You might wish that your new baby came with a parenting manual to help you with the hard stuff.
The Bible is the best parenting manual you can find! It’s full of wise advice for parents of babies or children of any age.
I’ve gathered all the most helpful bible verses about babies and children to help you prepare for and raise your bundle of joy.
Bible Verses About Babies and Children
James 1:17
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
Let’s get the right perspective on children- they are considered gifts! They come directly from the Father, who chooses us to be their parents. God is steadfast and immovable, unlike a shadow that flits from light to light. And this unmovable God has gifted you with a precious life to steward. And that precious gift is good and perfect and from above!
Psalms 127:3
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord; The fruit of the womb is a reward.”
Here’s another way that God talks about the joy of having children. Children are a heritage, a gift, a reward. The next verse goes on to say that children are like arrows in the hands of a warrior! Think about that- your children are an asset to you and they make you mightier than ever before.
Psalm 139:13
“For you formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well.”
Some translations like to say that God knits us together in our mother’s womb. So even before you see your child face-to-face, they are being carefully and wonderfully made by God in His divine design for pregnancy and childbirth. Conception and growth and birth are such miracles, and this is a great reminder that God is at the center of that whole process, from beginning to end.
Jeremiah 1:5
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
God says this while talking to the prophet Jeremiah. So while the second half of the verse isn’t totally relevant to everyone, we can all take joy in the first part of the verse. God knew us, our very spirits, before we came into being as humans. Before we are even born, we are with God. It’s a beautiful picture of the Father’s love for us.
Ephesians 2:10
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
God’s great love for us is displayed in how he lovingly creates each and every one of us from spirit to flesh. Your baby, too, is God’s great masterpiece. God has good things planned for your child and by accepting Christ and becoming born again, we can step into the calling and great plans for our lives.
Ecclesiastes 11:5
“Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.”
Science has helped make a lot of things about pregnancy less of a mystery. We can see and understand more about human gestation than ever before. But there are still many mysteries and questions about how babies are created and grow, and those are the mysteries of our creator God. Just take a minute to stand in awe over the creation, growth, and birth of every baby alive! How miraculous is that?
1 Samuel 1:27
“For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him.”
Children can be the answer to fervent prayer, especially for those struggling with fertility issues. And they can be a great reminder for the big ways in which God can answer prayer! On a more practical level, this verse can be a great reminder in those rough and dark moments of parenting that our children are the desires of our hearts, which God has graciously granted to us.
Psalm 8:2
“Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”
The natural stance of our spirits is to praise and worship God. The pure worship of babies and children is strong enough to quiet our enemies! Let this verse be a reminder that children and even infants have a powerful faith and a strong voice, one that deserves to be heard and encouraged.
Isaiah 54:13
“All your children shall be taught by the Lord, And great shall be the peace of your children.”
God promises peace to our children. Doesn’t that make you feel so much better on those days where you feel like you are failing as a parent? God himself, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, will make himself known to our kids and teach them how to live well. This will result in a perfect peace that we as parents could never give. This is just another way in which His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses.
1 Samuel 2:26
“And the child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor, both with the Lord and men.”
This is a great verse to pray over your baby. As all my babies grew, I’d pray that they would grow in favor with both people and with the Lord. I’d pray that as their bodies grew that their hearts would grow to match. Never underestimate the power of praying over your baby! Even the tiniest little ones can claim blessings!
Luke 2:40
“And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”
While this verse applies specifically to Jesus as a child, I think it holds a good nugget of wisdom for parents. We need to remember to help our children’s spirits to grow strong. We need to fill them with the truth and wisdom of God’s word every chance we get! This in turn will grow a strong foundation to help the next generation of Christ-followers as they rise up in their faith and their calling.
Jeremiah 29:11
“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”
As parents, we have big plans dreamed up for our babies. But these plans are nothing compared to the big plans that God has for our children. He is all-seeing and all-knowing, and he’s always making plans for his glory and our good. So hold to the hope of the future when things seem tough, and remember that God’s plans for his beloved children are good and trustworthy.
Proverbs 29:17
“Discipline your children, and they will give you peace of mind and will make your heart glad.”
