Looking for Good Bedtime Books for Toddler

It may seem like a pain in the butt to us, but kids thrive on repetition. Any books that deal with nightime and nighttime rituals are good! 'Good Night Moon', 'The Runaway Bunny' and 'Guess How Much I Love You' were three short stories that my son loved as a toddler. I'm going to start reading them as a nightly ritual to my daughter as well.

My son has loved these books since he was a toddler: Owl Babies by Martin Waddell - Richard Scarry's Polite Elephant--Bunny's Noisy Book by Margaret Wise Brown --The Mitten by Jan Brett and Time for Bed by Mem Fox. Good luck! we read every night at bedtime and it is great quiet time before bed.

Good Night Moon
Guess How Much I Love You
I Love You Forever

ANY Sandra Boynton book but especially The Going to Bed Book

Sorry I don't know the author for these books! Good Night Moon and The Going to Bed Book are short but we read more than one book if they are short :)

Goodnite Gorilla
Grandma and Me

There's a series of kid books that are delivered to your home monthly for only $5 a month named Baby Bug. My daughter loves them.

These are all relatively short reads and the kids love them.

B.,

Our two favorite authors are Mercer Mayer and Johnathon London. Mercer Mayer has books about a little critters and Johnathon London writes the "Froggy" series. They are so funny. I have read them a thousand times and I don't mind because they are so entertaining and you can change your voice to make them even funnier. They are cute good life lesson stories, such as bedtime, going to the dentist, getting a new sister,all by myself, froggy gets dressed etc.... Look them up they are easy 5 to 10 minute stories depending on how much you elaborate. We use them as discussion starters for example. "Froggy goes to the doctor" I used it to lesson their fears. The books are so funny and my kids love them. Both have a large series you can find on E-bay, amazon, or any bookstore. One of the best reason to buy these books is because they are unisex, and....they are easier readers. So once your child learns to read it will be some of the first books she/he can read on their own.

Good luck and have fun.
Reading is so good for them. Both of my boys are above grade level in reading and I give all the credit to bedtime stories.

How about "Rumble in the Jungle" Or "Commotion in the Ocean" Those are really good length and great rhymeing books to help them learn. Also my kids like the Curious George books, Perfect length as well. Or Maybe How Dinosaurs Say Goodnight. There are so many good childrens books! What I like to do is bring the kids to Barnes and Noble and let them play with the Thomas the Train set they have set up there and browse the recommended section. At the Brookdale mall those ones are right next to the train table so they are never out of sight. Don't beat yourself up though. I go through stages when reading a story is the last thing I want to do, too. Now that my three year old is finally wanting to sit on her potty and train, I read to her for a while to distract her, but really to be honest there are so many things to do everyday that sometimes it just doesn't happen and she can watch Elmo while she sits there. We can't always be Super Mom:)

Hi there... I know you got a lot of suggestions but here are a few more that my daughter loves.

Hippos Go Berserk by Sandra Boynton
Snuggle Puppy a little love song by Sandra Boynton
Pajama Time by Sandra Boynton
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Sandra Boynton is just a fun author and the pictures are bright and hold the little ones attention. She has a lot of books out there and I hope to have all of them soon! We usually read 2 of them before bedtime (takes about 8 mins and she is ready for bed/sleep). We have read them so much she has some of the pages memerized already and she is a little over 2.

I Love You As Much... by Laura Krauss Melmed is my all time favorite.
Our two very close seconds are Time for Bed by Mem Fox and
Bear Snores On by Karma wilson.

The first two are a little shorter, but I always use each page as a chance to ask a question.
For example in the Time for Bed.. the first page when it says darkness is falling all over the house, I will ask has darkness fallen all over our house?

Good luck!
J.

My 2 1/2 year old son's favorites are How do dinosaurs say goodnight; Love you forever; Good Morning,Good Night; and The Cat in the Hat. Each is about 2-4 minutes. It also helps us at the end of the day, after we read our book to lay in bed and have a little talk - about what we did that day and what we are going to do the next day.

