Make a Baby Keepsake Book or Box
How to Organize the Photos, Letters and Special Items of Your Child
May 26, 2007
Don't let yourself become a parent with empty books and scattered pictures. Keep it simple and your family will have treasures to look back on for years to come.
It is not uncommon for parents to feel guilty when wondering where the years have gone. You only get one chance to capture the first moments of your infant. However, it's never to late to organize the items you have into collections for your entire family. The Container Store and Michaels are great stores to start your search for your ideal storage containers and arts and crafts supplies. Use your imagination with these ideas to expand or simplify them to keep your keepsakes in the way that suits your family best.
- Memory Box: A sturdy plastic bin or trunk will give you the space to store all of the items from your child's first days in the hospital and at home. This is the perfect place to keep cards from showers and birth. Your favorite newborn clothes, gifts received in the hospital, I.D. bracelets, receiving blankets, newborn hats and spoons are just some of the ideas of items to place in your box.
- Birthday Bag: An easy way to remember each of your child's birthdays is to keep a plate or napkin, deflated Mylar balloons, the number candle, a sample of small decorations or any items that you used to make the day special. These items can be placed in a zipper bag and labeled to keep it simple, or a more decorative container.
- Baby Book: Many parents receive baby books for gifts, and if you didn't choose it yourself, you could be less likely to fill it out. Choose your own book that suits your needs and that you can be excited about. Become familiar with the contents before your child is born so that you can anticipate what you would like to remember. If baby books don't appeal to you, use a nice journal and log your memories as you would like and store little notes or pictures inside the pages.
- Birthday Days: Celebrate the date your child was born each month by taking their picture, making them their favorite dinner, or getting them a small gift or treat.
- Photo Albums: Print out your favorite pictures and store them in albums to look through with your children and tell them their unique baby stories. Display the picture of their monthly birthday day and you will guarantee that you can watch your child grow through pictures. Many cameras are designed to show the date on the picture once printed. Organize the pictures in chronological order to refresh you of the time that each event occurred.
- Scrapbook Sets: These sets are sold with all of the needs you have to make a simple scrapbook. The book, paper, details and ideas are in the kit, all you need to do is adhere your pictures and assemble the book.
- Family Picture Scrapbook: Take pictures of each of your extended family members and display them in a simple scrapbook or small photo album. If your child doesn't see some family members often, this is a convenient way to teach them who each person is so they will recognize them the next time. You can also describe how each person is related to your child. Keep the book to show your them what their family looked like when they were a baby.
- Yearly Birthday Letters: Near each of your child's birthdays, handwrite a letter to save for them each year until they are older. It doesn't have to be long or elaborate, but it will capture your feelings on paper for each year as your child grows.
- Half-Year Updates: Once your baby book is filled or they have grown beyond the set ages in the book, record their 1/2 year information such as when they are 2 1/2 and so on. This will spread out the time if you choose to write them a letter each year. You could also note updates at any time you would like to remember. Ideas for what to note are your child's height and weight, clothing or shoe size, school or childcare center, what they are learning, their interests and favorite things, activities that they enjoy, events or holidays you are looking forward to, or the relationships they have with other family and friends.
- Videos: Taking videos of your children is easier now than when camcorders first appeared. Many digital cameras have a video setting that can then be saved onto your computer, and many video recorders come in DVD format so that it is compatible with your existing player. Place the video in with your child's other trinkets or have them transferred to DVD, which takes up less space.
The copyright of the article Make a Baby Keepsake Book or Box in Infants & Toddlers is owned by Elizabeth Borer. Permission to republish Make a Baby Keepsake Book or Box in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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