How many books does a baby need? A first bookshelf, from newborn to age 2

A baby does not need a big library. What helps most is reading together every day, from birth, with a few books that fit what your baby can do at each age. None of the US government pages we read gives a number of books to own: the CDC's milestone pages, the Department of Education's 2005 reading guide ³ and the federal tip sheet on talking, reading and singing say how to read with a baby, not how many books to buy. So the counts on this page are a Cotokim proposal, built on two facts. Children like to do favorite things again and again ⁹, so a few books go a long way. And the books that fit change as your baby grows, so the shelf can grow a little at a time.

How many books, by age

These totals are a Cotokim proposal, not a rule. They count the books you own; library books come on top. What the proposal rests on:

• Short readings, several times a day. For babies, the Department of Education's guide suggests reading for short periods several times a day ³. A few books are enough to rotate.
• Favorites, again and again. In its tips for 15-month-olds, the CDC suggests reading a new book after a favorite one ⁹, and the guide says to read your child's favorite book over and over ³.
• One or two at bedtime. For toddlers, the CDC's calm bedtime routine includes reading 1 or 2 books ^{9 11}. With about 20 books on the shelf, you can keep a few favorites going every night and still bring in new ones.
• The library for variety. The Department of Education's guide says most public libraries offer free use of books ³, so the shelf at home does not have to hold everything.

A 2019 study estimated that reading one picture book a day with a child exposes the child to 78,000 words a year ¹⁷. That is why this page puts daily reading first and the number of books second.

The books that fit each age

The milestones below are the CDC's: things most children (75% or more) can do by a certain age ⁶. The four stages are Cotokim's way of grouping them, and every child develops at their own pace ¹, so read the stages as a guide.

Birth to 3 months: faces and big, simple pictures

By 2 months, most babies look at your face and look at a toy for several seconds ⁴. The CDC suggests looking at pictures with bright colors or faces with your baby and talking about them ⁴. For babies, the Department of Education's guide suggests cardboard or cloth books with large, simple pictures of familiar things ³.

On the shelf: 3 books with big pictures or faces, in board or cloth (Cotokim's proposal).

4 to 6 months: books to hold, and to put in the mouth

By 4 months, most babies bring their hands to their mouth and hold a toy when you put it in their hand ⁵; by 6 months, most put things in their mouth to explore them ⁶. Among safe toys that are easy to hold, the CDC names cloth books with colorful pictures ⁵. The guide describes cloth books as soft and washable ³, and says not to be upset if at first your child chews or throws a book ³. By 6 months, most babies also like to look at themselves in a mirror ⁶: for Cotokim, a book with a baby-safe mirror page fits this stage.

On the shelf: 2 more, both cloth, so one can be in the wash while the other is in use: 5 in total (Cotokim's proposal).

7 to 12 months: flaps, textures and naming pictures

By 9 months, most babies look for objects when they drop out of sight ⁷; by 1 year, most look for things they see you hide, like a toy under a blanket ⁸. In its tips for 1-year-olds, the CDC says babies this age like books with things they can feel or flaps they can lift ⁸; in its tips for 9-month-olds, that reading can be talking about pictures: name them as you point to them ⁷. The books for babies in the Department of Education's guide include board books with sturdy covers and thick pages, touch-and-feel books and lift-the-flap books ³.

On the shelf: 5 more board books, some with flaps or textures: about 10 by the first birthday (Cotokim's proposal).

1 to 2 years: a few pages together, then pointing

By 15 months, most children try to use things the right way, like a phone, a cup or a book ⁹. By 18 months, most look at a few pages in a book with you ¹⁰, and by 2 years most point to things in a book when you ask, like "Where is the bear?" ¹¹. Let your toddler turn the pages: the federal tip sheet says it is fine to skip pages or to like some pages more than others ¹. The CDC also suggests making a "book" with pictures of the people and pets in your child's life, with a picture of your child, and naming them as you look through it together ⁹. From the toddler years, the Department of Education's guide adds books of poems and rhymes ³.

On the shelf: about 10 more board books with simple stories, everyday things and rhymes, plus a homemade photo book: about 20 by the second birthday (Cotokim's proposal).

When to start reading to your baby

At birth. A tip sheet from the US Departments of Health and Human Services and Education ² says to share a book or a story with your baby every day from birth, in the language you feel most comfortable with, and that babies learn from it even as newborns ¹. The CDC's tips for 2-month-olds also say to talk, read and sing to your baby ⁴.

