10 Ways to Keep Up with Your Baby Memory Book

If you’re a mother or a grandmother, or about to be one, you’ve already heard it: “Treasure every moment! It goes so fast!”

And yes, while these precious days do go by so quickly, it’s because your hands, heart, and head are full. This can make it really challenging to find the time to preserve the sweet memories and milestones of childhood for the growing little one in your life.

A complete baby book and a collection of childhood mementos make a beloved keepsake for you and your child to treasure forever. It’s not just the big moments, like the first word or first tooth that matter (though of course they do). Small moments and memories add up, too.

Here are 10 ways to make it easier to keep up with your baby memory book and childhood keepsakes.

#10: Prep early.

There’s no reason that you must wait until baby arrives! Many baby memory books have a few early pages devoted to pre-baby life, including a letter to the baby or pictures of a child’s first home. When you’re prepping the nursery, set aside a few minutes to fill out these sections. If you’re giving a baby memory book as a gift, consider giving it to the expectant mother early.

#9: Keep it in sight.

The old saying “out of sight, out of mind” rings true for a reason. If you keep your baby memory book somewhere where you see it often, you’ll find it’s easier to keep up with it. Many are so lovely that they deserve a place on your bookshelf.

#8: Use stickies or insert notes.

A beautiful baby memory book seems to fuel mothers’ perfectionist tendencies. Yet some of these moments fly by. Let go of the pressure. Capture firsts on sticky notes. Tuck those early doctor-visit slips in between the relevant pages. Then, catch up later with all the information at your fingertips.

#7: Rely on technology.

Today we have something previous generations didn’t: technology. We have smartphones with cameras, date-stamped photos, and apps you can use to take notes or record voice memos. They’re also in our hands and pockets all day long. Be in the moment with your baby. Take pictures and videos. Use them later to fill in the gaps.

#6: Schedule time.

Make filling out the book a habit. Set aside a few minutes a week—and schedule them if you need to with a reminder in your phone. Even 10 minutes makes a difference in helping you record what your baby has been doing. Now is the time to turn those stickies and the photos in your phone to your advantage.

#5: Keep a memory box.

As your child grows, he’ll bring home artwork from school. She’ll receive awards, handwritten letters, and more. Organize these in a separate memory box. A box with a lid keeps everything together and protected. Later, you can go through these collected items to place them in the baby memory book or turn them into a scrapbook for your child.

#4. Showcase three pieces.

Kids create—a lot. As your child grows, you’ll be surprised, then overwhelmed by the sheer volume of what he or she can bring home. By this point, you’ve completed the baby memory book, but there are still treasures to keep. Buy three wall frames and display select artwork on a rotating basis. Your child will feel special, and you’ll find it easier to evaluate what to keep and what to toss. When you change out the artwork, you can store it in the memory box.

#3: Choose with your child.

Invite your child into the process of curating keepsakes as soon as she or he is old enough. Most children are by age 4 or 5. This is a great time to ask your child about each creation or assignment. It can also give you permission to let go of some things. Remember, if you keep absolutely everything, nothing is special or memorable.

#2: Write birthday and half-birthday letters.

As your child grows, make a tradition of writing him or her a personal letter. Doing so on his or her birthday and half-birthday is easy for you to remember and can become something she looks forward to. This is an opportunity to share your hopes and dreams for your child, to reflect on how he or she has grown, and to put into words the things you cherish now. You can tuck these into the baby memory book or organize them in a separate box or folder that becomes part of a keepsake bundle.

#1: Pick a baby memory book that makes it easy.

Going back to the early years, choose a baby memory book that makes it easy to keep up. You should be able to focus on your baby, not where information goes. Our new baby memory book, My First Years, has 88 sturdy pages with a guided, easy-to-use design. It’s an easy, enjoyable way to capture all the precious moments of your little one’s first five years.

My First Years has a unisex design, features whimsical characters, and has inclusive pages and prompts for birth families, adoptive families, blended families and more.