I just wanted to add some other books my 2 1/2 year old son really likes: Any book by Mo Willems, "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late" is a favorite. Also "New Socks" by Bob Shea. All of Sandra Boynton books are good. "That's Love" by Sam Williams with wonderful illustrations by Mique Moriuchi. "Joey and Jet in Space" is an easy fun book too by James Yang. We checked all of these books out at our local library and we have since bought some of them. The library is really a terrific resource b/c you can see if your daughter likes them before you buy any of them. Or you can just continue to check out new books every 3 weeks for free!

Also I think you're right about getting a regular bedtime routine down again before the baby is born. Our second boy was born last December and having the routine for the oldest really helped him feel like his world wasn't completely changed. Good luck!

How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? is hilarious. My kids cycle through their favorite bedtime books. I just have them pick one off the bookshelf. If your child is in preschool / daycare, you can ask about the Scholastic Book orders and get books really cheap. The library is another great resource.

My 3 year old's favorite right now is Baby's Boat. There is a tune so you can sing it instead of read it. It has special meaning to our family because it is the song my MIL sang my husband as a little boy. I plan to give a copy to each of my kids when they become parents to continue tradition.

Good luck,
S.

I'd recommend taking her to the library. Ask the librarian first for ideas, and then let her pick out her own books. (with your help) There is a whole section of books for her age. Some are the board books, but some are a bit longer as well. Good luck

I've seen that someone already suggested it, but my toddler daughter's favorite bedtime book is Good Morning, Good Night. It is a flap book where and can be easily shortened into just the good night portion as needed (which we do most of the time). She loves kissing all the animals goodnight and then tucking the little girl into her blanket before bed.

my son loves the books, Llama Llama Red Pajama, Storm is coming, or any of the Little Critter books. They are not too short, but also not too long! They are perfect for his bedtime reading.

I know you are busy, but could you make a quick visit to the library? Ask for their advice or just let her pick some things out. At that same age it seemed like my son started loving just about any books, rather than just certain ones about things he liked.

We've had a lot of success with a group of books called Bright & Early Books, Dr. Suess and friends. I've gotten them at garage sales. I know you can sign up for them as a book club, but I know nothing about it: http://www.childrensbooks.scholastic.com/seuss.aspx

I have not really found a book in this grouping my son does not like. Some are longer than others, but most are a good length. We just set up a rule of 3 books, and he has learned to stop asking for more.

It seems like a lot of kids develop challenging bedtime behaviors around 2.5. We had to leave the hall light on for my son, as well as his overhead light on dim, leave the door open, and find certain words that seemed to reassure him. He did outgrow the worst of it in a few months.

I constantly hear about the importance of having a bedtime routine for kids. What we do is give him a small snack and a warning that he has so many minutes before it's time to get ready for bed. Then we go upstairs to change and get ready. Then back into his room for book reading, prayer (or even just saying what you're thankful for if not into praying), put him into bed while making every thing in his room just right (talking him through it...nightlight on, tuck you in, kiss good night, whatever.) Then telling him we'll be back int he morning when it't time to wake up. He constantly tries to come up with things to delay us. We have actually added some of that to our routine. He always asks for water, so we just know we will go get water after we put him to bed. Let him think he has some control over things.

Hope this helps!

Macy the Sleep Fairy. My mom sent it to me when I was having trouble with my son- you end up giving gifts like the tooth Fairy does so I hit a garage sale and bought a bag of dinosaurs for a dime. otherwise it can get expensive. but it works for us even today.

Dinosaurs Binkit. It is a short fun book that gets your kiddo to laugh and be comfortable before bedtime.

My son really liked books by Todd Parr. They aren't too long, have really bright and simple pictures and are a little silly.

At that age they love the books that rhyme. Dr. Suess and Mother Goose nursery rhymes were favorites of my children at that age. I noticed my granddaughter who will be 2 on Saturday also really enjoys the rhyming books. My kids also learned to read with Green Eggs and Ham with the short words and the repeating of them through out the book.

