Celebrate every little milestone with a first year baby book
Having just witnessed that tiny bump grow into a precious little person who is now giggling, crawling, eating (and crying), you will certainly understand the first year of your baby's life is an exciting time. Challenging, yes but full of joy and wonder, too. Your child is growing in new, amazing ways every single day—but the days can begin to blur, and you wonder how their first year went by so fast. In the dreamy afterglow of birth (read: sleep deprivation), it can be hard to keep up!
At MILK Books, we believe in preserving those memories so even when time moves forward, these treasured moments live on forever. As a helping hand we’ve put together a guide to creating the perfect baby book of your child's first year.
But first, what is a first year baby book?
Well, it's rather self-explanatory. Your baby's first year photo book should document the first twelve months of their life, from birth to their first birthday. This time is rife with development milestones and growth and is one of the most eventful times in childhood. A first year baby book is a must-have keepsake for every parent and will be beautiful to return to with your child as they get older. There really are no rules to creating a first year baby book, the most important thing is you take lots of photos in those first twelve months (which you'll already be doing anyway!). Be inspired by our list of photo ideas below and consider adding them to your baby’s first year book.
Playful photo ideas for your first year baby book.
1. First outfit
Bringing your baby home for the first time is truly a special moment. What parent wouldn't want to capture their baby rocking their first outfit? This is the opportunity for you to preserve the memory of your little one’s grand entrance into the world, post-hospital.
2. First bath
Perhaps next up on your milestone list is to give your newborn a bath. There's nothing cuter than seeing your little one splashing in the water, joyously adorned with bubbles.
3. First smile
Your little one's first smile will always be a radiant memory. As babies grow, they begin to connect sound to meaning and recognise faces. These are all parts of developing communication skills and emotions—so when your child smiles at you, they are doing so because they recognise you as someone they love. As a first moment of displayed affection from your baby, this is one worth chronicling.
4. Favorite toys
Who doesn’t love play time? Capture your child’s most endeared toys from the early days so one day they can look back in retrospect and remember the objects which brought them hours of joy and comfort.
5. First encounters
First encounters with special ones are precious, as these people will be key figures in your baby’s life. Make sure to capture those first-time meetings with Grandma and Grandpa, the godparents, and everyone else who desires to be in your young one’s life and show them affection.
6. Favorite books
Humans have told stories for generations. Let this tradition live on by capturing your baby as you pass on enchanting stories to them.
7. First family photo
A staple for capturing a moment of your growing family. If this baby has let you advance to the ‘parent’ belt, the first family photo is indeed a special moment to be savoured. From now on your family will stick together for years to come, so it's important to document where it all started.
8. First visits
Hooray! Your baby is growing, which means there is now a whole world you can take them to for exploring. First visits are times of enchantment and learning for young ones, so recording this will certainly allow you to capture entertaining reactions from your child.
9. First playdates
Now more exciting opportunities approach your child as they grow and are able to engage with other little ones! Interaction is an important stage of development in the first year, and you will discover human connection is a source of emotional happiness for your child. Document those special first playdates where you get to witness your loved one enjoying new forms of social interaction.
3 steps to creating a first year baby book with MILK
1. Select your format
We recommend creating a Medium-sized Premium Photo Book or Album for baby's first year book. Premium Photo Books have up to 200 pages which should be more than enough to preserve each precious first. Alternatively, Premium Photo Albums have thick board pages that give a prestige to the occasion. All are hardcover and archival quality, making them perfect for displaying your memories for generations to come.
2. Upload and sort your photos
Get your baby photos off your devices and into our Design Studio so you can start creating. With MILK, you can link your Facebook albums or simply upload from your computer. Thankfully, your photos have metadata around date taken which makes it easy to sort your photos in your MILK Photo Library. This will help you lay out your book in chronological order.
3. Design and personalize
The process of designing and crafting the story of your MILK baby book will be a labor of love. We recommend creating with your partner and loved ones and getting their opinions too. Reminisce together and get them to add their own unique perspective; it'll make the overall result all the more richer. We also offer more cover options with our Premium Photo Book and Album range. Add a title to the cover and spine with a UV Print upgrade or try our fun Designer Covers which have lots of baby book options. You can also add text to the page via our text boxes to give extra detail to the imagery.
The first twelve months of your child's life are filled with rich experiences and memories we want to cherish for a lifetime. Don’t rely on digital devices to keep your photos safe, get them off your mobile phone/hard drive and into print. MILK Photo Books and Albums are designed to endure in luxury and will be enjoyed for generations to come. Start creating your baby's first year book with MILK today.
