The Best Christmas Books for Babies’ First Christmas

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Looking for the Best Christmas Books for Babies’ First Christmas? Grab a mug of hot cocoa, a warm blanket, and cozy up with your tiny human! Enjoy one of these 18 Best First Christmas Story Books for Babies. 

Best Choice

Best overall

The Best on a Budget

Spot’s First Christmas

Dear Santa

Sandra Boynton’s Christmas Parade & Merry Christmas Little Pookie

There’d nothing quite like the holidays. Before having our daughter, our holidays looked different. We enjoyed cozy parties, curling up with a nice book, and experiencing the crisp air and crunchy snow.

Now that we have our daughter, this time of year has changed. December has taken on new meaning. And it’s become even more magical now that we can re-live the magic of Santa and the North Pole!

This year, we’re loading up on Xmas books for toddlers for our now 2-year-old. I’ve been collecting plenty of adorable story books this year. And I’m so excited to share them in a book advent calendar, stocking, and Christmas Eve box.

I’m super excited about all of the books I’ve collected so far. That said, the books I’ve gathered and Christmas crafts I have planned are all a bit too old for your average baby.

That said, I don’t want to leave the youngest kids out. There’s a lot of the fun that comes with reading Xmas books, which is why I put this list together.

So grab a mug of hot chocolate and a warm blanket. And cozy up in front of your Christmas Tree to share a special holiday tale this season!

18 Fantastic Christmas Books for Babies

Spot’s First Christmas

This classic is a great story to ignite your baby’s Christmas spirit. This board book tells the story of Spot doing his best to prepare for Christmas. He decorates the tree, wraps presents and sings carols. My daughter loved the original Where’s Spot book from around the time she was 7 months to 15 months – and it made it on our top books for babies list! And this holiday version has all the best elements of the original, such as the lift the flaps that little ones love and an easy to follow story. We have the paper back, but a board book would be even better for young babies and toddlers, too.

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Dear Santa

We’ve probably read Dear Zoo about 10,000 times, and there was a stretch when my daughter never, ever tired of it, erupting into gales of laughter at every single page. Dear Santa is a Christmas twist on Dear Zoo, which will no doubt have your little one lifting the flaps to reveal different presents like a ball and a kite. Their excitement will build as the final flap divulges the most perfect gift to leave under the tree, making this a classic Christmas book for babies and a great choice as a Christmas Eve story.

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Sandra Boynton’s Christmas Parade & Merry Christmas Little Pookie

In my experience, babies and young toddlers LOVE Sandra Boynton board books. They are full of music, sing-songy rhymes and onomatopoeia, these two fun and colorful board books will turn Christmas into a party for your kiddos. Older babies and toddlers will love the pictures of different animals with their different instruments marching along in Christmas Parade. And Merry Christmas Little Pookie will help build their excitement for Christmas Day by going through all the fun Christmas preparations with Pookie and his mom. Both are fun additions to the holiday season when you’ve got a baby around!

Check Price – Christmas Parade

Check Price – Merry Christmas Little Pookie

The Itsy Bitsy Snowman and The Itsy Bitsy Reindeer

Both putting a Christmas-y spin on “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”, these two stories follow their happy and cheerful main characters on their own Christmas journeys with bright and colorful pictures and simple text that is perfect for the youngest of children. I also have this on my toddler Christmas book list, because my toddler loves the Itsy Bitsy Spider! In other words, these books will probably last you through the first Christmas time of year, and last a few Christmases into the future, too.

Check Price – Itsy Bitsy Snowman

Check Price – Itsy Bitsy Reindeer

Five Christmas Penguins

Five Christmas Penguins made my Best Christmas Books for Toddlers list too, but for different reasons. Whereas toddlers will enjoy counting the 5 penguins in this children’s book about Christmas, younger kids will enjoy the bright and simple illustrations and rhythmic, sing-songy story. It’s a fun holiday book that will get children pumped about the season (and counting).

