I have lots of ideas for what I’d like to do when it comes to keeping track of X’s memories. By this, I mean photos, hospital tags, cards and all the other bits and bobs that come along in a little ones first few years of life.
It’s all too easy to have big plans when it comes to this. I love the idea of making a scrapbook of his first year and the footprints on a canvas look fun. I haven’t had the chance to do either of those things though. So for now, I’m keeping things really simple.
I’ve got a few things in place which make storing X’s baby memories easy. I can then build upon these things as and when I get chance.
Today I’ll be sharing the different ways I’m keeping track of X’s memories.
6 Ways To Store Baby Memories
Memory Box
My friend gave me a beautiful baby memory box (thanks L&D) filled with post-partum and baby treats for when X was born. Before this I hadn’t thought about buying a memory box but now I’d say it’s an essential if you plan to keep hold of things over the years.
The box we have can be folded down when it’s not in use and then popped back together when you’re ready to start storing memories.
We’ve had ours set up from the start and I’m adding anything and everything I want to keep in there. It’s good to have the box ready to go when your baby is born otherwise you can easily misplace or lose things in those busy early weeks of newborn life.
There’s no organisation to the box the moment but in time I’ll add some smaller boxes inside to keep things extra organised. So far, there’s baby X’s birth tag, his birth cards, scans and I’m also storing packs photos I get printed inside the box.
Milestone cards
When I was pregnant I saw so many people with milestone cards. I thought they were such a fun way of keeping track of important baby achievements.
I was gifted a box of milestone card from Neon Sheep. They come in a little tin and are decorated with cute and colourful illustrations. I think these make a lovely gift for anyone expecting a new baby. It’s best to get hold of a pack before you have your baby, that way you can start using them right away.
X is growing by the day and always showing off his new skills. I can’t believe he’s 4 months now, 4 and a half months to be exact.
I’ve enjoyed having these cards to hand to take fun photos with as and when Xander has reached a certain age. I like that there are also a bunch of cards for the different milestones he should hit throughout the year.
The cute little elephant is a bookend which is also from Neon Sheep – I’ll show you them in more detail soon. I often go into their store in Cambridge. It’s a bright and cheerful shop filled with fun and affordable gifts. I’ll be popping in next time I’m in Cambridge to stock up on scrapbooking supplies.
Notes app
Throughout my pregnancy and since X has been born I’ve been making more use of my Notes app than ever before. It’s just the regular app that comes on the iPhone but you could use anything.
I like that it’s always accessible to me and I can quickly jot down a feeling or something funny that X has done. It’s a very easy way of documenting my feelings and the things that we do.
It’s lovely to look through these random notes and they also help when it comes to writing blog posts.
Take lots of photos
This one is pretty obvious.
I’m taking photos.
Lots of them.
Use whatever camera you have to hand. My phone is the one I reach for most but I have been taking out my big camera more often.
If you’re also taking lots of photos of your new baby then I recommend trying to keep them organised from the start. Have albums on your phone, invest in a real life photo album or scrapbook for printed photos and most importantly, don’t forget to back up your memory cards and phone. One of the best things I did was to pay for extra iCloud storage.
If you’re planning on printing photos then try to do it on a monthly basis. This will help you to keep on top of everything. I’m currently doing this and testing out different apps to see which I like best. I’ll report back soon but the photos above were created and printed with LALALAB and I’m super happy with them. I’ll be getting more from them soon.
Use my code PGW13DDC to get £5 for your first purchase. Everyone who orders with them gets a code to offer to friends, this isn’t sponsored or gifted.
One Second Everyday
One Second Everyday is a really fun app. You simply pick a video or photo from each day and then select a 1 second clip. By the end of the year there will be a video with a highlight from each day.
What I really like is that I only downloaded the app a month or so ago and I was able to go back and add in a clip from each day since X was born.
It’s really easy to use. You simply click on a date in the calendar and it will show you the options of photos and videos you took that day. My friend K had mentioned it to me before X was born but due to the emergency c-section everything just went out the window.
I’m just using the free version.
Scrapbook, journals and baby books.
Grab a simple notebook, a styled baby book or a journal a make notes about your life with your new baby. The time goes very quickly so the more you can document the better.
T got me a lovely baby memory book (thanks T) which I like to fill in every now and then on a rainy day. I’d been planning to buy one for myself so it was lovely of her to treat me to such a thoughtful gift.
As I mentioned before, I’d love to do a scrapbook but it’s something I’ll save for the end of the year. So for now, anything I think I might make into a scrapbook is going straight into my memory box.
These are just a few of the things I’m doing to keep track of my memories with Xander. I have some more things I’d like to do but I’ll let you know if I ever get around to them.