Are you looking for a unique baby shower gift or a 1st birthday gift? Go for the memories and try some of these time capsule ideas for baby.
I love things that hold memories, like keepsake boxes. These are little treasures that you can look back on years year.
A time capsule is something a parent can create or can be given semi-prepared as a gift with instructions for the parents to complete later.
Let’s take a look at how to put together a time capsule for a baby and some great ideas for items to include inside.
Related: Creating a Special and Memorable Baby Keepsake Box
What is a Baby Time Capsule?
Chances are you’ve heard of time capsules – containers or boxes that hold historical records or things from that current time to be viewed in the future. A baby time capsule is the same thing, but the items are intended and selected for the baby to review at a specific time later in their lives.
Many people create time capsules to be opened when their child turns 18 years old. It’s a snapshot in time, showing them what life was like decades before.
Baby capsules make excellent baby shower gifts or a baby shower activity, but they also make great gifts. You also can create a first birthday time capsule or for any other children’s birthday.
You can start later than their 1st birthday!
Putting together a time capsule is fun, especially if you watch them open it years later. What a joy for everyone!
How to Make a Time Capsule for Baby
Putting together a time capsule for a baby is easier than you think. In fact, it’s simple and fun; you’ll look forward to all of the excitement when it’s opened.
Here are a list of steps to help you make a time capsule for your baby or someone you love.
1. Gather The Items for the Capsule
The first step takes the longest – you have to find all the things you want to put into the capsule. This is the most unique step; you have to find all the things that you want to include.
Start by making a list of things you think your child will like to see when they are older – what would you love to see if your parents made a time capsule for you?
A mixture of personal items, interests, and current times is a great blend. Your baby will love seeing pictures and things from when he was born, but it’s also interesting to see how much has changed in that time.
2. Find a Container for the Capsule
After you decide all the things you want to add, you have to find a container that works as a time capsule.
Think about how long you want this to remain unopened. Most baby time capsules are intended to be opened on their 18th birthday, but some wait until they are married.
This is something you have to decide!
Whatever container you select, it has to keep out all liquid while protecting the contents inside. A chemically-stable material is ideal because it won’t decompose, such as a plastic storage box!
You also can buy capsules designed to be time capsule. Here are a few options.
- Stainless Steel Capsule Container – Anti-Corrosion and Waterproof
- Raw by Time Capsule – a Large Airtight Waterproof Storage Jar
- Milestone Collection Time Capsule Keepsake Kit Storage Container
- Significant Milestones Baby Time Capsule and Keepsake Box
3. Where to Place the Capsule
You have all the stuff and the container; now you have to decide where to keep it.
The classic choice is to bury it in your backyard or somewhere you visit frequently.
Of course, you might always move, and you want to bring it with you. Storing it in your basement, attic, or closet might not seem fun, but it is less risky than storing it outside.
4. Pick an Intended Opening Date
Make sure you mark the container with the earliest date it may be opened and who should open it.
I suggest you also tell other people and schedule yearly reminders. It’s really easy to forget that you have something like stored away for your children.
5. Seal it!
Ideally, a time capsule needs to e stored and sealed in a plastic bag. This is an extra assurance that nothing will happen to it.
Time Capsule Ideas for a Newborn Baby
Whether you need time capsule ideas for a newborn baby at their birth or as a baby shower gift, here are some things you can include.
- Copy of pregnancy announcements
- Baby shower invitation
- Baby’s hospital photo
- ID bracelet’s from the hospital
- Hospital name card
- Baby’s first outfit
- Weather when your baby was born
- A copy of a national newspaper and the local daily newspaper.
- A current popular magazine
- Small popular toys at the time
- Sports trading cards or other collectibles
- List of current ten 10 songs on the radio
- A menu from a local restaurant
- The floor plan of your current home
- The current extended family tree at the time of your baby’s birth.
- Messages from Mom, Dad, siblings, and grandparents.
- Tons of photos! Pick photos from the baby shower, your pregnancy, your local town, your car, your home, and everything. Photos are one of the best things to include – everyone loves to look at old photos!
- Ultrasound photos
- A video recording
- A pay stub or something to show current wages
- Photos of mom’s belly month by month or week by month
- Current coins
- Stamps
- Receipt from a grocery store trip
- Political information
- Bus or train ticket
- Weather report of the day of the birth
Related: 10 Unique and Memorable Baby Shower Activities that Provide Keepsakes
Time Capsule Ideas for Baby on Their 1st Birthday
If you want to make a time capsule for a 1st birthday, here are some ideas. You can tweak these for other birthdays if you get started later.
Some of these ideas also in the newborn time capsule – that’s okay! They’re relevant for both.
- Baby’s first photo
- ID bracelet’s from the hospital
- Hospital name card
- Baby’s first outfit
- Pictures of baby’s first Christmas, New Years, 4th of July, Halloween, Easter, and all other holidays
- Cards from their 1st birthday
- Cake topper
- Birthday invites
- Party decoration from their 1st birthday party
- Photos from baby shower
- More photos! Include photos from any trips or vacations, places you went together, their bedroom, and more.
- Drawings from siblings
- Keepsakes like a lock of hair or a pacifier
- Handprints or footprint
- A collection of newspaper clippings of major headlines throughout their first year of life
- A popular toy from the year
- Floor plan of your house
- Map of your town
- List of favorite songs throughout the year
- Souvenirs from events or trips you attended with your baby
- Your family tree
- Messages from parents, grandparents, siblings, and other close relatives
- Recent photos of family members
- First rattle or spoon
- Birth announcement
- Recordings of major events
- Current coins
- Stamps
- Receipt from different grocery store trips
- Information about the current president and political information
- Your child’s favorite book or a picture of it if they’re attached
- Baby Book
- First pair of shoes
- Recorded baby laughs and clips of their first words.
FAQs about Time Capsules for a Baby
What is the Best Material for a Time Capsule?
When selecting a container for a time capsule, it needs to be a chemically-stable material that won’t decompose over time. It’s also important that it won’t react with the contents.
Can You Bury a Cardboard Time Capsule?
Ideally, you want to avoid burying a cardboard time capsule. Cardboard is a natural material made out of paper, and it decomposes within a few months. Then, all the contents will end up ruined.
How Deep and Long Should a Time Capsule Be Buried?
A well-made time capsule lasts up to 150 years. If you want to bury it, dig a hole 18 to 24 inches deep. The temperature at this location in the ground is stable, reducing the risk of damaging the capsule.
With so many time capsule ideas for baby, it’s easy to see how fun it would be to put one of these keepsakes together. Whether it’s a gift or for your own baby, all of these memories will be cherished for years to come.
