FOR AGES 0 MONTHS TO 1 YEARS
Baby photo books are so much more than your standard family photo albums.
When you take the time to create a baby photo book, you're creating something that you will treasure forever, but also that your own child will be able to take with them through life, learning about how they grew and the experiences they had with you in their early development. With a baby photo book, you and your partner can look back with fondness as you remember your little one's first year, and cherish the moments that really made you a family.
Whilst that first year feels long in some senses, it is also incredibly fleeting - blink and you'll miss it. You spend so much time preparing your family for your new arrival, that before you know it, you'll find yourself celebrating the first birthday of your new baby and wondering where the time went. A baby photo book (they can also be called a baby memory book) is a perfect way of preserving that year so that you can put all of the photos, stories, and milestones in one album.
We've researched the best baby memory books around, from those that encouraged creativity with customisable pages, to one line journals, and scrapbooks for a more collage-focussed approach. If you're searching for further inspiration for how to treasure that first year, Kidadl has also picked the best baby handprint kits, and we've done our research on the best moses baskets, too.
This is our favourite baby memory book because of its elegant illustrations, chic design, and carefully crafted pages. It's also neutral in its reference to family, making it one of the more inclusive photo books we found and therefore suitable for babies of any gender and more modern families. The artwork is gorgeously rendered by illustrator Korie Herold - it's refined without being too precious, and focusses on natural imagery and neutral tones. Designed as a keepsake to be pored over for years to come, you can fill the pages with any photo, memory, or story you like, as well as completing Herold's unique suggestions: finish the family tree, for example. This is a really special baby book and also one of the best value photo books as there are so many details within.
This is a sophisticated, elegant option to either gift or keep for yourself! It doubles up as both a photo book and a memory book, so that you can store and display all of the treasured memories, stories, and photos of your baby. The photo book is handmade in Britain using traditional methods - meaning no flimsy digital printing - all from a Wiltshire book bindery. The leather is recycled, so is super sustainable, and you can also rest assured that it will stand the test of time. Plus you get to choose from several dreamy colours (we're particularly partial to the pale pink and ivory) as well as the colour of the words printed (who doesn't love a rose gold?). There are forty pages inside of thick cream coloured acid free photo card, so images will stick to it no problem and you don't have to worry about any pens bleeding through. Best of all, the album can be personalised.
This is an unusual option in lieu of the more traditional baby photo books or albums, but is no less good for that. There are 12 fold-and-send style letters for you to write and seal, so that you can give them to your kids when grown. Fill the letters with memories and heartfelt hopes (there are prompts to help), date them, and tuck them away - like a time capsule for the future. Who says a baby book has to be saccharine?
Personalised books for baby come thick and fast, but this one is too beautiful not to include. Papier products are always of exceptional quality, and this hardback photo book delights. Celebrate your bundle of joy's precious memories using Papier's online editor. Simply choose a cover, upload photos, customise layouts and captions, and voila! The paper of this album is also sumptuously thick: it's one of the more luxurious photo books and would make a great baby shower gift. It'll also stand the test of time, as a photo book made of such exceptional paper all bound in hardback.
Another of the more inclusive baby books, this album is dotted with wonderfully whimsical animal characters that line its 90 pages. We love that it's structured like a story, providing prompts and guidance for you to follow as you record your baby's early years. Detail the day you first found out about your baby's arrival, as well as their birth and ensuing 'firsts' - first Christmas, first birthday, first day of school. There's also a yearly growth chart and a keepsake envelope in which you can store special bits and bobs safely - think a lock of hair or hospital bands, maybe a sonogram print: whatever you deem important enough for such an heirloom!
We hear you, parenting a baby in its first years is exhausting, so the effort of compiling a photo album or book can seem daunting. That's where this one line a day album comes into its own. Record the important moments alongside the small - but no less significant - ones. Celebrate the year's milestones with customisable sections on your baby's first times, whether that be their holiday or birthday, and record details like your child's favourite food or their growth. Thankfully, compiling a baby book need not be overwhelming with this snazzy album.
Sometimes you just want a baby photo album that does what it says on the tin. This album is specifically designed for small hands to hold - it's made of easily wipeable thick board pages with curved borders - so your little one can turn its pages whilst learning about who's who in their family. The book is made up of 16 pages with one photo per page. Choose from 10 background colours and customise the spine and cover. Plus, there are little animal illustrations that you can also include, which provides a unique way of teaching young children the words and sounds of furry friends.
This book is particularly contemporary in design: it will sit happily on any bookshelf without looking out of place. It's also very smart on the inside, and offers your child to record memories and moments from birth through to age sixteen. At the very front is a dedication page - perfect for a gift message - and you can request the book to be sent in a presentation keepsake box, gift wrapped, or with a handwritten greeting card should you choose to do so. Stylish but modern, this album moves away from more baby-focussed memories as it progresses, charting your child's growth over time. The pages prompt responses from both parent and child, and has growth charts by which you can chart things like height or shoe size. 'Make your mark' pages allow for hand and foot prints, and prompts such as 'what makes you happy?' and 'your best quotes' allow both your own and your child's imagination to soar. We're particularly taken by the prompt 'what's the naughtiest thing you've done this year?', as we're sure this will encourage some responses that will provoke fond embarrassment and nostalgia down the line. The questions and prompts are all-inclusive too, and the book ends with a note to the subject's future self. A perfectly charming book to treasure through the years.
Kidadl Best Buys selects the top parent-recommended products across the web for families of all ages. If you liked our suggestions for the best baby photo albums, why not also check out our list of the best baby fancy dress - suitable for all things birthday, Christmas, Halloween, or even if you are planning on dressing your baby up for a snazzy photoshoot. Perhaps you're looking at purchasing a unique toy for your baby, in which case these rocking horses are an original gift to consider, and come Kidadl approved.
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