My 4 year old has loved reading since we started at birth but did go thru a phase like this and my 2 year old had no interest in reading until we corrected this phase in the 4 year old. First we started with books about animals my 4 year old loved (she loves horse, lions, monkeys but has an affection for all animals) so we only read books with characters who were animals.....here are some favorites. A Frog in the Bog by Karma Wilson, Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson, Kisses by Nanda Roep, If You Love A Bear by Piers Harper, Biscuits Day at the Farm by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (a Scholastic First Reader....any Biscuit the dog book is great)I Love You Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt--Super big Hit, On Noahs Ark by Jan Brett, Buzz Said the Bee by Wendy Cheyette Lewison (a Hello Reader Level 1 by Scholastic), Simba and Nala at Play from Baby's First Disney Books Series, and The Crayon Box That Talked by Shane Derolf. A couple all time favorites that were very surprising because of the length of them were Bedtime For Francis by Russell Hoban and The Cat in the Hat-Dr Seuss. However, kids love stories about what they understand like Bedtime for Francis which is about a little girl (played by a badger) who can't settle down to sleep. And the Cat in the Hat is just so rhymey and so funny that kids love it. Hope this helps. We also often change the name of the main character to our daughters name and the other characters become mommy, daddy and sister. Some kids just want you to make up a story for them. I tell both of my daughters a story about my first night at home with them and how I rocked them to sleep and sang them a lullaby and thanked God for such beautiful little girls who bring their daddy and I such joy! This one, of course, is the favorite. Hope this helps. Sorry for rambling but I wanted to give you some options.

I love the Froggy books by Jonathan London and Frank Remkiewicz. They are cute stories and have great pictures. Also the Miss Spider books are wonderful for toddlers because of the illustrations. Naturally, Curious George and Clifford are always hits with toddlers. Thats all I can think of off the top of my head. I also let my son go and choose a book whenever we go to a store so that I know where his current interests are. Maybe that would also work for your daughter. Good luck and keep reading :o)

Our daughter (alomost 3) loves to read books before bed. We limit it to two books. She sometime tries to sneak in 1 more and sometimes we give in, but not always. Her favorite ones that she chooses are:

Sailing off to sleep by Linda Ashman (this is her favorite and mine lengthwise)
Dr. Suess books (there are many that are the perfect length)
Eric Carle books
Brown Bear Brown Bear what do you see (and the other titles)

We spend maybe 5-10 minutes reading at night and she sometimes falls asleep during the reading which is a bonus!!!

The shorter Curious George books usually work well. The ones that are adapted, not the original ones. Froggy Bakes a Cake and the other Froggy books are hysterical by Jonathan London. Mooncake by Frank Asch, The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle,Mercer Meyer books like A Very Special Critter, I Love YOu, A Rebus poem by Mean Marzollo, May There Always Be Sunshine by Jim Gill and Anansi The Spider. All of these books have a little bit of a storyline and can capture their attention. I know because I've been a child care provider for 30 years and put thousand of children down for their afternoon naps, often 10-15 at the same time.

You are so on target about the routine. Make it one you both enjoy. Stick to the routine and all of its limits, although reading board books over and over will help her with her own reading in the long run. So feel good about it during the day. Its just important to stick to the plan a bedtime, whatever that plan may be. Make it fun or least tolerable for you, too. That's important or you won't stick to it. You could add a song or something silly too. Good luck and congrats on the new baby. N. B

lol. i feel so shameless..

heres my plug!
i am an usborn books consultant, and there are many many many options with usborn books! there are books that can play lullabies with, and there are books that are bedtime related... however, there are also books called dual readers, which have a shorter, more basic story on top of the page, and a longer, more detailed story on the bottom. both tell a complete tale, and can be read together also, or separatly. this way, some nights you can read a little bit longer of a story, or a shorter one when you are in a hurry!

check out my website www.usbornforthefuture.com and see if there are any books that you are interested in. let me know if you have any questions or if you need help selecting books that would be good for your children! :D

also for the new baby, the most popular books for younger kids are the touchy feely books! :D they have a different thing to touch on every page and can be found in various different animals, even cars and tractors!

anyway, good luck!
ps these books can grow with your child as well, and every single book somehow teaches something, whether its shapes, colors, animals, manners, etc... they are so fun! for older kids there are internet linked educational books! people even use them for homeschooling, but they could certainly go right along with any public school curriculum as well! :D ive heard of kids even performing knee surgury curtosy of one of the internet linked books! :D awesome huh?

My daughter was born with clubfoot, and while they are 'fixed' now, she still has to wear special shoes at night. It sucks because she doesn't really like them, BUT the most wonderful thing came out of it: we ALWAYS have to spend quality time with her before bed! Daddy reads to her while I put her shoes on (it takes at least six or seven minutes) and then I usually finish up the book and read another one while we are rocking "for a bit" as she says.

