When it comes to your new baby, clothes, food, a bassinet and a stroller all are must-haves on your Bowl of Cherries’ baby shower cash gift registry, but don’t forget the importance of asking for books.

“You may wonder about the benefits of reading to your baby,” reads an article on KidsHealth.com. “An infant won’t understand everything you’re doing or why. But you wouldn’t wait until your child could understand what you were saying before you started speaking to him or her, right? And you wouldn’t bypass lullabies until your baby could carry a tune or wait until he or she could shake a rattle before you offered any toys. Reading aloud to your baby is a wonderful shared activity you can continue for years to come – and it’s an important form of stimulation.”

In fact, reading to your child can help them develop their communication skills, introduce them to concepts such as numbers, shapes and animals, and build their memory, listening and vocabulary skills.

You can read to your baby as early as during pregnancy, and studies show that reading to your children every night only helps to further hone their language and communicative skills. Plus, it’s a great bonding experience, and is often a soothing and relaxing way to transition into quiet time before bed.

Among some great books include classics like “Goodnight Moon,” “Peek-A-Who?” and anything by Dr. Suess. By asking for books in your online cash gift registry, you can instill a love of reading and learning in your child from an early age, and set a precedent for being a fantastic mother.