Christmas books for babies: 15 magical books for baby’s first Christmas

Baby’s first Christmas comes with plenty to discover: twinkling lights, jingling bells, fluffy reindeer, shiny ornaments and Santa!

A book can make all that Christmas magic even more fun to explore together. For babies and toddlers, interactive board books bring the season to life with textures to touch, sounds to hear, sliders to move and pictures full of little details to notice.

From festive favorites in the bestselling THAT’S NOT MY® series to noisy reindeer, hidden elves and gentle bedtime stories, here are 15 Christmas and winter books perfect for sharing with little ones.

Touch-and-feel Christmas books for babies

1. That's not my santa…

Age 3+ months

Santa’s sparkly sleigh, fuzzy gloves and other festive textures are waiting to be explored in That's not my santa….

Part of the much-loved THAT’S NOT MY® series, this sturdy board book combines bold illustrations with touch-and-feel patches on every page. There’s also a little white mouse hiding in each scene for grown-ups and babies to spot together.

2. That's not my reindeer…

Age 3+ months

Fluffy, furry and shiny textures give little hands plenty to investigate in That's not my reindeer….

The reindeer make their way through snowy scenes while babies can feel tactile patches including furry bodies, hairy tails and shiny noses. And, as always in the series, the little white mouse is somewhere on every page.

A particularly festive choice for children who are just beginning their THAT’S NOT MY® collection.

3. That's not my snowman…

Age 3+ months

Five friendly snowmen are waiting inside this wintry touch-and-feel book.

Babies can investigate soft hats, fluffy scarves, bumpy buttons and fuzzy mittens as they turn the pages of That's not my snowman…. Bright pictures and the familiar mouse-to-spot format make it easy to share again and again throughout the holiday season.

4. That's not my Christmas Tree...

Age 3+ months

If Christmas trees are already attracting curious little fingers, this book gives them one they’re definitely allowed to touch.

That's not my Christmas Tree... explores bumpy trunks, prickly branches, sparkly decorations and shiny presents. This larger-format addition to the series also has a foiled cover and glittering lights on the final page.

5. That's not my polar bear…

Age 3+ months

For something wintry rather than strictly Christmas-themed, That's not my polar bear… brings five fuzzy polar bears into the THAT’S NOT MY® world.

This special edition includes bright illustrations, tactile patches, the familiar little white mouse and shiny silver-edged pages. It’s a suitably snowy addition to a winter reading pile.

6. Touchy-feely The Nativity

Age 12+ months

For families looking for a simple way to share the Nativity story with a toddler, Touchy-feely The Nativity combines the traditional Christmas story with tactile elements for little hands.

Children can meet Mary and the fluffy donkey, woolly sheep, a sparkling angel, the wise men and baby Jesus wrapped in a soft blanket. There are four touch-and-feel patches inside the book as well as two on the cover.

Noisy Christmas books for babies and toddlers

7. Don't Tickle Santa!

Age 6+ months

Touching the tactile patches in Don't Tickle Santa! brings Santa, the elves and reindeer to life with sounds. At the end, all the characters join in together alongside a lively Christmas tune.

It combines the furry patches and playful noises familiar from Usborne’s DON’T TICKLE books with a particularly festive cast.

8. Don't Tickle the Reindeer!

Age 6+ months

In Don't Tickle the Reindeer!, babies and toddlers can press the furry patches to hear different animals make sounds. By the final spread, all the noises come together with a bouncy tune.

A good pick when storytime could use a little more laughter.

9. Don't Tickle the Polar Bear!

Age 6+ months

The polar bear has one request: please don’t tickle it.

Little readers may not listen.

Touching the patches in Don't Tickle the Polar Bear! triggers animal noises before everyone gets noisy together in a musical finale. The book combines furry textures, peek-through holes, rhythmic text and sound.

10. Jingle Bells Sound Book

Age 12+ months

For a book that sounds unmistakably like Christmas, try Jingle Bells Sound Book.

Young children can step into a snowy landscape where animals are getting ready for the big day. Each double-page spread combines a classic Christmas carol with another festive sound effect, from Santa heading into the night sky to a brass band playing Christmas music.

There are 10 festive sounds to discover, along with cut-out holes for little fingers to explore.

11. Sing-along Christmas Songs

Age 6+ months

Ready to start caroling?

Press the buttons in Sing-along Christmas Songs to hear five familiar Christmas songs, with the words printed on the page so everyone can join in.

The US edition includes Jingle Bells, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Silent Night, Deck the Halls and O Christmas Tree.

Consider it a very small Christmas sing-along that fits neatly on the bookshelf.

Interactive Christmas books for curious little hands

12. Slide and See Christmas

Age 6+ months

Sometimes the best bit of a book is being allowed to make something move.

Slide and See Christmas is designed for very young children, with sliding panels that transform each festive scene. Babies can move the sliders to light up a Christmas tree, discover who is hiding inside a gingerbread house and watch animals skating on the ice.

There are vivid colors and plenty to see and talk about as you explore the pages together.

13. Are You There Little Elf?

Age 6+ months

Where has that little elf gone?

Are You There Little Elf? turns storytime into a gentle game of hide-and-seek. Babies can peek through holes in the pages as they search for the elusive elf, meeting reindeer (and perhaps even Santa) along the way.

Finger trails and detailed illustrations add even more for curious little hands and eyes to investigate.

Cozy books for quieter holiday moments

Christmas excitement is wonderful. Eventually, though, even the busiest little elf needs to wind down.

14. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Age 18+ months

This little board book retells the classic nursery rhyme Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

Charming woodland animals follow a twinkling star as it guides them home to bed, making this a gentle choice for the quieter end of a busy holiday day.

Its familiar rhyme also makes it particularly easy for grown-ups to join in without needing to remember what happens next.

15. Night Night Sleepy Bunny

Age 3+ months

For a cozy winter bedtime rather than a jingling Christmas adventure, Night Night Sleepy Bunny offers something much gentler.

Sleepy Bunny says goodnight to the world in a lullaby-like rhyming story, while a glowing light appears through holes on every spread. Eventually Bunny settles beneath the glowing moon.

It makes a soothing contrast to all the bells, songs and Christmas excitement, and a lovely book to keep reading once the decorations have come down.

Which Christmas book is best for a baby?

For babies from 3 months, the THAT’S NOT MY® Christmas and winter books are an easy place to start, with bold pictures and tactile patches designed for little hands to explore.

From 6 months, there are even more interactive possibilities. Babies can move the sliders in Slide and See Christmas, peek through the pages of Are You There Little Elf?, or discover touch-and-feel sounds in books such as Don't Tickle Santa! and Don't Tickle the Reindeer!.

For toddlers from 12 months, Jingle Bells Sound Book adds a whole collection of Christmas sounds, while Touchy-feely The Nativity introduces the traditional Christmas story through tactile scenes.

And Christmas reading doesn’t always have to be noisy. A gentle book such as Night Night Sleepy Bunny can offer a quieter ending after a day filled with presents, lights and excitement.

Make a book part of baby’s first Christmas

A baby won’t remember every detail of their first Christmas, but that doesn’t make those first traditions any less special.

A favorite book can become part of the season: one to touch after breakfast, sing along with in the afternoon or share together before bed. Bring it out again next December and suddenly it’s not just a Christmas book. It’s one of their Christmas books.

And that’s a rather lovely tradition to begin.