Bath time with your little one can be a magical experience – a chance for splashes, giggles, and bonding. But sometimes, keeping them entertained in the tub can be a challenge. Enter the wonderful world of bath books!
These waterproof wonders are a fantastic way to introduce your baby to the joy of books, all while keeping bath time fun and engaging. As a new mum myself, I quickly discovered the power of bath books – they can turn bath time from a struggle into a delightful reading session!
But did you know that bath books can also play a vital role in your baby’s early development?
Why Bath Books?
Bath time isn’t just about getting clean (although that’s important too!). It’s also a prime opportunity to bond with your little one and stimulate their developing brain.
Early Literacy Skills • Exposure to sounds, words, and rhymes lays the foundation for future language development.
Cognitive Stimulation • Bath books often feature bright colors, simple shapes, and engaging illustrations that capture your baby’s attention and spark curiosity.
Bonding Time • Snuggling up with your baby and reading together creates a warm and loving connection.
Adding Fun & Distraction • Engaging stories and playful illustrations can distract your little one from any bath time anxieties, making the experience more enjoyable.
Sensory Play • Many bath books incorporate touch-and-feel textures, squeaky sounds, or pop-up elements, making bath time a multi-sensory adventure.
Creating a Routine • Bath books can become a familiar and comforting part of your bath time routine, helping your baby feel secure and predictable.
The most important thing is to choose a bath book that you and your baby will enjoy!
OUR PICK OF THE CROP
23 Best Bath Books Mums Recommend
With over 16 years of experience and a community of over 100,000 Australian mums, we’re committed to helping you find the perfect book for the bath.
Below, you’ll find 23 of the best bath books recommended by the mums from the Mum’s Grapevine community, listed in no particular order.
Popping bubbles
Bubble Pop Baby Bath Book by Jellystone Designs
Dive into a bubbly adventure with some sea friends, counting from 1 to 5, popping bubbles along the way in this soft neoprene bath book that’s perfect for little hands. Complete with a handy strap for easy hanging and drying after every bath time splash!
Tiny friends
Sea Animals Silicone Bath Book by We Might Be Tiny
Make bath time a splash with this silicone Bath Book, where colourful sea creatures take your little one on underwater adventures while ensuring non-toxic, BPA-free fun that’s easy to clean and endlessly engaging, from the tub to playdough and beyond!
Ocean dreams
Bath Time: Turtle by Pat-a-Cake
Get your little ones clean and teach them colours with this colour-changing bath time book. Featuring cute as can be illustrations, watch as the magical colours shift as soon as they touch water. It is as beautiful as it is educational!
Exploring the depths
My Submarine Bath Book by Janod
Dive into imaginative adventures with My Submarine Bath Book, where little ones explore the ocean depths, meet mermaids, and navigate with a mirror-equipped submarine that sticks to the pages, making bath time an exciting voyage of discovery.
Spot gets wet
Splish Splash Spot! by Eric Hill
Spot books are always fun and now you can take them in the bath. Perfect for young babies it has simple pictures and a squeaker inside.
Safari adventure
Safari Magic Bath Panel Book by Lilliputiens
Marius Rhino and his friends go on an adventure, where warm water brings surprises to life, in this search-and-find experience that sticks right to your tub. Little ones can read along as a hand-held book or mounted to the tub wall with included suction cups.
Squirty fun
Squirty Duck Bath Book by Campbell Books
Splash into the gentle rhyming story about animals under the sea, the perfect waterproof book featuring bright illustrations and an inbuilt squirter that’s sure to make a big splash!
Oink oink splash!
Peppa Pig – Fun in the Tub! by PI Kids
Join Peppa Pig and her little brother George for a splashy adventure in the tub with this silly bathbook! After a day of splish, splash, sploshing in muddy puddles, these muddy piggies are ready for a bath.
Hungry for bathtime
The World of Eric Carle Bath Time Books by Eric Carle
Turn washing up into a whimsical adventure with this bath book, featuring beloved creatures from the world of Eric Carle, where little ones can stick suction cup characters to the tub and tiles while enjoying a delightful story in a waterproof book.
Quacking around
Ducky’s Bathtime by Lucy Collins
This waterproof book creates the perfect adventure for your little duck’s bath time as they join Ducky and his friends during their own bath time.
