Top 5 soft books for babies
Our favourite soft books for babies around now
Why buy them?
You might be surprised to learn that it’s almost never too early to start sharing books with your baby! From when they’re about three months old you can start to flick through simple books whilst they sit on your lap. They’ll love looking at the different colours and shapes, and will also be fascinated by faces. And, even if they can’t understand you yet, reading to them teaches them about communication and builds listening, memory, and vocabulary skills.
What to spend
Soft fabric books are a little more expensive than paper versions (around the £7-10 mark) but will be better at bearing up to the tough treatment the average baby hands out!
What to look for
Books with lots of bright colours (black and white particularly for newborns), interesting textures for them to explore, and hidden sounds and squeaks for an added dimension. Soft books are best for babies under a year as they are easier for them to handle and can be washed more easily!
Magic High Contrast Book, £6.29, Baby Einstein
Suitable for babies from three months, this engaging book combines black and white images with flashes of bold colour so it’s appealing to a wide age range. The simple graphic animal images and patterns will encourage them to explore the pages.
Baby’s very first cloth book, £7.74, Usborne
A very soft and silky fabric book that’s perfect for little hands to play with, full of bright and colourful pictures of fish, birds and flowers. There’s a surprise in store too as the book has crackly foil sewn in to make an interesting sound for baby to discover.
My Farm Soft Book, £11.50, Jellycat
This cute and quirky book opens out to reveal a series of touchy-feely farm animals complete with fabric bodies and legs. There’s a pig, cow, sheep and horse, so it’s a great way to introduce your child to everyday animals and they’ll also love feeling all the different textures.
Classic Discovery Book, £10.99, Lamaze
Each colourful page introduces your child to a new woodland animal, and they’ll love exploring the soft textures and high-contrast colours. There are sounds too, with a squeaker, multi-coloured rattle and noisy crinkle wings for baby to discover.
Bright Starts Teethe & Read Book, £5.99, Boots
This soft book has textured teether tabs to help soothe baby's gums and can help help to stimulate the brain and encourage hand to eye co-ordination.