Baby Scrapbooks - A Great Gift For Any Kid…

Dedicate the first couple of pages to preserving those pre-baby experiences. Capturing this time of anticipation, nervousness and excitement is a wonderful way to begin your book.

The first double-page spread of my daughter’s baby book records the thoughts my husband and I had in anticipation of her arrival…how excited and nervous we were to become parents for the first time. This section is perfect for sonogram photos, pictures of the baby’s room, memories of Mom’s cravings and any funny or heartfelt experiences. It’s also fun to include pictures of Mom’s changing shape. I’ve seen wonderful albums with a whole page showing different profile photos of Mom through the months. (When staging these photos, you could also wear the same outfit in each one to really emphasize your growth.)

You might dedicate another page or double-page spread to baby showers. As with wedding showers, you might have had several different showers—you can scrapbook them all on one page, or dedicate a separate page to each one, showing “Friends” shower, “Work” shower and “Church” shower, for example. Don’t forget to include a list of gifts received—as these gifts become keepsakes, it’s important to remember who gave what. You can include cards as well, by making a pocket page and simply tucking the cards inside.

Kids love to hear the story of when they were born. Write down the circumstances of Mom’s labour—the rush to the hospital, the relatives who were on stand-by, and how Dad took it all! Of course, this is also the place to scrapbook that oh-so-flattering photo of the exhausted parents in the hospital with the newborn. Don’t forget to record vital stats: Weight, length, and time of birth plus the name of the doctor and the hospital. You can save the newborn’s baby bracelet in a little pocket attached to the page.

Oh, yes—you might also include the cost of your hospital stay. The amount of money might seem like a lot now, but future generations will be amazed that “it only cost that much!” Another fun journaling technique is to include the cost of what everyday items cost in the year Baby was born: a loaf of bread, milk, house and car.

Here’s a great place to scrapbook photos of the baby with each parent, and with members of the family and friends. Doubtless your family has received wonderful gifts—you might keep a record of those gifts and include any special thoughts that go along. Tell about Grandmother’s hand-knitted baby blanket, the music box from an aunt, or keepsakes passed down to the new generation. It’s also nice to include the many ways your family helped you through the first few weeks…did your mother-in-law bring dinners to you, did Grandpa rock the crying baby to sleep?

This is also a wonderful place to record the initial reactions of those family and friends. Does Baby have Aunt Sue’s colouring, Grandpa’s eyes, or Uncle Bob’s smile?

A baby book makes a wonderful gift for the non-scrapping (or simply tired) parents. You can organize the album the same way I’ve listed above. You can write the journaling from your point of view, or interview the parents. You might also leave some journaling spaces blank, so the parents can add their own words later.

Whatever style of album you choose, just remember, a keepsake is a wonderful thing to create and will become a treasure to that baby when he or she grows up!