Two words: baby book. Baby books are fun and thoroughly enjoyable when you have the time to sit down and really get to work on them. They let you reminisce about the early days, all of the “firsts” and the sweet moments you have shared. These books have the ability to quickly transport you back to a different time and a different stage of motherhood.
I have come to find that at different stages of motherhood these two little words can come with a few different reactions, such as:
Oh I love how my son/daughter’s baby book turned out!” (Insert all the heart eye emojis here.)
“Oh yeah, I need to get on that!”
(Proceeded by laughter) “I will get it done by the time he/she enters first grade. On second thought, I don’t need that pressure, maybe high school graduation or heck maybe even college graduation.”
My first son has a wonderful baby book full of pictures, notes, important dates etc. I have a (very) Type A personality, and I would say that his baby book reflects it and really benefited from it. However, my second little guy had an empty baby book until about six months old, and I must admit that he is about to turn one and the mom guilt is rolling in as I think “I NEED TO GET ON IT!” (I am option 2 from above.) Apparently with our second child, my Type A has diminished slightly…maybe it’s the exhaustion or a shift in priorities, either way, I am staring at a half empty book thinking, “Come on lady, pull it together!” So for all of the mamas out there looking down at a semi-full, completely blank baby book or still needing to get one, this post is for you. Below are a few ideas on how to get that baby book going.
Reach out to a creative friend. Enlist the help of a friend that seems to have endless amounts of creativity. I am fortunate to have been given baby books for each of my boys by one of the most creative ladies I know—she sends out handmade cards for every holiday and each are cuter than the last. So if you have a friend like this in your circle, ask for their help! You are guaranteed to receive a one-of-a-kind baby book and all you need to do from there is insert pictures and write notes.
Shutterfly. One word, efficiency. There is nothing wrong with heading online for a little help with a baby book. Shutterfly makes it easy to upload your photos and arrange them in a cute manner. They have great templates and fun stickers to add. After our first son was born, I started doing yearly Shutterfly books to capture the memories of the previous year, and I then set them on a shelf in our hallway. Our son loves to look through them almost as much as I do.
Chatbooks. If you love to share pictures through social media, this might be just your thing. For a mere $8 you can get all of your photos organized and printed into an adorable book. To make it more “baby book friendly”, I suggest hand writing a few details on some of the photos.
Journal. Buck the traditional baby book trend and save a journal for your little one. If you find that you are better at writing than the whole picture thing, this might be a great option. With a journal you can get in-depth and share all of the details of the utterly amazing first year. If you are the real ambitious type, you might also attempt to do this congruently with a more traditional baby book.
Search the internet. Etsy, Amazon… Quickly find and order a cute baby book online and get to filling it out. There is a seemingly endless amount of baby book options out there when you do a simple Google search. Seriously, where would we be without the internet at our fingertips?
If you still need a little motivation, get that baby book going so that in twenty plus years you don’t have to hear “Thanks for the blank baby book, mom.” (Facepalm)