I have been dying to write this post and with summer in full swing and being pulled in 362 different directions I am finally forcing myself to get on it! Brandon has been loving books for the last 6 months or so which has made bedtime more enjoyable for us. Not only does he have to enjoy the stories and pictures but Kevin and I have to also. I can tell you there are a few books I get all the way through and say under my breath “that one sucked” and there are others where I don’t even get beyond the first couple pages. They need a rhythm, a flow, some funny voices and a cute story. Here are our top bedtime stories (and books) from pregnancy through 18 months.

I guess starting with pregnancy books would be a smart move. Less is more in my opinion. I want to be knowledgeable but not SO knowledgeable where I’m freaking out because I know too much. There are SO many pregnancy books out there and from my experience most are more harmful than good; geared more towards the negative and worst case scenario instead of the happy part of pregnancy. With THAT being said, knowing I wanted a natural, un-medicated labor and birth, I loved Natural Child Birth the Bradley Way. It was an amazing book of knowledge for Mom’s and Dad’s and touched on everything (even C-Sections). Pain is one thing, but when you can associate pain with what is actually happening to your body during labor it’s so much more meaningful. Great Expectations: Pregnancy and Childbirth was a great week-by-week read for what’s going on with your body, size of baby as well as life after birth. Lastly, Jenny McCarthy shares the real joys of pregnancy, birth and the early days of Mom-life in a hilarious, easy read Belly Laughs.

We started reading books to Brandon early on, they were probably more for us than him anyway. The plush, crinkle books and anything with some sort of touch are best for babies development. The Baby Animals Touch & Feel box set has been a favorite of ours since B was about 2 months old. It includes Baby Animals, Zoo Animals, On the Farm, and Perfect Pets. He still plays with them after all these months. Another favorite is Right At Home which is a personalized book of pockets. Brandon was given this for Christmas and can actually spend QUITE a while playing with it. He just loves the animals (they spent more time in his mouth than in the book) but now really loves to put them in their “homes” throughout the book. A favorite in our house.

Anything after the 8-10 month mark can be used for months and years after I feel. Pout Pout Fish or (Big Big Dark), Little Blue Truck or (Leads the Way), Brown Bear Brown Bear and Where do Diggers Sleep have been read more times than I can count but we all still love them! The Going To Bed Book is usually the last one I read before putting Brandon into his crib and Giraffe’s Can’t Dance is another cute book with lots of animals and colors to talk about.

There are so many more books we love, anything by Sandra Boynton, Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, Steam Train Dream Train, and Home Sweet Home.

I hope you can share your favorites because we are always looking for new books to add in the rotation.

**I have purchased myself, or been given as gifts all books mentioned above and all content is original and genuine.