Those first days with a newborn are the perfect mixture of chaos and pure love and it’s natural for parents to wonder how to preserve these precious moments for years to come. Taking time to preserve memories now will ensure you can hold onto that warm fuzzy feeling for decades to come!
Take so many pictures
We’re so fortunate as parents nowadays to be able to document our children’s lives on our phones. We have photographic evidence of every cute thing they’ve ever done. Compare this to when you were a child, you might have been photographed on holidays or at Christmas – whenever your mam remembered to bring the camera! Take full advantage of your phone and take photos constantly. Make sure to have them backed up using cloud storage such as Google Photos to keep them safe.
Take videos too
Pictures are amazing, but videos show all of your baby’s little movements, their tiny squeaks and sleepy eyes. Set up the camera to record yourself doing everyday things like burping your newborn after a feed. It’s normal now but one day you’ll look back at the video and your heart will melt.
Get in the photo
Looking through a mother’s photo album you may see plenty of pictures of her children, alongside some cute pictures of her children and their dad, but very few of mum herself. You may wonder why this is, but then remember every time someone tries to take your picture and you hide away because you’re not wearing makeup or your shoulder is covered in a huge sick stain. However, these are the photos that you will love to have of yourself in the future. They will bring back fond memories of your early days of motherhood. Also, believe it or not, your future self will marvel at how beautiful and youthful you are.
Tip: take screenshots of the videos you take of you and your children. Taking videos of small children is a great way to get good photos of them. Simply pause and screenshot.
Monthly pictures
Babies change so much each month without you noticing. Only when you look at photos of your baby from the previous month you’ll notice how big they’ve gotten. You can take special pictures each month using milestone cards or blankets that say how old your baby is. You can even dress them in a nice outfit to make the pictures extra special.
Online printing services
Some photos are just too special to be hidden away on your phone. Why not use printing services and apps to have your most special photos printed or even turned into a photobook.
A baby book
Purchasing a special baby book is a special way to track your baby’s life and milestones. These books are usually highly decorated with prompts for what to include. Take time every couple of weeks to fill in the baby book and reflect on how amazing your little one is.
A memory box
A special box is perfect for preserving items such as their hospital tag, their first outfit, their umbilical cord stump, a lock of hair from their first haircut, their first birthday cards – anything you want to keep safe.
Old-fashioned scrapbooks
If you’re ready to exercise your creativity then a retro scrapbook can be a great option. Turn a blank book into a personalised book of memories with your own touches. You could also get a polaroid camera with plenty of paper to take special photos for your scrapbook.
Write a letter to your baby
Write a letter detailing everything you love about your baby, with the intention of giving it to them when they’re older. This will be a special gift for your future child as they can read about how loved they are, as well as giving your future self a beautiful trip down memory lane.
Baby handprint kit
Handprint and footprint memories are so precious as we forget how tiny our babies once were. You can have these professionally made or get a kit to make them at home. The younger your baby is, the easier it will be to get a good handprint and footprint, if your baby is older then the inevitable imperfections will add to the charm.
Onesie patchwork blanket
It can be emotional when your baby outgrows their adorable tiny clothes, especially for parents who don’t plan on having any more children. Have your favourite baby clothes made into a patchwork blanket or a teddy bear so you can always remember their beautiful tiny clothes.
