Open When Letters for Your Baby: 18 Letters to Write Before They Grow Up

Baby memory book with envelope pockets for keepsake letters

Imagine your child on their 18th birthday opening a sealed letter you wrote when they were a newborn. Or reading your words of encouragement on their first day of school. That is the power of "Open When" letters.

Here are 18 letters to write for your baby, each sealed and labeled for a specific moment in their life.

What Are Open When Letters?

They are sealed letters or notes, each labeled with a specific occasion or feeling. "Open when you turn 5." "Open when you need courage." "Open when you fall in love." Your child opens each one at the right moment and reads your words from years ago.

Tuck them into your baby memory book or store them in a keepsake box.

The 18 Letters

Milestone Birthdays

  1. Open when you turn 1 - Write about their first year. The sleepless nights, first smile, first steps. They will not remember any of it, so your words become their memory.
  2. Open when you turn 5 - Write about the toddler years. Their favorite word, their imaginary friend, the phase that drove you crazy but you now miss.
  3. Open when you turn 10 - You are halfway to adulthood. Write about what kind of person they are becoming.
  4. Open when you turn 13 - Welcome to the teenage years. Write about your own teenage struggles and what you wish someone had told you.
  5. Open when you turn 18 - The big one. Write about everything. Who they were as a baby, who they are now, and who you hope they will become.

Life Moments

  1. Open on your first day of school - Courage, excitement and a reminder that you will be waiting at the door when they come home.
  2. Open when you make your first friend - Write about friendship, loyalty and being kind.
  3. Open when you score your first goal - (Or win your first competition, or perform on stage.) Write about hard work paying off.
  4. Open when you graduate - Write about how proud you are. All the homework battles were worth it.
  5. Open when you fall in love - Write about what love really means. What you learned from your own relationships. How to recognize the real thing.
  6. Open when you get your heart broken - Write about resilience. About how pain passes. About how you survived it too.
  7. Open on your wedding day - Write about partnership, commitment and building a life together.
  8. Open when you become a parent - Full circle. Now they understand everything you felt.

Emotional Support

  1. Open when you feel sad - Words of comfort. Remind them they are not alone and never will be.
  2. Open when you feel lost - Write about finding your way. About how being lost is part of the journey.
  3. Open when you need courage - Write about bravery. The times you were scared and did it anyway.
  4. Open when you need to laugh - Write something funny. A family inside joke. A silly memory. Laughter heals.
  5. Open when you miss me - The hardest one to write. The most important one to have.

How to Write Them

  • Handwrite them. Your handwriting is part of the gift.
  • Do not overthink it. Write what you feel right now.
  • Include the date you wrote it.
  • It is ok to cry while writing. Most parents do.
  • Use nice paper or cards, but do not let perfectionism stop you. A letter on notebook paper still changes a life.

Where to Keep Them

Options:

Start writing today. You do not need a special occasion. The only deadline is time itself, and it moves faster than any parent is ready for.