Instilling a love of reading in your child from an early age is extremely important. Child development experts and parents alike can all agree on that fact. One of the best ways to get babies interested in books is to regularly read to them, starting in utero and continuing throughout their adolescent years.

For newborns and young babies, books are a handheld toy that can stimulate all five senses. The youngest learn a lot by observation in those early months, so every time you sit down with a book, your baby is taking note. It’s helpful to get them involved in the books, which is why you want to make sure to have an array of reading material and board books that encourage interaction.

These are usually sturdy board books referred to as “touch and feel” books or “life and learn” books. They tend to have lots of different textures and patterns and colors. Many of them have flaps and doors that are intended to be lifted or opened, while others might offer scratch-and-sniff smells or rough-and-bumpy and smooth-and-shiny textures.

As your baby grows, they start to imitate you and will pretend to turn pages. Before long, they’ll discover the joys of interacting with the pages. While babies are flexing their manual dexterity by touching and exploring these books and having fun playing, they are actually developing their fine and gross motor skills as well as stimulating their sensory development and language skills.

• Best Touch And Feel Books For Baby

What’s the Best Touch and Feel Book for Baby?

Almost any touch and feel book is bound to entertain your tot, but we’ve rounded up a list of the 20 best baby approved ones in our own personal library.