You want to scrapbook your baby is first year but you have never scrapbooked anything in your life. Good news: you do not need to be crafty. You just need photos, a few supplies and the willingness to start imperfectly.
What You Need
Keep it simple. Scrapbooking does not require a room full of supplies.
- A baby memory book - This is your base. Pre-designed pages with space for photos, notes and milestones. No blank-page anxiety.
- Baby stickers - Decorative stickers to add color and personality to every page. Animals, stars, milestone markers.
- Photo corners or glue tape - For attaching photos without damaging them. Our memory books come with photo corners included.
- A pen - Any pen you like. Black, colored, glitter. Your rules.
- Photos - Print them. Yes, actually print them. Walgreens, CVS, Shutterfly, your home printer. Just get them off your phone.
Month by Month Approach
The easiest system: one spread (two pages) per month.
- Left page: Monthly photo with a milestone sticker showing the month number. Add stats: weight, height, new skills.
- Right page: 2-3 smaller photos of highlights. Funny face, new food, first outing. Write a few notes about what happened that month.
That is it. Twelve months, twelve spreads. Done.
What Photos to Include
You have 3,000 photos on your phone. You need maybe 50 for the whole year. Choose:
- One "official" monthly milestone photo
- First bath, first food, first holiday
- Reactions (surprise, laughter, crying face, food disgust)
- Family moments (grandparents holding baby, siblings meeting)
- Everyday moments (sleeping in weird positions, playing on the floor)
The everyday photos are the ones you will love most ten years from now.
What to Write
You do not need to write paragraphs. Short notes work:
- "Rolled over for the first time. We both screamed."
- "Hates bananas. Loves the box they came in."
- "Said dada. I am not bitter."
- "Slept through the night. I woke up in a panic."
Write in your own voice. Funny, emotional, messy. This is your family is story, not a school project.
Adding Keepsakes
Memory books with envelope pockets are perfect for flat keepsakes:
- Hospital bracelet
- First birthday party invitation
- A pressed flower from a special day
- Greeting cards from family
- Tiny footprint stamp
Common Mistakes
- Waiting for perfection: Done is better than perfect. A messy page with real memories beats an empty book.
- Starting too late: Start now, even if your baby is already 8 months old. Backfill what you can. It is not too late.
- Printing everything: You do not need 500 photos. Curate. Less is more.
- Making it a chore: Scrapbook when it feels good. Skip months if needed. Pick them up later.
Digital vs Physical
Digital photo albums are convenient but physical scrapbooks have something a screen never will: presence. A book on a shelf gets picked up. A folder on a hard drive gets forgotten.
Your child will flip through a baby memory book hundreds of times. They will feel the pages, see your handwriting, touch the stickers you chose. That sensory experience is irreplaceable.
Start today. Grab your phone, pick twelve photos, print them and sit down with your book. An hour from now you will have the first month done. And you will wonder why you waited so long.