Bedtime stories for babies play an important part in creating a soothing and relaxing bedtime routine. It’s never too early to start reading to your baby. Short bedtime stories for babies are perfect for starting reading to your baby. Find all the best children’s books here.
My girls are older now but we still love reading bedtime stories together at the end of the day. I started reading to them when they were tiny newborns and our book collection has been steadily growing since then. My girls love 2-3 books at bedtime now. For babies though, one short story is a great start to developing a life long love of reading.
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Some of these books were sent to me by the publishers in exchange for review. These are marked with a #
Short bedtime stories for babies
My little star, Jenny Copper & Carrie Hennon #
A gentle, calming and very short bedtime story for little ones. A lovely rhyming story about bedtime. I love the squishy heart in the middle that if you shake creates a mesmerising cascade of stars.
Guess how much I love you, Sam McBratney
This is a sweet story has become a modern classic for a reason. It features little nutbrown hare and a big nutbrown hare who are competing to express their love for each other. I bet you’ve heard the phrase “love you to the moon and back”, well this is the book it comes from. This book should be on every child’s bookshelf.
Heart full of love, Jenny Copper & Carrie Hennon #
Similar to My little start above, this is a sweet little book about a parent’s love for their child. Each page has a sweet rhyme that creates a short but calming bedtime book for babies. The heart in the centre of the right-hand page is filled with glitter hearts that are sure to calm your little one when you shake it.
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Where’s my Llama? Kate McLelland #
This is a lovely touch and feel book. Each page has a textured element which is lovely for engaging your little one. We love the cute and colourful illustrations in this book with a lift the flap ending. This book introduces a variety of different animals to your little one as you learn about their similarities to Llamas.
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Where’s baby chick? Ingela P Arrhenius #
I love this series of books and we’ve had quite a few of them. The illustrations are bold, colourful and cute. Each page has a brightly coloured felt flap. The final page has a cute mirror which babies with love.
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On the night you were born, Nancy Tillman
Another beautiful book. This one is a poem about the uniqueness of every child. It perfectly sums up how every parent feels when their child is born.
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Forever… Emma Dodd
To be honest, I could have picked a fair few books by Emma Dodd to include in this list. Each book has a beautiful message and the one in forever is that the love between parent and child lasts forever. Super sweet words and beautiful illustrations to match.
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A recipe for bedtime, Peter Bently
I love this beautifully illustrated book. Written in rhymes that roll off the tongue, this is a beautiful poem about the bedtime routine of one baby. It’s written almost like a step by step guide for how to do bedtime and beautifully illustrated.
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Usbourne Illustrated book of Nursery Rhymes
Nursery rhymes are the ultimate very short bedtime story. Read 1 or several. Every house needs a nursery rhyme treasury and this one is beautifully illustrated.
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Eat peach pear plum, Janet and Allan Ahlberg
Another classic book that you’ll love reading to your little one. Each page includes a simple rhyme that rolls off the tongue “Cinderella on the stairs I spy the Three bears”. This is followed by a cute picture which as your little one grows they will enjoy looking at to find the hidden nursery rhyme or fairy tale character.
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Dear zoo, Rod Campbell
We love Dear zoo. It’s a timeless classic which has really stood the test of time. We love the lift the flaps and how this book introduces zoo animals and their defining features. Lion, too fierce, Camel too grumpy and Giraffe too tall.
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So there you have some of my favourite bedtime stories for babies. I hope you find some books to enjoy with your little one.
Where to next?
- Find more gorgeous rhyming bedtime stories in this post
- Find the best nightlights for kids here.
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