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Little Blue Truck Christmas

My kid LOVES this series, and we have quite the collection. We started reading the books with her when she was a baby (the series original is one of the first books we ever bought for her!), and she still enjoys them today as a 2.5 year old, although has moved on to new versions of the series (Little Blue Truck Leads the Way, etc). What I love about these books (and babies love too) is how rhythmic they are, especially when read at a fast-ish pace. Along with fun pictures, I think these books do a nice job at capturing baby’s attention.

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Santa’s Workshop and Babies Love Christmas Lift-a-Flap Set

The perfect size for tiny hands, this holiday board book set will take your baby on a journey to the North Pole where they can peek under the sturdy lift-flaps to reveal all of the magical and fun surprises in Santa’s hometown. Then they can learn different Christmas words with fun flaps to peek under!

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Baby’s First Slide and See Christmas

Full of bright and cheery illustrations that bring the Holidays to life, this sturdy board book will keep baby busy with lots of slides that are easily manipulated to reveal fun surprises. Baby can interact with the book by using the sliders, touching raised surfaces and textures, and looking for different elements on the page. There’s not so much of a story, but the pictures are super engaging. Using it with your baby, you can ask plenty of open ended questions, point out emotions and colors and vocabulary, etc. One of the most engaging children’s books about Christmas for the very youngest readers!

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Christmas 1,2,3 and Merry Christmas From the Very Hungry Caterpillar

In the Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Christmas 1,2,3, your little one will love counting their way through all of the fun and festive Christmas items, all the way to 10. While older babies may like the counting aspect of the book, younger ones will delight in the Eric Carle artwork and Christmas vocabulary. Merry Christmas From the Very Hungry Caterpillar is full of simple but meaningful Christmas prose and distinctive illustrations that portray everything from a decked-out tree to gift-giving. Your youngest readers will enjoy the rhythmic prose, while toddlers will enjoy some of the messages in the book.

Check Price – Christmas 123

Check Price – Merry Christmas from the Very Hungry Caterpillar

Curious George: Curious About Christmas

Great for older babies and younger toddlers, this book is full of classic Curious George antics, sweet and simple rhymes and many touch-and-feel elements for sensory engagement. Ribbons, reindeer fur, a Christmas tree, and Santa’s beard are just a few fun textures of many. Suitable for a baby and slightly older children, the story has easy rhymes and rhythm for reading out loud. After preparing for Christmas, the book ends on Christmas Eve and then Christmas morning, introducing Santa Claus as a character your baby is sure to love!

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Where’s Santa Claus?

Especially great for the tiniest hands, this board book is like a fun game of Christmas peek-a-boo or hide and seek, with each character hiding behind a felt flap. Young children love looking behind each flap, and parents will like that it’s a sturdy book that can take a bit of abuse. Simple enough for baby to participate, without needing to follow along for much of a story or do too much reading. A fun introduction to Santa Claus!

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Usborne Touchy Feely “That’s Not My…” Three Book Christmas Set

This box set includes three touch-and-feel Christmas-themed books: That’s Not My Reindeer, That’s Not My Santa, and That’s Not My Snowman. All three books all filled with simple text for word recognition and silly descriptions for an array of different textures that provide sensory stimulation. A delightful addition to the holiday season, and nice for baby to interact with.

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Final Thoughts

Beautifully illustrated classics like Polar Express, the Nativity Story, and the Night Before Christmas are wonderful for older kids. However your baby needs something a bit simpler.

Even super kid-focused choices like Llama Llama Jingle Bells or How The Grinch Stole Christmas are best for slightly older kids. So save those for a few years into the future!

Babies most enjoy simple Christmas stories. Look for bright and highly contrasting colors, fun pictures, and interactive cause and effect elements, like sliders and lift the flaps.

Whichever books you choose, they’re sure to add a special touch to the season!

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