As your children grow up and utter their very first “no,” you’ll have to navigate the disciplinary waters. Let this verse be your foundation that it’s okay to correct and discipline your child. A well-behaved and well-loved child can give you peace and happiness your whole life through. So stand strong!
Proverbs 22:6
“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Remember how I said that the Bible can act as your parenting manual? Here’s the verse to prove it. We are to show our children the way to Jesus. We are to raise them up in love and goodness and kindness and righteousness and grace. And even though our children have a mind and will of their own and may stray from that path at times, we can rest assured that we did our part by planting the seeds of God’s truth in their hearts when they were young. And sometimes as parents, that’s all we can do!
Proverbs 20:11
“Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right.”
Let this be a motivation for you as a parent to raise your children up to do right. If your child is known by his deeds, what do you want him to be known for? For kindness, honesty, and love? Or for being the best at something or having the coolest toys? Teach your children to do what is pure and right and they will be off on the right foot in life.
Proverbs 13: 24
“He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.”
No matter how you feel about spanking your children as a form of discipline, this verse shows the importance of discipline overall. Without correction, kids just don’t learn as well. Our job as parents is to steer them in the right direction, and discipline is a wonderful and good tool when used fairly, gently, and correctly. Your grown child will thank you down the road for a little bit of discipline when they are young!
Proverbs 10:1
“A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is the grief of his mother.”
I know that it can feel like kids, especially young kids, are always a bit silly and foolish! But teach your kids wisdom at every age. It’s more of a “do things this way because it’s right and it works out better” versus “do this because I said so” mentality. Having that attitude will impart wisdom to your child and create a more solid and trusting parent-child relationship.
Ephesians 6:4
“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”
Have you ever yelled at your kid? Yup, well all do it. All the time. Next time you want to react to bad behavior or an accident or a negative event with a bunch of explosive anger, remember this verse. We don’t want to exasperate our kids and make them angry with us because we are constantly yelling at them. Instead, we need to take a much-needed deep breath and take the chance to feed them the wisdom of God’s word. That’s how we can keep them from wrath and bring them up in the training of the Lord.
Galatians 3:26
“For you are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.”
We are sons and daughters of the Most High God! Let that sink in. Each and every one of us, from our sweet babies to people far across the globe, belong to the family of God, thanks to Jesus. Just as your kids belong to your family, you belong to God’s family and you can always take comfort in your Heavenly Father.
Matthew 19:14
“But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.’”
Children are so pure. They are quick to love, quick to forgive, and they don’t have to worry about their needs being met because they trust that their parents will take care of them. We all need to learn from our children and take the same approach to life. Our children can teach us valuable lessons in love and dependence on our Heavenly Father, if only we listen to what they have to say.
Romans 8:16
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are Children of God.”
Here is another confirmation that we are all God’s children, no matter our age. It’s comforting to know that our kids belong to the same loving Father that’s taken care of us our whole lives.
1 John 3:18
“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”
Even though John calls us all little children, this is a good verse to teach your own little children. From infants to teenagers, let our children do more than just speak love; let them act it out! Let them pour out God’s love in all that they say and do. In that way, you’ll be teaching them to follow the greatest commandments of loving God and loving others.
Matthew 18:5
“Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives me.”
There is a purity to children that reflects the Lord’s purity. We should accept, protect, and love our babies and kids as if they were Jesus Christ himself. After all, we are called to love the least of these. And in doing this, we show our dedication and obedience to Christ.
Joshua 1:9
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid nor be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
My husband taught my son this verse at a young age because he struggled with nightmares. It’s the perfect reassurance for when your child feels scared or alone. It’s a great reminder that the God of the Universe is a personal God and he’s always with us, no matter where we go or what we are doing.
Ephesians 6:1
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with a promise, ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’”
On those days when your child wants to backtalk at every opportunity, teach them this verse. Let them know that obeying you not only makes you as a parent happy, but it also makes God happy. The great result of being obedient and faithful to our parents is that things will go well with us and we will have long lives. I love verses with promises because it gives that extra incentive for us to follow God’s word!
Numbers 6:23
“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”
Finally, I want you to pray this blessing over your baby and your whole family. This Aaronic blessing is every parent’s wish for their child: to have the peace, security, and favor of God wherever they go! Pray this a few times each week over your family, and don’t forget to claim and receive this blessing for yourself, too!
