a Hole and inspire perseverance (Ada Twist Scientist) and gratitude (Last Stop on Market Street). You also can never go wrong with a book from Mo Willems’ crowd pleasing, laugh out loud Elephant and Piggie and Pigeon series.
8. A Bookish Onesie from Out of Print
Pair your gift of a classic picture book with a coordinating bookish onesie!
9. A Storybook Gift Basket
You can create a gift basket with a children’s book and coordinating stuffed animal or other items. I’m a big Peter Rabbit fan and loved the coordinating blanket and baby dish set we received. Barnes and Noble has quite a few character stuffed animals including Peter Rabbit, Pigeon, and Madeline. Your local bookstore would be another good place to try.
10. A Subscription to Hello Magazine from Highlights
We received a Hello magazine subscription as a baby gift and it has been a hit! It’s fun to get mail each month and the magazine makes a great read aloud choice. My favorite part though is how perfectly constructed this is for babies and toddlers– it’s the perfect size for little hands (and to throw in the diaper bag), the pages can be chewed on and tugged without ever getting damaged and you can wipe it down.
Do you have a favorite bookish gift idea for a baby shower? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook @ABookishHome.
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Happy Reading!
Laura Szaro Kopinski
A Bookish Home Podcast 