3 Key Memories to Save for a New Baby

3 Key Memories to Save for a New Baby

A new baby is an exciting time for the parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends. Life is a whirlwind of activity, and each moment provides special memories, which you want to save for your new baby.

You may be old enough to remember capturing all your baby’s firsts in a baby book: How much the baby weighed, when they got their first tooth, and when they took their first step. Or maybe your parents kept one for you, and now that’s a cherished memento that sits on your shelf. 

But times have changed. We don’t print photos and write the date and occasion on the back, or paste them in a photo album with the pertinent information recorded in a note. I can’t remember the last time I saw a baby book, one that you had to use a pen to write in! And yet you want to capture important information for you and for your future grown child. 

So how do you collect all those baby memories now? And what are the important memories to save so you preserve your baby’s life story? 

Let’s look at the 3 key memories to save for a new baby, and how best to preserve them.

#1 Baby’s Story Before Birth

Helping your child understand where they came from is one of the greatest gifts you can provide, even though a child won’t appreciate that for a few years. Here are some ideas to collect memories prior to your baby’s birth, so they appreciate the family that loved them even before their arrival, and they understand their own life story.

Consider going deeper than documenting names on a family tree. Ask the grandparents to write a letter to the new baby. Get details about the lives of their grandparents. Gather photos from the past, or capture the grandparents in a video.

Then as parents, do the same thing. Ask yourself: What would I have liked to know about my parents and grandparents that I never got to ask? Provide some details that let your child know their family history. Write a journal for your child, sharing thoughts and feelings as you await their arrival. 

These are a few ideas to help your child understand their family, and remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect! Jotting notes is just as precious as a fully detailed journal. Do your best and you’ll give your baby the gift of knowing their own story.

#2 When Baby Joins the Family

Similar to the baby books of the past, you will still want to capture the key moments of your baby’s birth: date, time, location, baby’s length, weight, and more. Save a photo of the home where your baby will live and the day your baby came home. Get a photo of the baby in their crib for the first time.

The first year may be the easiest time to preserve memories, because there will be so many firsts and developmental milestones. Make yourself an “appointment” to spend time each week recording those fun events, so that preserving your baby’s life story becomes an easy habit and not a burden.

#3 As Your Baby Grows Up 

It’s easy with a baby memory book to document the big firsts: first tooth, first step, first day of school, and more.

As your baby grows up, it’s fun to document the details of their personality. Here are some ideas to capture:

  • Favourite toys and books
  • Funny things they say, mispronunciations, and how they say names 
  • Favourite things to eat
  • The important people in their life
  • What makes them giggle

And then there are the family memories:

  • Birthdays
  • Vacations
  • Major holidays 
  • Mother’s Day and Father’s Day 
  • Everyday moments such as outings your child really enjoys, like a trip to the local market

When your child starts school, here are more ideas to collect for your baby’s own time capsule:

  • The names of their teachers
  • What they loved about school
  • Notes from teachers
  • Report cards 
  • Special drawings
  • Favourite extracurricular activities
  • Their friends
  • Graduation 

Continue to write a journal or make notes for your child. Describe how you felt in that whirlwind first year, and as you watch them grow up. Tell them why you love them. 

How Do You Save Baby’s Memories?

All this record-keeping and picture taking may sound a little overwhelming, particularly with everything else on your plate as a new parent. So if you’re wondering: how can I save my baby’s memories and special moments? An easy-to-use digital platform like memoryKPR is the answer. 

This digital tool makes it easy to put together a baby memory book. Tell the story of their family before they’re born, keep track of the details of their birth, and continue to document the big (and little) moments in their lives as they grow up.

With memoryKPR, you can build story “books” in a digital format. It’s simple to upload all kinds of files, with support for formats like JPEG, PNG, MP4, MP3, WAV, and more, meaning you can include photos, videos, audio files, screenshots and more. 

Add the letters from grandma and grandpa, and mom and dad. Or, interview family members and add audio recordings or videos. Ask grandma to sing the bedtime song she sang to you, and include it in your baby’s memory book. As your child grows up, record him or her singing or talking. 

It’s easy to record audio right into the story, or upload from your library. Include those journal notes you took time to document, or draw a family tree and upload it. 

You can also import directly from social media like Facebook and Instagram. Then, organize the memories the way you want. Invite others to contribute via email or with a QR code. 

You can do separate stories for different purposes: baby’s first year, baby’s birthday parties, and more. Share the story with family and friends by sending a link in an email. You have the option to share on social media if you want, and there are options for privacy that you control. You also decide who contributes to the story, and who has access to it when you want to share it. 

And, as your child grows up, you can continue to build story books or add to one you’ve made. You can make one for each child, and a family book for everyone. It doesn’t have to take a great deal of your time and energy either. Simply set aside a time each week to jot down memories, and then bring them together into memoryKPR. You won’t have to save every special drawing on the fridge (although you still can!) because you’ll have the image saved in a digital format.

Epilogue

Welcoming a new baby to the world is an exciting time for the whole family. Time slips by quickly, and before you know it, that new baby will be starting kindergarten.

Preserve the big moments and the special everyday times with a digital storybook, and your child will thank you when they grow up and understand their story.

Ardith Stephanson is a freelance writer and journalist who shares some of her own stories at theardizan.com.