Easy Scrapbooking for Baby's 1st Year and Beyond

Creating a Keepsake Scrapbook of Your Child

Aug 21, 2009

Most parents start creating a baby scrapbook, but fall behind and never finish. Learn how to scrapbook children and keep on schedule with this easy, stress-free method.

Scrapbooking is one of the best ways to record the memories of a child's life, but only if parents are able to stay on top of things. When parents get years behind and try to catch up, scrapbooking turns from a fun hobby to a stressful obligation. Use this easy method for creating a keepsake child's scrapbook album.

Scale Down Expectations for Scrapbooking Children

Many well-intentioned parents set out with the idea to scrapbook every outing, every trip to the park, and every other significant moment as it happens. Trying to document every waking moment of a child's life is too overwhelming, and once a parent gets behind they will probably never catch up.

While scrapbooks like this would be nice, it just isn't realistic or manageable for parents trying to create them - especially if the family includes more than one child.

Focus on Baby's First Year in a Child's Scrapbook

One of the best gifts a parent can give to a child is a rich collection of memories from the first year of their life. Children love to look at their own baby pictures and hear stories of what they were like as a baby, so why not focus on documenting that in a scrapbook?

Baby Scrapbook Ideas and Themes

Every child's scrapbook should include pages dedicated to significant events of his babyhood, special people in his life, and things he loved to do. Some examples of pages to include in a baby scrapbook could be:

While this will definitely take some time, it's alright if a child's first year scrapbook isn't complete until they are teenagers. The pressure is lessened when there's only one year to detail, rather than 18.

Journaling for a Baby Scrapbook

No good baby scrapbook would be complete without journaling. Journaling tells the story behind the pictures, adding depth and dimension to them. It's what separates a scrapbook from a plain old photo album.

To make for stress-free journaling, sit down at the computer for a few minutes once a week during baby's first year and jot down what he or she has done lately or is now learning to do. Record any humorous stories or significant milestones that baby has reached. Don't worry about spelling or grammar; just keep the notes in a safe place.

When it's time to scrapbook, the notes serve as a reminder of what was going on in the child's life at any point in time. Milestones and other pertinent information won't be forgotten this way.

Scrapbooking Baby's Life Beyond One Year

For parents who want to scrapbook more than just the first year of their child, they can create a detailed record of baby's first year and then include a two-page spread for each year after that. Not everything will make it into the spread, so include only the most important highlights of the year.

Give the Keepsake Scrapbook as a Gift to a Child

When a child's first year scrapbook is complete, it could make a lovely gift to children to keep. They can retell stories of what they were like as babies and even compare their own milestones to those of their babies someday.

If parents find that they just can't catch up on their child's scrapbook, maybe it's because they have unrealistic expectations. Focus on that magical first year, and devote a modest two-page spread to each year thereafter. Doing so will relieve stress, and the finished product is a fantastic gift for the child.

The copyright of the article Easy Scrapbooking for Baby's 1st Year and Beyond in Scrapbooking & Paper Crafts is owned by Jenny Evans. Permission to republish Easy Scrapbooking for Baby's 1st Year and Beyond in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.