Baby Gift Album

Creating a baby gift album can seem overwhelming when you think of all the growth that a new little one experiences in his/her first year of life, but the rewards to a new mother and father are worth the effort. As they record their baby's life through journaling prompts and attach appropriate photos to each page, your gift will become a precious keepsake.

Choose the Size - The first decision to be made is the size of the album. A 6" x 6" to an 8" x 8" size can be assembled quickly and still gives plenty of room for proud parents to add their own touch .

Determine a Style - Deciding if the album will be for a boy, a girl, or just generic will help you pick your patterned papers, cardstock, and embellishments.

Decide on the Format - There are many formats that can be used to organize this album and each will accomplish the goal of recording the delights of baby's first year.

Months of the Year

A popular method is to use double page spreads based on the months of the year. Start with the baby's birth month as the "Welcome" page and then move on to the next months. Use the same general format to record growth and basic statistics. An appropriate photo for that month completes the record. Categories for statistics to record each month could include: weight, length, hair color, eye color, likes, dislikes, etc.

Baby Album August - November by Jane Swanson
Baby Album December - March by Jane Swanson
Baby Album April - July by Jane Swanson

Milestones

Another method of organizing the book is on the basis of milestones during the first year. These could also be recorded in the months' type of book as an additional journal prompt, or it could be a unique form on its own. This is also the type of information that parents will want to remember when charting the growth of additional siblings.

• First bath
• First smile
• First laugh
• First held up head
• First stood in lap
• First rolled over
• First sat up
• First slept thru the night
• First crawled
• First pulled up
• First haircut
• First step
• First tooth
• First word
• First foods
• First sickness
• First holidays
• First birthday

Holidays

An entire first year album could be compiled by simply recording all the happenings on each holiday of the year. Each month has a day or two that qualifies as a holiday and it could be the focus event to highlight what baby was saying and doing on that day.

• January ~ The New Year
• February ~ Valentines Day
• March ~ St. Patrick's Day
• April ~ Easter
• May ~ Mother's Day
• June ~ Father's Day
• July ~ Fourth of July
• August ~ Birthday Month
• September ~ Back to school
• October ~ Halloween
• November ~ Thanksgiving
• December ~ Christmas

Alphabet

A less conventional approach would be using the alphabet to chronicle baby's first year. The letters A through Z offer many creative and whimsical prompts to describe all of baby's sayings and doings. From Adorable, Blanket, and Crib, to X-mas, Yogurt, and Zoo, each important event should be covered.

Poetry, Quotes or Lyrics
Sometimes, an album with these formats doesn't fit all new baby situations. Designing an album around poetry and quotes allows more flexibility for a parent who might not have access to the statistics of those early months, as in the case of adoption. It is also the type of album that lends itself to those baby showers when the gender of the child is unknown. A favorite quote that I try to include in all my baby gift albums is:

"Here is a little mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God, and the body in which it dwells is worth all it will cost, since it is the abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mothers heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, to her most tender cares, to her life-long prayers! Oh how rich I am, how truly, how wondrously blest!"

~ Elizabeth Prentiss' Stepping Heavenward

The lasting joy that is given through a baby gift album will continue to be enjoyed as parents look back on their baby's first year and compare it to future and past siblings. It is truly a gift that keeps on giving through the memories that it leaves behind.

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