A lot of people told me that when I had my second child some things would fall by the wayside. It’s true. Some things definitely had to give. Maybe I don’t wash my hair as much as I used to and I have entire seasons of shows DVR’d that I’ll probably never get to, but I have tried to make keeping baby books for my girls a priority by carving out just a few minutes here and there. The first months and years are so fleeting and I’m sentimental about holding onto those memories.
Here are my pointers for making baby books easy and do-able.
Simple is best: It can be tempting to try to go over-the-top with all the design software and scrapbooking supplies on the market, but are you really going to follow through and find pleasure in doing those things on top of the million other tasks motherhood throws at you? I opted for a simple pre-made baby book with plenty of prompts for writing down meaningful memories and milestones as well as space for photos, birth announcements, and other tidbits.
Easy access: Because the books I purchased cover the first five years, I keep them handy so jotting down a memory is simple and quick. I keep my daughters’ baby books along with some nice pens, a couple glue sticks, and some scrap booking scissors in a drawer in the hall.
Print those photos: We all have tons of photos on our phones and digital cameras, but sometimes it’s easy to forget to print them. I try to do a monthly purge of my photos and upload them the Shutterfly. I order prints at least once every few months so I make sure to have plenty of photos in the baby books.
Consistency rules: I bought my older daughter’s baby book at Target and was delighted to find the same one on Amazon for my youngest. I like that their books match and will have the same milestones documented for each of the girls.
Bit by bit: It would be incredibly daunting to sit down when your baby is three and try to fill out an entire book. I started filling the books out during pregnancy and spend just a few minutes per month updating them.
Share: Don’t keep the book hidden away all the time! My almost three-year-old loves looking at her special book.
A HOUSE WITH CHARACTER 