What reading looks like in the first year:

• Short and often. Read for short periods several times a day; bedtime is a good time, but not the only one ³.
• Talk about the pictures. At 6 months, the CDC suggests "reading" every day by looking at colorful pictures in books or magazines, talking about them and answering your baby's babbling ⁶.
• Stop when your baby is done. If your baby gets tired or restless, stop reading ³.
• At least 30 minutes a day, in short pieces. The guide suggests trying for at least 30 minutes a day of reading with your child; at first, no more than a few minutes at a time, several times a day ³.

Books on a baby registry

Register books by stage and kind, so they reach past the newborn weeks: for example, "2 cloth books, 4 to 6 months" or "3 lift-the-flap board books, 9 to 12 months", following the table above. A note from the giver inside the cover keeps the gift personal. Cotokim is not a store and does not pick titles or brands; if you are not sure which books are right for your child, a librarian can help you choose titles ³. Used books work too: for a child's home library, the guide lists garage sales, flea markets, used book stores and sales at your local library ³. The rest of the registry, with how many of each item, is on the baby registry checklist.

Free books: the library and the Imagination Library

• Your public library. The Department of Education's guide says most public libraries offer free use of books, magazines and other services ³, and that many have group story hours for babies and toddlers, short and geared to young children's attention spans ³. Ask about a library card in your child's name ³.
• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Where a local program runs, the Imagination Library mails a book a month to each registered child, from birth until age five, with the child's name on it and straight to the child's home ¹⁵, at no cost to the family ¹⁶. Local partners enroll the children who live in the area they cover ¹⁶, so check whether it is offered in your community on the program's site. One book a month is about 12 a year: count them in the totals above.

Books and safety

• Mouthing is normal; small parts are not. The CDC says to let your baby put safe things in their mouth to explore them: things that are not sharp, hot or small enough to choke on ⁵.
• Paper is one thing, hard parts are another. Federal rules ban small parts in children's products meant for children under 3, but books and other articles made of paper are excluded from that ban ¹². The CPSC has recalled children's books whose hard parts could come off: in 2023, about 260,000 units of board books bound with plastic rings that can detach ¹³, and in 2018 a soft fabric book with a metal grommet that can detach ¹⁴. Both were a choking hazard to young children. Before a book reaches your baby, check rings, snaps, beads and other hard parts, and put away a book that is coming apart (Cotokim's advice).
• Read, then take the book out of the crib. For sleep, the CDC describes a safe sleep area as a firm mattress with no blankets, pillows, bumper pads or toys ⁴, and the CPSC says nothing but a fitted sheet in a crib, bassinet or play yard ¹⁸. A book, even a soft cloth one, does not stay in the crib.
• No screens before 2, except video calls. The CDC says to limit screen time to video calling with loved ones, and that screen time is not recommended for children younger than 2 years of age ⁶.

Frequently asked questions

How many books should a baby have?

No US government source we read gives a number. Cotokim's proposal is about 10 books of your own by the first birthday and about 20 by the second, added by stage, plus library books. A few favorites do a lot of the work, because children like to do favorite things again and again ⁹.

When should I start reading to my baby?

At birth. The federal tip sheet says to share a book or a story with your baby every day, starting at birth ¹.

What are the best books for newborns?

For babies, the Department of Education's guide suggests cardboard or cloth books with large, simple pictures of familiar things ³, and in its tips for 2-month-olds the CDC suggests looking at pictures with bright colors or faces with your baby and talking about them ⁴. The guide also says to give your baby sturdy books to look at, touch and hold ³. Cotokim does not recommend titles; a librarian can help you choose them ³.

Is it OK if my baby chews on books?

Yes, with sturdy books. By 6 months, most babies put things in their mouth to explore them ⁶, and the Department of Education's guide says not to be upset if at first your child chews a book ³. That is why this page suggests board and cloth books in the first year. Check that no hard part can come off.

How many books should I read to my baby a day?

The sources we read set no daily total. For babies, the Department of Education's guide suggests short readings several times a day ³. For toddlers, the CDC's bedtime routine includes 1 or 2 books ⁹.

Can my baby sleep with a book in the crib?

No. Read first, then take the book out: the crib holds nothing but a fitted sheet ¹⁸.

Do e-books or reading apps count?

An e-book or a reading app on a tablet or phone is screen time, and the CDC says screen time is not recommended for children younger than 2, except video calling with loved ones ⁶. At 2 years, the CDC's limit is no more than 1 hour a day of a children's program with an adult present ¹¹.

Do I have to buy books at all?

No. The Department of Education's guide says most public libraries offer free use of books ³, and where a local program runs, the Imagination Library mails a book every month, starting at birth and until age five ¹⁵, at no cost to the family ¹⁶.

Data sources

Our use of publications from the U.S. Department of Education and from the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including links to their websites, does not mean that they endorse Cotokim. Cotokim has no tie to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library or to the authors of the study cited above; we describe their work in our own words.