Free storytimes for babies and toddlers in San Jose

San José Public Library runs free storytimes for babies and toddlers at its branches every week. There are two kinds for the youngest: Baby Lapsit for newborns up to children who aren’t walking yet, and Infant and Toddler storytime for ages 0 to 3. They’re free, and the live list at the bottom of this page shows the sessions in the South Bay for the next two weeks.

The storytimes for under-threes

San José Public Library’s storytime page describes these for the youngest children:

• Baby Lapsit (ages 0 to non-walkers): stories, songs and play for newborns and infants with their caregivers. Babies sit on your lap, so it works even for a few-week-old.
• Infant and Toddler (ages 0 to 3): language, play and exploration for children and caregivers. Expect wiggling, rhymes and songs as much as books.
• Family Storytime: for a mix of ages, good if you’re bringing an older sibling.
• Music & Movement: a multi-age, movement-focused storytime with songs and finger rhymes. Some sessions are in two languages, such as Vietnamese and English.

Branches use slightly different names, such as “Baby/Toddler Storytime” or “Baby Lap-Sit Story Time,” so the live list searches for baby, toddler and lapsit in the title.

How tickets and arrival work

Storytimes are popular, and rooms have a limit. A branch listing from earlier this year shows how it often works. For a Baby/Toddler Storytime at the Vineland branch, the library said:

• It was free, with limited capacity, first come, first served.
• A limited number of tickets were handed out at the Information Desk 30 minutes before the start.
• The child had to be present to get a ticket.

Not every branch does it this way, so read the listing for the session you pick. Each event in the list below links to the library’s own page. For accessibility requests, the same listing asked families to contact the library at least a week ahead.

Free play spaces for babies and toddlers

On days without a storytime that fits, San José has two free library play spaces for children 0 to 5 and their grown-ups. Neither needs a reservation.

• Wee Explore PlaySpace: in the children’s room at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, 150 E. San Fernando Street, downtown (details).
• Wee PlaySpace at Alum Rock: 3090 Alum Rock Avenue. SJPL says the space is free (details).

The library also runs Wee Play Dates, a year-long series of community play dates for children 0 to 5, listed on its early education page.

Free books for babies

Two library programs are worth signing up for while your child is small:

• Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library: for children five or younger in Santa Clara County, a free book arrives each month until the child’s fifth birthday. You enroll online, and the first book usually comes in six to eight weeks (SJPL).
• 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten: a reading challenge you can start from birth, listed on the library’s early education page.

The library also lends bilingual Books and More backpacks and Wee Play & Learn activity boxes with books and toys, and offers picture books in many languages through LOTE4Kids.

Tips for a first storytime

• Arrive early. Where tickets go out before the start, they can run out on busy mornings.
• Time it with naps. Most baby and toddler sessions are short, so a morning slot between naps often works best.
• Don’t worry about sitting still. Toddlers wander. Storytimes for this age expect it.
• Bring a grown-up per wriggler if you can, especially with twins or a baby plus a toddler.
• Stay after if you can. It’s a good moment to borrow a few board books for home.

See the free events near you

Nil, who started this site, is a Bay Area dad of three. Every weekend he worried about what to do with the kids that was fun, close and free, and the answers were spread over dozens of calendars, so he built this site to put them in one place. The live lists below show baby and toddler storytimes across the South Bay for the next two weeks, then every free storytime this week. For everything else for kids in the city, see free kids events in San José. Nearby: Milpitas, Cupertino and Morgan Hill.