Things to Keep from Baby’s First Year

How is it possible that after nine long (really long!) months of waiting for baby to arrive, that first year with your little one just flies by? Before you know it, there will be first words and first steps instead of first days.

Years from now, you’ll want to remember those early days and weeks. But if you’re so busy just being mom or dad, you might let some treasured keepsakes slip through your fingers.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Use this list to help remind you of some precious things to keep from baby’s first year.

10. A journal

I have to start with this, because it’s probably the most important thing you can save from baby’s first year. Don’t worry about making long entries or even about buying an “official” baby book. Just find a blank book, journal or a binder you can fill with paper. And then every day, write down something. A sentence. A moment that touched you. A fear or concern about baby. A first or a milestone.

At the end of the year, you will have a treasure that is behind price, because all of those details you would have forgotten are now saved forever.

9. The coming home outfit

There is something almost sacred about the outfit your baby wears home from the birthing center or hospital. Or the first outfit they wear after birth, if you have your baby at home. Those tiny clothes mark the transition from waiting for your child to be born, to wrapping them in your carefully selected clothing.

It doesn’t have to be terribly fancy. But selecting something special for that first journey, and then saving it (perhaps for their own child to come home in someday) is a tradition you’ll be happy you followed.

8. Their first toy

Is it a rattle? A stuffed bear? A soft book? Whatever your child plays with as a first toy is another memento worth saving.

Don’t worry if that first plaything gets worn and ragged before you tuck it away. That wear and tear will be just as much a part of the memories as the toy itself. (Hint: Take a picture of your baby with the first toy beside them…then you can take another with the toy at high school or college graduation!)

7. The welcome baby cards

It may seem like clutter at the time, but someday you or your child will love seeing what Great-Aunt May or cousin Bob wrote when your baby was born. If you don’t want to keep all of the cards, scan them and create a collection that can be browsed on the computer.

6. A picture a week

It’s only 52 pictures. In the grand scheme of things, that’s not too much. Most of us probably have more than 52 pictures of random things on our phones. But when you take a photo every week during that first year, you’ll be able to see your little one transform from newborn to busy toddler right before your eyes every time you look at the pictures.

5. Recordings of their sounds

Most of us take pictures. And lots of us make videos. But just recording your baby’s sounds throughout the year creates another treasure you’ll want to keep forever. All those coos and giggles, that sleepy cry, the first attempts at words. Priceless.

4. Their first pair of shoes

Your parents probably kept your first pair of shoes. And their parents before them probably did the same. Why? Because someday, when you see your child all grown up, those impossibly tiny shoes will remind you of how small and precious they once were.

3. A picture of their crib

You’ve spent a lot of time planning their nursery, buying bedding, adding decorations. So make sure you take pictures of all of it. The beautiful crib, all decked out in matching sheets and bumper pads. The mobile above the crib. The rocking chair and changing table. The decorations on the wall.

It might all seem ordinary now, but someday your child will love seeing their first bed, their first room. And you’ll have the pictures to show them.

2. Souvenirs from first year outings

If you take baby on a trip during the first year, be sure to save some mementos of the journey. A boarding pass, a travel brochure, or even a postcard can serve as a memory jogger for telling stories and sharing reminiscences later on.

If you stay close to home, save some souvenirs from day trips like a day at the zoo, a dinner at a special restaurant or a festival you attend.

1. Their baby bracelet

If your birth center or hospital puts a bracelet or anklet on baby, be sure to tuck it away after you get home. Just trust me on this. Someday, that little piece of plastic will bring tears to your eyes. Good ones.

The first year can go buy so fast. Make sure you remember to save those little things that will let you remember it for a lifetime.