The Best Gifts - Starting Baby's Library

When my son was born, a couple of close friends and their adult children gave him a library of 10 of their favourite kids books. In the card, they wrote that they had so much fun brainstorming their favourite books and that they hoped he enjoyed the books as much as they enjoyed putting the package together. We loved the books they choose! Best of all, it was so fun reading them to him and picturing them reading the books years ago when their kids were little and then debating which ones to include in a gift to us.

There is no better baby gift, in my opinion, than starting a baby off with a small library full of treasured books that encourage literacy and imagination. Just recently, a friend asked me to help her put together a baby gift for her best friend. She too chose books to give the baby, as she knew that even though he was a third child, books were something that the whole family could appreciate and treasure for years. So together, we choose 5 books from Barefoot Books and a couple of cute baby gifts from Giving Gifts to send to the new baby. I didn't get all the books in the picture but the two hardcovers - Baby's First Book and My Mama Earth are gorgeous. The three other books we sent the baby were: There's a Cow in the Cabbage Patch, I Could Be, You Could Be and I Took the Moon for a Walk.

Here are some of my favourite books to give as gifts to new babies: 

 

My Mama Earth is the nicest book I have ever seen!  The pictures in this book are unbelievable and the prose is simple and so moving. It is the perfect gift for a new mom. It will have her in tears for sure and beautifully illustrates the relationship between moms and their babies. 

 

Baby's First Book is my absolute favourite baby gift. This book is amazing! Clare Beaton's pictures will keep adults and baby, toddler and preschoolers captivated for hours. There is something new to love on every page! From the clothes you wear in winter and summer to fruits and veggies, to ABCs and numbers and shapes. There are even some popular nursery rhymes. This book really is the perfect new baby gift! 

Clare Beaton has a set of really cute board books that make such a great baby gift. The come wrapped and ready to give in a great organic cotton bag for only $26 from Giving Gifts. These were the books that we decided to give the new babies at hospitals through the charity Noah's Ark. They are so cute for a new baby. 

If you want to make a new mom cry, give her the book, The Gift. It is definitely a gift for moms rather than babies though. It tells the spiritual and powerful story of the circle of life through a little girl, an old woman, a special patch in the forest and a flower necklace. If you know someone sentimental, this book is the perfect gift. The story is beautiful and the papercuts by Carol Ann Duffy and Rob Ryan are amazing. I am giving this book to a friend this week and I am sure that she will be very moved by it. 

There's a Cow in the Cabbage Patch - MOO, MOO, MOO! This book is so much fun! It was included in the baby library we were given years ago. All the animals are in the wrong spot and how they get back to their proper place is adorable! The rhyming text is so cute and Clare Beaton's pictures are the best! I recently suggested it to a friend for her baby and she said that he won't let her stop reading it. It quickly becomes every child's favourite book.

I Took the Moon For a Walk - This book has simple rhyming poetry-like story. The pictures are really calming and lovely. It is a great bedtime story that helps make the world at night more friendly. There are also great notes at the back of the book about the world and the moon at night. It is a really cute baby gift that will grow with children and last them years.

I guarantee that new babies (and parents) will love all these books. Just as we were thrilled with the library of books we received when my son was born, so too will new families be inspired by these great stories. I truly believe that books make the best gifts. And even better, there is a discount code to get them all 20% Off. Just visit www.givingbarefootbooks.ca or www.givingbarefootbooks.com and enter the code: TWENTY13. The perfect gift and on sale, what could be better!