Mom Central Baby

Great Books for Babies!

If you read my post about reading to your baby and early literacy, you know that it is important to start reading and talking to your baby from day one. You may be asking yourself, "Where do I start with books?" It is true - there are many books and the choices can be overwhelming. It is safe to say that just about any baby's or kid's book will be a great, but here are a few favorites that are geared towards your baby's age.

0-6 Months

Good books for this category involve faces, objects, and hearing sounds

Moo, Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boynton. This was one of Graham's first favorites.  Moo, Baa, La La La offers first animal sounds, rhyming, rhythm, and fun illustrations.

Black & White by Tana Hoban. Infants love the contrast of black and white and familiar objects. This is a great one because it folds out accordion style. You can set it up on the floor while your baby has tummy time.

Hello, Baby by Begin Smart Books. I absolutely love the sturdiness of these books.  Hello, Baby is a book about peek-a-boo that features lift the flap.

6-12 Months

Good books for this category involve touch and feel pictures and pictures of faces.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. Goodnight Moon is the classic bed time story that is sweet and addictive. The illustrations will captivate your baby before they rest their heads.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr/Eric Carle. There is a new animal on each page. This classic book not only teaches animal recognition, but colors.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. I believe that this book played a large role in Graham learning his alphabet by 18 months. The entire alphabet is introduced in a fun, rhyming way that your baby will love for years to come!

These are just some highlights of classics and favorites of ours.  I would love to know what some of your favorite books for babies are.

Whose feet will the baby have? And a few other things I've been thinking about lately

My husband and I have polar opposite feet.  Mine are super long, narrow, completely flat, and my toes are out of order size-wise. Full disclosure - my second toe is as long as some people's pinkie fingers.  My husband's feet have high arches, orderly toes, and are candidates for a modeling job.

Almost every day I find myself wondering whose feet will our little lady have? Will we know right from the beginning? 

And then I wonder, will our little lady actually be a little lady?  We had two ultrasounds and both technicians said girl definitely.  But I just don't quite believe it.  Over the past few months I've heard more stories of couples told they are *definitely* having girls and then receive the "It's a boy announcement!" in the delivery room.  I suppose I'll believe it when I see it.

The baby seems move around a lot starting at 11 p.m.  Does that mean she's going to be a night owl like my husband?  Back in the day when I could sleep normally I typically hit sack around 9 p.m.

Will she be friendly or shy?

Will she have blue eyes or brown?

Will she let me do her hair?

Will she love ice cream and peanut butter? 

Will she watch the History Channel endlessly with her dad?

Will she be a Sox fan (like me) or a Yankees fan (like her dad)?

Will she be funny or serious - or both?

Will she like to read before she goes to sleep?

Will she enjoy dancing lessons and recitals?

Will she enjoy soccer even if she's not good at it?

Will she want to play at our house or over at her friend's?

Will she procrastinate or want to get things done right away?

Will she like dolls, blocks, or electronics?

Will she want a dog?

Will she want chocolate or plain milk when we stop at Dunkin Donuts?

Will she prefer the ocean or pools?

Will she like to go shopping on Saturday afternoons?

I am 37 weeks pregnant today and am considered full term.  I don't want to go into labor early, but I am ready to have some of these questions answered.

How many car seats do I need?

A good friend of mine gave me the book Baby Bargains: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on Baby Furniture, Gear, Clothes, Toys, Maternity Wear and Much, Much More! and I started reading it this weekend. I made it through the introduction and part of the first chapter and then started to have a panic attack.

What set me off?  Well, according to the book ....

• if I want to order a crib from a specialty store, I should do it by my 20th week (I'm currently 19 weeks pregnant).  If I want to order from a big box store like Babies 'R Us, I need to do it by week 25.  We haven't even started thinking about cribs.
• I need an infant car seat in addition to the convertible kind.  Lots of people make due with just one infant seat, but for safety reasons, it's best to get the infant seat as well.  It's not so much the prospect of buying a bunch of different car seats, but SAFETY!  I do not want to make the wrong decision here.

Yes, there are only two bullets above, but that's as far as I made it through the book before I walked downstairs and handed it to my husband and told him to start reading.

Getting ready for a baby reminds me a bit of planning for our wedding.  I'm constantly feeling five steps behind - as if everyone else is more prepared than me.   I'm nervous about doing things to early (worried about bad luck, I think) but obviously I want to be ready when the baby arrives.  It's a tough balance.  I think I'll feel better once I start to make a list.

And for the record, I think I'm really going to find Baby Bargains handy.  I just need to be prepared mentally to get started preparing ;)