Anyways, our very favorite books are 'the wheels on the bus' moveable parts book (every time i read it i notice another storyline being told by the pictures, like the dog who gets loose on the first page and chases the bus the whole way, then on the last page the owner scoops him up. not a part of the words, just going on in the background. very clever!)

http://tinyurl.com/3jxuj2

and 'Goodnight Gorilla' which can be as long or as short as YOU want it to be, there are no words, just images, and we make up our own words as we go...

http://tinyurl.com/4xa3j5

We also love 'Bad Dog Marley' 'Dear Zoo' 'Sheep in a Jeep'

thanks for asking a great question, i'm going to print out the answers for the next time we're looking for new books!

I like the stories On the night you were born by Nancy Tillman, Catch the Moon by Lisa Loeb (this book includes a wonderful CD of lullabies sung by Lisa Loeb) Also Where the wild things are by Maurice Sendak for a nice classic story. All are just long enough for the kid but short enough for the truly exhausted parent.

try using your imagination-make up your own stories-when you were a kid-your folks were kids etc....i found that more fun with my kids-then books-have fun with it-the story can be anythng you want-you save money-its not repetitive-and its just more fun.

Hi B.-
One of my favorites for toddlers is "I Took the Moon For a Walk," and it would be perfect for bedtime! I have several other wonderful recommendations if you wanted to hear more, you can call me. (I actually sell Children's books myself- and I could give you 10% off for being a Mamasource Mama:)if you were interested)
Another favorite is "Goodnight Moon." This isn't one I sell, but another great one for bedtime!
Good luck with your little one's bedtime.
:)A.
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www.CommunityBarefoot.com

Get a library card! My kids, ages 3 1/2 and 2 1/2 like a variety of books. I hate spending money on a book only to find out my kids are not very fond of it, or get bored with it after a couple weeks.

One book that I really enjoy reading to the special ed preschoolers at my school is Hush! by Minfong Ho. It's based on a Thai lullaby, and is about a mother who is quieting the animals around them while her baby is (supposedly) sleeping. The animals include a mosquito, lizard, monkey, water buffalo and elephant. We sing it to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little star, so if you are up to singing, that could be calming for your little one too. It comes in paper back and I've purchased it at Barnes and Noble. We have found that repetative and predictable books, particularly when set to music are very calming for our students. I'm sure this works for the average 2 year old as well.
Have fun reading!

My kids always liked rhyming books. Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom about the alphabet is great and they love the collapse at the end. It comes in a shorter version and a longer version. They also enjoyed Commotion in the Ocean and Rumble in the Jungle. It has a barnyard counterpart too. Books by Boynton and Carl are almost always good. With the Very Hungry Caterpillar they like to stick their fingers in the holes. Have fun reading!

Some of our favorites are:
Love You Forever
I Love You Stinky Face
Click Clack Moo
Five Little Monkeys

And yes, like a PP said, those "little square books" (think Mercer Mayer, Berenstain Bears, etc.) There are sooooo many of those, and I think they're the perfect bedtime length. If you don't want to invest in a library of your own, plan regular trips to the local library. Most have these books at toddler level where they can pick out their own. She might be more excited to read something that she picked out and has been looking forward to all day.

My boys love books and have a large variety. The ones that seem to be perfect for my 21-month-old are the square paper ones that you can find just about anywhere. You can frequently find them for $1 at Target (in the $1 section, not with the rest of the books) or at dollar stores. Full price, they're usually around $3. Right now, Target has a selection of Sesame Street ones. I stock up on one of each when they get new ones in.

My daughter is also 2 1/2 and LOVES Goodnight Moon. We read it everynight (sometimes twice :) and she has a lot of it memorized so she'll "read" it with me. It's a simple and short book which is nice when she asks, "5 times pls."
As another person posted, the library is also a good idea. We try to take the girls once or twice a month and let them pick out their own books. It gets them excited about reading and makes them feel special bc they pick/checkout themselves.

