Simple Baby Book Options if Your Life is a Pinterest Fail

Raise your hand if all of your children have up-to-date baby books? And now all of you overachievers can put your hands down. It’s 2016, and ain’t nobody got time to jot down how much your child weighed every four weeks of their lives, every time they got a runny nose, and the exact date their right central incisor tooth first appeared. Unless you are a dentist, then by all means…

Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong decade. For example, I much prefer 90’s country music to whatever it is that country artists are trying to make happen these days. Likewise, I have to confess that I was a total scrapbook junkie until a few short years ago when I discovered Shutterfly and made them do most of the work for me. I definitely should’ve had babies in the late 90’s/early 00’s when I could’ve helped my Creative Memories rep make millions on cropping tools, glue dots, and embellishments.

Simple Baby Book Options | Houston Moms Blog

Needless to say, when it was time to pick out a baby book for my first son, it was a job I took most seriously. I researched and shopped for weeks until I found this one, which was something that was a combination of fill-in-the-blank and create-your-own pages. I updated his book every single month, without fail, and for every milestone and holiday and also included pages of all SIX baby showers we had, including the sign-in pages, ultrasound pictures, maternity pictures, both sides of the family tree, and the story of how we reacted when we found out we were expecting {spoiler alert :: total surprise!}. Though I am a pretty humble person, I think this baby book is a masterpiece, a total page-turner. Like, I’ll probably end up in the Baby Book Hall of Fame for it one day. #humblebrag

But in all seriousness, it was a really fun book to put together, and I’ve completed it up to his third birthday. So, when it came time for baby number two, I assumed I’d have the same ambitions with his baby book.

WRONG.

First of all, I didn’t even order his book before his due date. Honestly, I just took it out of the box a few hours ago to take photos for this post. But it’s really pretty, and I just know that one day I’ll get around to it. I’ve taken notes of his milestones and have pictures and mementos stored away to include in his book that I hope to complete before we submit his Pre-Kindergarten applications.

The good news is that in addition to the fancy baby book I made for my first son, I also made a digital book of his first year. Why? I have no idea, except that Shutterfly sends me about 15 emails a day, and in a moment of weakness I caved. Fortunately, it wasn’t too difficult to create a similar book for my second child when the guilt started to set in that I hadn’t even cracked open his baby book. After all, I don’t want him to have second-child syndrome and think he got the shaft when he someday sees all the effort I put into his big brother’s book.

Simple Baby Book Options | Houston Moms Blog
My boys’ baby books {Tessara, Shutterfly, and Chatbooks}

I think it’s interesting to see how far baby books have come in the last seventy years. My grandmother-in-law, Mimi, still has the baby book for my mother-in-law and her siblings, and it’s an absolute treasure.

Simple Baby Book Options | Houston Moms Blog
Baby Book from 1947

It asks for information such as ::

  • Circumference of baby’s wrist at birth
  • Date of first street car ride and who witnessed it
  • First trip to a big circus
  • Immunization date for scarlet fever
  • High school transcript
  • Public appearances
  • Photo of the baby at “old-age”

My mother-in-law has my husband’s baby book, and she did such a great job of keeping it updated. So much so that it has his weight and height when he was 13. No pressure, right?! I get a kick out of all of the bright colors and random questions included in it like “Baby’s Daily Schedule.” Obviously, babies born in the 70’s kept to a predictable enough daily schedule that it was worthy of inclusion in the baby book.

Simple Baby Book Options | Houston Moms Blog
Gotta love the gender neutral baby book {thank you, 1970’s!}

So, if your life is a Pinterest fail, rest assured that there are simple baby book options available to document your baby’s first years.

  • You can always go the digital baby book route, like I mentioned above. Shutterfly has a really user-friendly interface and allows for add-on options like the very handy memorabilia pocket.
  • If you are on Instagram, then Chatbooks will change your life. Just sync your Instagram account to the Chatbooks app, and after you’ve uploaded 60 pictures, they will automatically send you a small photo book of your snapshots. It’s so handy, and the book and pictures are an impressive quality for only $8 {including shipping}! There are a few kinks I’ve run into with their subscription system, but their customer service is above par, and they quickly helped me get things straightened out.
  • Qeepsake is a new online journal that has recently emerged on the baby book scene. Basically, you enter your phone number, and Qeepsake texts you one question per day about your child. Your response to the question is documented in an online journal that you can keep in your online account or print into a memory book.

The good news is that regardless of whether your child has a baby book or not, they will {most likely} grow up to become a well-adjusted adult. Baby books are undoubtedly a great way to document the early years, which no one remembers all that clearly anyway. So don’t feel guilty guessing about when they took their first steps. They’ll never know the difference!

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Brittney F
Originally from Louisiana, Brittney has called Houston home for nearly all her life. Brittney graduated from Houston Baptist University where she was a member of Phi Mu and a four-year cheerleader. It didn’t take long after graduation for her to meet her husband Jeremy on the sand volleyball courts at Memorial Park. She jokes that when marrying Jeremy, she also married LSU because she tied the knot with the most passionate Tiger football fan. Many weekends in the fall, they can be found in the shadows of Tiger Stadium at their big family tailgating party. Brittney has a Master's Degree from LSU and works in secondary education as an administrator and a cheerleading coach. Brittney and Jeremy have three boys, Connor {Nov 2012}, Parker {Nov 2014}, and Ryan {May 2018}. Brittney is a big baby-making, food allergy fighting, NICU surviving mom. Though she grew up surrounded by hairbows, pom poms, and lots of pink, Brittney now embraces being a boy mom. She loves raising her three boys and learning all about superheroes, baseball, and the pain of stepping on a lego when barefoot. In her kid-free time she enjoys working on craft projects, getting lost in a good book, and watching Grey's Anatomy.

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