One things for sure, time ( and children) never stand still! If you have recently become a new parent, you simply won’t believe how the time passes from birth to one year old, in what seems like a blink of an eye.
So how do you recall every special moment of that all important first year of your baby’s life?
Last year, one devoted dad from Hampshire, photographer Sam Cornwell, managed to do just that, by capturing on video, a second from every single day of his one-year-old son’s life. Needless to say, this moving seven-minute film, entitled, A Second a Day from Birth became an internet sensation! Take a look and see why!
So that got us thinking, what other ideas are out there? We know there is a lot to adjust to, when you first become a parent, so try and choose something you’ll find easy to fit in with your routine. It might not suit you to document a detail from each day, so just record something once a month!
Write a mummy ( or daddy) journal
We’re not talking writing a mini version of Tolstoy’s War and Peace here- just a line or two each day, recalling a small part of your baby’s day! For example, they might have slept in their cot for the first time, rather than a moses basket or actually slept for that matter! Or they recognised mummy’s or daddy’s voice for the first time, waved bye-bye or ate from a spoon. It doesn’t matter what you choose -small things all add up to create a great snapshot of your baby’s first year.
Take one special toy
Choose one of your baby’s favourite toys, maybe a teddy bear given at birth and take a photo of your baby alongside it, at the same time each month. What about choosing the date your baby was born on? This is a lovely way to document how fast your baby is growing, as you can do a side-by side comparison.
Building blocks and chalk boards
Via Pinterest
Why not use wooden building blocks or a chalk board to show your baby’s age in a photo.
We’ve been here before ( aka the deja vu montage!)
This is a sweet and simple idea, just take a photo of your baby on the same date each month and in the same place. Try making sure the background is suitable, for example by putting your baby on the same sofa or chair, you will be able to visually see how much he or she is growing in comparison to it.
Make the headlines!
OK, not all of our babies are destined to hit the headlines, but we like this idea of using key headlines throughout your baby’s first year and putting them in a scrapbook, alongside a photo of your baby. Especially good news for all those future historians out there! You can choose a specific date each month and cut out any major stories about what’s happening in the world around them.
Make a memory box
Via Pinterest
If taking a photo is not for you, how about creating a memory box? Add anything you feel is of significance, this could be your baby’s hospital ID bracelet or their first bandana or babygrow. According to one survey carried out on UK mums, some of us like to keep the oddest reminders! Take a look at the list below!
Boots / mittens: 56 per cent
Umbilical cord / clip: 32 per cent
Teeth: 28 per cent
Pregnancy test: 19 per cent
Dummies: 18 per cent
1st birthday candle: 16 per cent
Teddy bear: 12 per cent
Maternity clothes worn during labour: 11 per cent
Lock of hair: 11 per cent
Bowls and spoons:10 per cent
Stained bibs: 9 per cent
Slice of christening cake: 3 per cent
Nail clippings: 1 per cent
First dirty nappy: less than 1 per cent
SOURCE: DottyBingo.com poll of 500 UK mothers (2012)
Blog it!
Become a mummy ( or daddy) blogger! This is a great way of recording your thoughts on being a parent, documenting and celebrating your baby’s first year ( and beyond) and connecting with other mums and dads. And who knows- maybe even reviewing some Funky Giraffe bandanas and bibs on your blog too!
Make a Memory Quilt
Making a patchwork record of your baby’s first year is a lovely thing to do. You could include the baby grow they wore when they first slept through the night or the bib they wore, when they first tried solids, or the hat they came home in from hospital. Any fabric item you want to include is fine. Your child will love to hear the story behind the quilt when they are older.
Involve siblings!
If you have an older child, why not ask the baby’s big brother or sister to “write” the baby a letter or draw a picture for them each month? This could be a lovely way of them recording how they feel or what they have observed about the baby during the first year. You might have to write an interpretation on the back, but it is still a lovely way to involve an older child and will also help them to see and understand how the baby is growing and changing.
It’s worth it! Whatever you choose to do, it is worth it in the end when you look back in the years to come.
Over to you! Have you already documented your baby’s first year? Did you choose any of these ideas? If not, do you think you might? Don’t forget to let us know if you have any other ideas you want to share.