Books on Spot by Eric Hill come in both short format or longer stories. Maisy by Lucy Cousins. Richard Scarry books are all about things (what goes on in a town, etc)

I totally understand utter exhaustion and guilt when you just can't even bring yourself to read before bed. I found a great way to relax and get a story in with my kids at night. Many children's classic picture books/easy readers are sold with both the book and a cd in a handy case, with the story read by the actual author of the book.

You can find these at Barnes and Nobles and most major bookstore chains in the children's book sections for about 6 to 10 dollars. The great thing about using these is that even if a book is aimed at a slightly older child, the sometimes added sound effects, change in the author's voice and you turning the pages and pointing out pictures as you follow along can help bring out meaning as well.

My 2 1/2 year old and 5 year old love the Thomas the Tank Engine cd books, Sheep in a Jeep, Rotten Ralph, Toad and Frog, Toad and Frog All Year, Dr. Seuss, Curious George and more...

Walgreen's also sells Disney cd books including their popular movies such as Monster Inc., The Little Mermaid, Toy Story, Pirates of the Caribean, 101 Dalmations, Lion King, Cinderella and more..at a bargain price of two for 10 dollars, found in the toy section of the store.

I really love these because, when my 5 year old started to learn to read in school, he could read along with the cds and I really think they helped with his vocabulary and reading skills.

Yes, that routine will be an important thing and will also be a help when new baby comes so other behaviors from your toddler don't rear up. As tired as we get-making that investment in children's mental health is so important! Little Golden Books are nice-and you certainly don' have to read books word for word. Just hit the high points when you are tired! You can tell stories from your own childhood, too. Little red Riding Hood, The Three Bears, etc. AND you can change any parts you did not like about the story if you felt it too violent. Telling stories is just as much fun and you can make up anything you want!!It's all about time with children which you can never get back once it is gone.

Any Dr. Suess book are good, Goodnight Moon & Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw. They are short, have good rythm and keep the child interested.

Your situation sounds just like ours was a few months ago. I also have a 2 1/2 year old who had to adapt to me being pregnant and then welcoming a new baby brother. We love reading at bedtime too. His sleeping routine suffered the most when the new little one came along, but they adapt fairly quickly. My little guy just LOVES Lama Lama Red Pajama. When I first read it I thought it was just perfect for our situation. Best wishes to you and the new baby!

B.,
I love reading Goodnight Moon to my baby. It is a great bead time story. Also she might like Where the Wild things Are. Both are about children going to bed.

One more suggestion,
One Minute Bedtime Stories by Shari Lewis and LanO'Kun
http://www.amazon.com/One-Minute-Bedtime-Stories-Doubleda...

It has severals shortened versions of classic tales and it's geared for busy working parents to read at bedtime. The book also gives sugestions for ways you can lengthen the story telling experience w/questions and so on.

My baby is only 5 mo so we aren't reading these yet but I (and my brother) always loved. Good Night Moon, If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, & The bernstein Bears.

Also Kohl's often has great children's books for just $5 and all the money goes to a childrens charity. They currently have the Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See, and the others in that series Polar Bear, Baby Bear, and I think Panda Bear. These books are so colorful and are great rhyming stories, also fairly short.

Good luck!

Has she got much library time in? The library is a great place for little ones to develop their preferences for reading, which inspires confidence and good socialization skills. She can choose her own bedtime books from the library, and she will get loads of satisfaction from having Mommy read her the books she selected herself from the library. Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is one of our favorites. "Carl" books are good too, because only the first and last pages have words and she can help you read as well by making up the story with you. There doesn't have to be words on the page for you to "read" a book. It sounds like you are an extremely busy mother--soon even busier--and perhaps you could tape yourself reading her one of her favorite books, so after you are done reading her a book at bedtime, you could pop the tape in a cassette player for her to listen to after you say goodnight to her. This way you could be "there" a little longer than you actually can be there.

B.,
I think the bright night light is a bad idea. You want it to be too dim for her to think about doing anything but sleep. Just enough light so they can know where they are, but dark enough that they don't start looking around for toys/books/etc. As far as the bedtime story, just pick one a night. Make it a rule now before the baby is born. My two (now 4 & 6) listen to a cd after they get into bed. It might be another story (on cd), or some kids music that isn't too rousing. They love the familiarity of it and it allows them to wind down as they fall asleep. Give it a try! Elizabeth Mitchell has a wonderful CD....