How to Create a Special Pregnancy Scrapbook

By eHow Hobbies, Games & Toys Editor

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A scrapbook will help you save memories of your pregnancy - the moment you found out you were pregnant, the first time you heard your baby's heartbeat, that adorable ultrasound photo. You'll be able to share it with your child, or just cherish it for yourself.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Photo-safe Markers
Cassette Tape Recorders
Acid-free Scrapbooks
Glues
Scrapbooks
Scissors
Pencils
Acid-free Ink Pens
Acid-free Papers
Cameras
Film
Rulers

Step1

Buy an empty scrapbook.

Step2

Keep a camera and film on hand at all times.

Step3

Put together the scrapbook as the pregnancy progresses, or assemble objects and make it all at once.

Step4

Collect memorabilia. Include things like photos of mom taken every two weeks (stand next to the same object for comparison). Save tags from maternity clothes and pressed flowers from the night baby was conceived.

Step5

Don't forget to include an account of how mom told dad she was pregnant, a photo of parents assembling the crib, and paint chips and swatches from the nursery.

Step6

Make pockets from cardboard or stiff plastics to hold cartridge tapes or ice cream labels to document food cravings.

Step7

Document expanding sizes, new developments and changing name choices.

Step8

Make a family tree.

Step9

Tape interviews with family members for ideas about what will change, what the baby will be like and what their hopes are for the future. Or let them each write on a page.

Step10

Be sure that both mom and dad decorate a special page full of their individual hopes and dreams for the new baby.

Step11

Set aside special pages for sonogram photos, hospital photos and items, and birth pictures.

Tips & Warnings

If the scrapbook is a gift, show the mother your progress at the baby shower.
Ask the expectant parents for their input too.
Tape runners are the best adhesives for scrapbooking. These double-sided adhesives are acid free, so they are safe for photographs.
Some papers fade and some tapes dry out, so get advice on longevity.
Expectant parents can be touchy, so be sensitive.
A photo album is not a good substitute for a scrapbook since you'll want to add papers and other objects.

Comments

CrunchyMama said

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on 5/14/2008 Be cautious about adding tags, labels from food containers, paint chips, etc. They aren't acid free, and the acid can migrate through your pages. No point in buying acid fee papers, pens and adhesives and then laying an acidified label on top. If you want to record those things, you could scan them then print them on acid free paper, photograph them, or use an acid-neutralizing spray.

CrunchyMama said

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on 5/14/2008 I wonder if it would be a good idea to put "appointments" for belly pictures on your calendar every month. I was so sick with my second pregnancy that the only picture I have of the entire time is the professional belly shots I had done at 38 weeks. I wish I had taken pictures throughout!

CrunchyMama said

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on 5/14/2008 I bought a wall calendar just for jotting down midwife appointments, vital stats, special events like first kicks, cravings, etc. Then it was all in one place and organized by date. I also journaled on my computer whenever the mood struck. Then when I got around to doing my scrapbooking, I had my journaling ready to go.

Anonymous said

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on 8/8/2006 The night that I started suspecting that I might be pregnant, I took an E.P.T. home test. When the test confirmed a positive result, I took a picture of it so that I could add it to a baby book later.
I also write down times, dates, feelings and changes in a special pregnancy journal that I made. This will help me scrapbook the facts when I have the supplies that I need!

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