5 sweet & creative ways you can capture your little one’s first year
It’s no secret that the first year of your baby’s life is the most important. Not only is it crucial for their development, but it also gives you so many joyful, heartwarming and cherished moments.
For many parents, the saddest part about the first year of your child’s life is how quickly it disappears. If you’re a sentimental person and if you would like to create a time capsule of your baby’s first year, then there are lots of simple and creative ways to do this!
Below, we have set out our top five ways to document the first year of your child’s life. You don’t have to be an incredible artist – all of these methods are very easy to follow, and your main focus should always be to document as many memories as you’d like:
1. Pregnancy diary
Before your baby arrives into the world, it might be a lovely idea to document your pregnancy as much as possible – both for yourself to reminisce in the future, and for your child to look back on when they’re older! Whether it’s your positive pregnancy test, regular photos of your growing bump, a record of your biggest cravings or a note of the first time you felt your baby kicking, these memories will only become more cherished as the years go by.
2. Memory box
A memory box is one of the most popular ways for parents – or anyone, really – to document their most precious moments! Ahead of the arrival of your little one, you can decorate a box with your child’s name on top. This means that you will be well-prepared to keep everything from the day they are born, including your hospital bracelet and their first babygrow. Then, as they grow month by month, you can continue to fill up the box with special mementos and keepsakes that mean something to you and your family.
3. One video a day
Alongside taking many, many photos of your little one, you should always remember to also capture little clips of their development! In particular, we recommend recording one short video every day for a whole year. It doesn’t have to feature anything significant – it can just be your little one smiling into the camera or having a snooze! At the end of the year, you will be able to gather the videos together and create a heartwarming montage, showcasing your child’s growth throughout their first year.
4. Family photoshoot
Whether you’re just a family-of-three or you have other children in your brood, another lovely way to capture memories is to organise a family photoshoot every month! We’re not talking about expensive, professional setups – this can be as simple as organising a simple backdrop at home, and gathering everyone together to take some cute pics. You could even take a trip out to your nearest photo booth in your local area, making it both a fun activity and a sweet keepsake for your family. Then, at the end of the year, you can gather all of the photos together and display them in a framed collage, a scrapbook or a photo album. It’s completely up to you!
5. Family scrapbook
Scrapbooks were all the rage back in the day, and we think that they deserve to make a comeback! When it comes to this scrapbook, you could just keep it simple by using it to document things such as your baby’s first words, their favourite book, or their favourite toys. However, we personally love to use family scrapbooks to keep track of memorable days out, family holidays and special events. As your little one gets older, they won’t remember any significant celebrations from their first year of life, so it’s a wonderful idea to document them somewhere for them to look back on in the future.