We all want our baby’s milestones and photos recorded in beautiful baby memory books. But actually doing it… can feel like a chore. But not with these memory keepers! From easy-to-use apps to books with written prompts, below you’ll find the format that’s right for you.
RubyRoo
Inclusive for all families
With gender-neutral language about families and holidays of multiple religions included (just delete any that don’t apply to your family), the RubyRoo Baby Memory Book Baby Journal tries to make itself inclusive for all families. The book spans pregnancy through age 5 and covers milestones, holidays, celebrations and more, including six blank pages for photos and memories specific to your family. There are three covers to choose from: floral, woodsy, and adventure-themed.
Available on Amazon, $25.
Don’t lose any of those special memories! Keep them in a Tinybeans photo book. You’ll love revisiting the memories and the book is so easy to create.
The Quarto group
Three years of memories
Document the first three years of your child’s life with this handy baby book. Along with space to record your birth and family basics, there are lots of fun prompts about your home, baby visitors, daily routines at different ages, favorite activities, parties and friends. There’s an expandable pocket on the back of the book to store keepsakes, with an elastic closure to keep things together.
Available at Quarto Knows, $23.
Write me
Neutral and beautiful
This gender-neutral journal covers your pregnancy and baby’s first year in style, with a linen cover, gold embossed title, illustrated end pages and a linen box to store the book. The Guided Journal features prompts you look forward to filling in, including favorite toys, fun things baby does, and memorable moments from each month.
Available at the Write To Me store, $65.
CR Gibson
Go beyond the book
This CR Gibson baby memory book, “A Book of Baby’s Firsts,” includes a washable ink pad so you can document and remember how tiny your baby’s feet and hands were. The Bundle Bright line also includes the smaller, highly Instagrammable “Our Magical Memories” ($11), which comes with 25 flippable cards that you fill with baby’s milestones. The pages can be rearranged as you see fit.
Available on Amazon, $21.
Useful Photo Prompts
Along with plenty of space for your photos, this interactive photo journal from Artifact Uprising includes written photo prompts to help you tell your child’s story: bath time photos, favorite places to snuggle, the day baby met special people. With the four-ring binder, you can rearrange or delete pages that aren’t suitable for your family. The customizable build also means you can add extra pages wherever you want.
Available at Artifact Uprising, $99.
Focus on family
When we became three documents mom and dad’s relationship and pregnancy as well as baby’s first and second year milestones. And yes, there is a When we became four book. Clever questions and checklists make this book fun for couples to complete, which is a big plus for busy new parents.
Available on Amazon, $10.
A walk on the wild side
Record the first 12 months of baby’s life with National Geographic welcome kid baby keepsake book. Along with spots to record baby’s amazing milestones, the book includes cute animal photos, comforting poems and quotes, and stickers for each monthly milestone. This is a book you and your child will love to flip through for years.
Available on Amazon, $18.
Time Machine
Share with your little one what the world was like when they were born with It’s your book, by graphic designer and father Ryan Maconochie. Along with recording baby’s vital signs with stylish visuals, this book includes prompts on current events, pop culture, your favorite things and thoughts about baby, like the names you’ve crossed off the list.
Available on Amazon, $18.
The total package
The story of you thought of everything new parents could want in a baby book. There are prompts you can fill in (about pregnancy, fun times, and vacation memories), as well as open spaces to record special moments and add photos as you wish. The binder format lets you add, remove, and rearrange pages. And you can purchase additional pages to record circumstances such as adoption, foster care, NICU stay, infertility, and a celestial baby.
Available from Emily Ley, $64.
Scrapbook app
No matter how far away your loved ones are, they can feel like they’re with you for all baby’s firsts with the free Moment Garden app. All those precious moments are backed up and kept private for you to share with whomever you choose. Want a physical book too? Print a hardcover or softcover book whenever you want.
Available at Moment Garden; the application is free and a book costs between $9 and $49.
Dream in black and white
The black and white Dreamcatcher baby book from Etsy shop Mushybooks features a stylish, gender-neutral design. Its 50 pages bring together all the moments you expect from a baby book (birth story, firsts, favourites, etc.) with a clean and simple aesthetic so that baby can shine. Pages can be added or deleted at will.
Available at Etsy Shop Mushybooks, $75+.
Boasting mini-book
Take photo books to tiny dimensions with Minibooks from Social Print Studio. Compile all your favorite baby photos into spiral-bound laminated photo books. Slip them into your purse or pocket to always have photos of mini you to share with friends and family. It’s also a great gift idea for grandparents!
Available at Social Print Studio, 2 books for $21.
Not so precious moments
Take a non-traditional approach to memory and celebrate all those alternate baby moments with Baby’s First Tattoo, by Jim Mullen. With this humorous take on baby books, you’ll never forget those other important moments, like: baby’s first tantrum in a crowded grocery store or places baby crawls that parents never thought possible.
Available on Amazon, $13.
Box It Up
Not all baby milestones fit in a book. The tissue boxes of The library: memory box for babies can be viewed as books but contain much more than a traditional tome. In this handcrafted keepsake box, you can keep baby’s favorite blanket, lock of hair, first pair of shoes and more. There are even vertical files for important documents or photos.
Available at Savor, $95.
Email reminders
Do you have trouble remembering to write down those milestones? my own little story is an online baby book that offers free email reminders to help you keep track of special baby moments. It even has a repeat button for steps baby hasn’t taken yet. Print your book once you have 10 milestones, or wait to create a larger book with up to 36 milestones or 72 printed pages.
Available at My Own Little Story, $30-$79.
Easy Phone Photos
Chatbooks took a candid look at the madness of motherhood and came up with a super easy solution for printing photos from your phone. The app will automatically organize your photos in chronological order for you. All you have to do is add captions and choose your cover to capture all of baby’s special moments.
Available on Chatbooks; $5+.
The approach of nature
By emphasizing your baby’s interactions with the natural world, The First 1000 Days: A Baby Diary by Nikki McClure lets you record your baby’s birth story as well as their first tree, moon and garden. The bold paper-cut illustrations will captivate even the youngest eyes.
Available on Amazon, $17.
A remarkable book
The One mum line a day simplifies the baby book by allowing moms to write one short note per day to document an event, experience or feelings of the day. With room for five years worth of notes, you can document the magic of your little one’s early years without much effort.
Available on Amazon, $13.
love letters
Letters to my baby allows you to write letters to your child about your hopes, dreams and memories. Once written, you seal them until your child is old enough to read them. There are prompts for each of the 12 letters to help you craft what you write.
Available on Amazon, $12.
Little animal lover keepsake book
The Guilt Free Baby Book
No need to spend countless hours creating a scrapbook-like memory book, because this book by Lucy Darling has done the work for you. Available in a variety of themes, there’s space to document premieres, favorites, and monthly milestones amidst beautifully designed pages.
Available at Lucy Darling, $35+.
—Taylor Clifton, Katie L. Carroll, Jane Putnam and Eva Cherry
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