In the days leading up to the birth of a baby, and in the days and months that follow, life for new parents is a bit of a whirlwind.
There’s excitement and anticipation that comes with the discovery that a baby is on the way. This gives way to the intensity and celebration of birth, to be followed by sheer exhilaration and total exhaustion of those early months with a newborn.
Creating a baby keepsake box can help you preserve those special moments to hold onto forever.
How to Make a Baby Memory Box
A baby’s first year can be quite hectic, but it’s also a joyous time. New parents might not think to preserve some of the important mementoes of the year if they don’t consciously consider it beforehand.
The sheer number of firsts that a baby goes through makes it worthwhile to document in photographs and videos. These keepsakes serve as a permanent reminder of the special moments that should never be forgotten.
Taking the time to plan and pull together a baby keepsake box of important memories from your infant’s first year is a worthwhile endeavor that parents, and eventually the kids themselves, will be grateful for. When that child eventually asks: “Tell me about when I was born”, there will be something tangible to show them beyond the stories told.
It’s a wonderful way to connect a person with their early history which they obviously won’t remember. The vehicle for preserving all of those keepsakes shows the importance they hold: a basic plastic bin isn’t up to the task.
Instead, a handmade and personalized keepsake trunk from Petite Keep is the perfect solution. Customizable and easily personalized for the baby, it’s a safe way to preserve and display those memories for years to come.
When beautifully displayed, the heirloom items and keepsakes can become part of the decor in the baby’s room. It’s a constant reminder of all the important milestones and happy moments of discovery: the first smile, the first giggle, the first time sitting up alone, first steps and so on.
After all, it’s a year of firsts and it goes by like a flash; keeping the mementoes in a perfectly appointed keepsake memory box is a unique way to make sure that looking back at those first days and months is a joyous task.
What Should You Put in Baby’s Keepsake Box?
Creating a baby keepsake box is easiest when you start before your baby is even born. There are tons of mementos to keep while both trying to conceive and throughout pregnancy.
Here are some ideas for items that you can keep for your baby keepsake box which will always bring back those nostalgic memories:
What to Save During Pregnancy
From the moment the pregnancy test shows a positive result, there is no end to the little things that are perfect mementoes from the months before a baby is born.
- Pregnancy test(s). The first sign that life as you know it is going to change forever deserves preservation.
- The first ultrasound pictures of the wee one.
- The first pair of booties and mittens received.
- Baby shower invitation, favors, signs, etc.
- Cards received from friends and loved ones.
- Milestone photos of mom at the various stages of pregnancy. From month one to the very end.
What to Save from Birth
While some families opt for pictures at or just after the birth, that might not be something all moms want to engage in. Finding other ways to commemorate the moment without necessarily being reminded of the blood, sweat, and tears is perfect!
- The baby bracelet from the hospital
- Documentation that shows the baby’s birth weight, length, and footprints.
- The little cap that baby wore on their first night, as well as a receiving blanket from the hospital visit.
- Keep a fresh newborn diaper: it will be hilarious later to think about the baby ever having been small enough to fit into it.
- Baby’s going home outfit should be special and something that is kept after that one wearing, as it will match all the many photos that exist of that moment.
- Cards, deflated mylar balloons or a pressed flower from the gifts that arrived for the new parents and baby can be put into a scrapbook and included, along with photos.
- Birth announcement
What Items Should You Save from Your Baby’s First Year?
The first year is a year of firsts; that goes without saying. Commemorating the important firsts is a great way to trigger memories down the road, when the child is older and interested in their early years.
- If the baby was given some keepsake items like a silver spoon or special cup, silver hair brush or rattle, these are best kept safe for them in the box. These are the heirlooms of tomorrow that need to be preserved with care.
- Cards from friends and family.
- Favorite toy.
- Favorite movie or stuffed animal (if they. can part with it)
- First pair of baby mittens (so they don’t scratch themselves), first shoes, or first elegant outfit for a special event. In particular, baptismal outfits, cards and gifts can be kept safely for posterity. Including a family bible with the date of birth and baptism inscribed is a perfect addition.
- Heirloom items, such as a quilt made for the baby by grandma, should be kept safe and clean. Whether it remains just for them or will eventually be passed down in the family, it’s a precious item.
- Pacifier
- Handprints and footprints
What each family considers special that should go in the box depends entirely on the life led with the baby.
Perhaps a trip to the beach was a momentous occasion when the baby first walked: make sure to have a jar of the sand and label it with the date and time of those steps. It will help trigger all the bliss of that memory just by looking at it.
Maybe their first spoon that they fed themselves with but resulted in them getting covered in yogurt, is ideal. Every family is unique, as will be the items included in the keepsake box.
Choosing to commemorate those firsts at all is a wonderful way to honor the baby now and in the future.
About Lindsay Mullenger and Petite Keep
With the birth of her daughters, Heidi, Bella, and Louisa, came meaningful welcome cards, treasured baptismal mementos, and intricate, beautiful dresses that Lindsay simply couldn’t pack away in a plastic tub. She searched high and low for a classic keepsake box to store these many reminiscences and came up empty handed. That is how Petite Keep was born.
Petite Keep are custom crafted, personalized keepsake trunks that store and display treasured keepsakes from life’s milestone events such as births, weddings, graduations and more. Each trunk is a one-of-a-kind heirloom treasure trove.
