How to Document a Baby's First Year

Take lots of pictures

That first year with your baby will fly by. As first-time parents, you're so tired from the constant feeding, changing and raising of your baby that you may feel lost about how best to document her growth before she gets up and walks off to college (or at least turns one year old)! Here are some ideas that will keep the memory of your baby's first months fresh in your mind for years to come. Some of the momentos from this first year will be things your child treasures when he grows up and has his own children! He may even duplicate your baby traditions with his own kids.

Instructions

How to Document a Baby's First Year

1. Take a million pictures, of course. With digital photography, there's no such thing as wasting film anymore! To make a special collage, take a picture every month on the day your child turns a month older. (One picture at birth, one at one month, one at two months, etc., all the way up to a year.) You'll have 13 pictures total. Take these 13 pictures and put them in a large, sectioned frame. Hang it on the wall. Later on, you'll love looking at the changes your baby underwent month-to-month during that first year.

2. Make foot and handprints in cement. They sell these kits in art supply stores. You can make a stepping stone for the garden or a ceramic plaque for the wall.

3. Make handprints in paint on plates and dishes. There are all kinds of specialty shops that put handprints on plates and dishes, and then glaze and fire the finished product for you. It's a fun thing to do with older kids, too.

4. Put handprints and footprints in paint onto construction paper. Write the baby's name on the back, and then cut into the shape of a heart or star. Laminate it and use it as a Christmas ornament! Your baby may not love having her feet and hands painted, so be prepared for a wiggling, messy venture and plenty of smearing before you get the perfect print. But the finished product is wonderful.

5. Videotape your child as he grows, especially first steps, first smile and first words. These home movies will be a great document of that busy first year.