Brrrr
Arctic Adventures by Manhattan Toys
This soft, water-friendly book unfolds to reveal charming sea-themed graphics and five tethered-on arctic creatures for endless peek-a-boo fun, making bath time a splashy escapade that ends with a squeeze and hang-to-dry routine.
Splash zone
Indestructibles: It’s Bath Time! by Carolina Búzio
Perfect for reading right in the bath, bub will delight in seeing baby animals being cleaned by their Mummies and Daddies in this brightly coloured, chew-proof, rip-proof, safe-for-the-bath book.
Woah dude!
Magic Bath Book – Turtles by Janod
A magical underwater journey where marine wonders come to life when immersed in water, revealing hidden creatures that delight and disappear just as quickly, making bath time an enchanting adventure of discovery!
Magical friends
Baby Touch: My Magic Bath Book by Ladybird
Wave to friendly creatures like the octopus, shark and mermaid and watch the magical transformation with every dip in the water, making bath time an engaging adventure that’s ready to explore again and again.
Quacking good time
Little Quacks Bath Book by Lauren Thompson
Little Quack can splish and splosh and make bath time a fun place. It comes with an inflatable toy that will float in the bath while you read.
Smelly bird
The Pigeon Needs a Bath Book! by Mo Willems
Join the reluctant Pigeon in this condensed bath book, as he grapples with the idea of taking a bath, needing some serious convincing to take the plunge into bath time fun!
Your royal tubness
Princess Magic Bath Book by Haba
An enchanting princess adventure unfolds magically when immersed in water, bringing mystery and the excitement begins anew with each splash as little ones can guess what the pages will reveal!
It’s a barnyard in here
Barnyard Bath! by Sandra Boynton
Sandra Boynton’s first bath book Barnyard Bath follows the very successful Barnyard Dance board book. Filled with lots of fun for bath time it also floats so it won’t get lost, except maybe under the bubbles!
Colourful shapes
Colour Changing Bath Book – Shapes & Colours by Mishmashed
Watch the magic unfold as you dip the squishy shapes and colours bath book into the water, transforming its black and white pages into vibrant hues, bringing bath time to life with a splash of colour and enchantment.
A bathtime classic
Rainbow Fish Bath Book by Marcus Pfister
Featuring the captivating foil-stamped scales that have delighted young children for many years, this cherished tub companion is perfect for sharing messages about kindness and friendship at bath time, bedtime, or any time.
Bathtime at the farm
Farm Fun Bath Time by Jiggle & Giggle
With its charming design and soft waterproof material this educational page-turner features adorable farm animals, creating a playful and engaging experience for bubbas in the tub!
Hungry for bathtime
Baby Einstein – Rainbow Bath by Rachel Halpern
Soft, durable and floating in the water, this bath book makes learning colours a splashy adventure, while being easy to clean and ready for endless use, ensuring bath time is filled with educational fun time and time again!
Deep dive into magic
Ocean Adventures by Teresa Bellon
Splishing and splashing reveal vibrant artwork, bringing a watery ocean habitat to life and inviting little hands and bright young minds to explore and discover the lively animals within, making every dip a delightful treat!
Know a bathtime book to add to our list? Contact us and let us know, we’ve been curating Australia’s best baby products into helpful lists for over 16 years and we’re always happy to support new brands and businesses.
Read next …
- 15 Ways To Get Your Toddler To Love Bath Time
- 10 Best Bath Dolls (That Can Go in the Tub)
- Tips For Bathing A Baby And Toddler Together
- Baby Bath Temperature: What should it be?
Ask other mums
Looking for some book recommendations and still not sure if any of these are right for you? Join the huge Grapeviner community in one of our private Grapeviner Groups and ask thousands of other mums due at the same time as you which ones they recommend. Join today!
We want you to know
We’re Mum’s Grapevine, a team of mums who’ve been there and done that (we have a combined 19 kids, so we know a thing or two about parenting!). We’ve been writing about all things baby and parenting for over 16 years, and we’re passionate about helping new mums find the best products for their little ones.
Sometimes, we do include paid inclusions in our reviews, but we promise that we only recommend products that we truly believe in and have either used or personally seen. Our goal is to give you, our Grapeviner mums, the inside scoop on the latest and greatest parenting products, and we’re always striving to maintain our high standards of quality and honesty. See our Disclosure Policy.
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