Capture and relive your child’s precious firsts for years to come
Capture and relive your child’s precious firsts with a beautiful baby keepsake book. A timeless memento for you (and them, and their children, and their children’s children) to cherish forever, it will take you on a nostalgic journey for years to come. Rather than working through a traditional baby book full of templates and sections to fill out, take the design into your own hands and create a custom photo book or album full of the moments that mean the most to you.
At MILK, our Baby Photo Books & Albums are carefully handcrafted with the finest archival quality materials and age-old bookmakers’ techniques, so you can rest assured knowing that the memories they house will be protected for generations. Get inspired to start creating with this list of 9 things to include in your baby keepsake book.
1. Your positive pregnancy test
Relive the emotion of the day you discovered you were pregnant. Amongst the shock, overwhelm and excitement of seeing those two clear lines, if you managed to snap a photo of the positive result, that’s the perfect way to begin your baby keepsake book.
2. Ultrasound photos
Typically printed on thermal paper that is susceptible to fading, make sure you correctly archive your precious ultrasound pictures. One way to do this is to scan a copy of the images and upload the digital version into your baby album. Your ultrasound images offered you the first glimpse of your baby and their stages of growth well before birth. Adding them to an archival quality format will ensure they’re given the permanent, and protected, home they deserve.
3. The pregnancy announcement
If you announced your pregnancy in person and caught peoples’ genuine reactions to your exciting news, this is the perfect addition to your baby keepsake book. These special memories from the announcement will be amazing to relive for anyone who was there.
Another creative way to bring the announcement back to life is to include screenshots of any messages–funny, congratulatory, well-wishes and advice–exchanged between family and friends. Some of these people will likely play a significant role in your child’s life so it will be nice for your little one to see that they truly have been around since the very beginning.
4. Maternity photos
For those that documented your burgeoning baby bump throughout the nine months of pregnancy, these images are great to include in a baby book or album. Get creative by adding some text that marks the ‘fruit’ size of your baby – from lime through to pumpkin, watermelon and everything in between. Whether they be amateur photos taken by your partner or professional studio images, it will be great to have the memories to look back on, especially on those days you miss the bump (yes, it can happen)!
5. Birth story
Depending on how your pregnancy panned out, you may or may not want to include the details of your birth story. For those with fond memories of the experience it can be a great inclusion for a baby's first album, painting a complete picture for them to read when they’re older. It may just impart some much-needed wisdom for the day they welcome their own child into the world. Use the text tool in the MILK Design Studio to add as much detail (or as little) as you’d like. Here’s some inspiration to help you get started:
Date and time of labor starting
Any funny memories from labor
What did your day look like before labor kicked in?
Your journey to the hospital
Birth date and time
Weight and height at birth
Location of birth
Their name and any special meaning behind it
6. Baby Shower (or Sex Reveal Party)
Capture these meaningful moments shared with family and friends – from the tasty food, beautiful gifts, and adorable décor. This is your child’s first celebration before making it earth-side and is one of those special days in life you want to be able to remember forever.
7. Open letters from loved ones to your baby
A unique way to get family and friends involved in your baby keepsake book is to have them write open letters to your child. You can leave blank pages for a handwritten touch, scan letters or cards and add them as images, or add text boxes directly to your photo book or album spreads within the Design Studio.
Your child will love reading through the sentimental letters from friends and family when they’re older, particularly from those who may no longer be around.
8. Memorable milestones
With high quality phone cameras tucked away in our pockets, we have the advantage of being able to capture snippets of our children’s most memorable milestones at all hours of the day. If you had the chance, what would you like to know about your first year in the world? What special moments of your child have you managed to capture on camera? Get inspired by our list of ideas below or see how this photographer curated her son's first years in a modern baby book.
First outfit
First bath
First smile
Favorite toys
Favorite books
First time meeting...
First family photo
First visit to...
First playdate with...
9. Family tree
It’s human nature to want to know about where we came from. While you’re creating your baby book you can use it as an opportunity to record your child’s ancestry. Go back as far as you can and illustrate where they sit in the family tree in amongst great grandparents, uncles, cousins, siblings and more. Having it all mapped out in a long-lasting format will ensure your family's history is preserved for future generations to marvel at.
There’s no right or wrong way to create a baby keepsake book. What matters most is that each page is full of the memories that are most significant to you. Here at MILK we have the privilege of seeing hundreds of beautiful, unique and creative baby photo books and albums cross our desks. Discover below just a handful of some of we love to help inspire you.
