7 Best Baby Journals and Baby Memory Books for Busy Parents
Do not have time for scrapbooking? Here are low maintenance-nothing too complicated baby journals and baby memory books to capture the early years of your baby.
It feels like you were getting ready for your baby’s arrival yesterday, and today you are celebrating your bundle of joy’s first birthday. The first year of a baby’s life flies really quickly.
With all the overwhelm of caring for a newborn to baby’s first smile to baby’s first word to introducing solids to baby taking the first step, everything goes by so fast.
The best way to keep those memories alive is to jot it down when it happens. All the baby’s first-year milestones are worth capturing in words and photos.
Yes, we all want to capture every milestone of a baby’s early life, but it doesn’t always happen. And I don’t blame you if it’s not your priority when you are a new sleep-deprived mom or learning how to breastfeed your baby.
But as time passes, you will love revisiting those ‘baby’s firsts.’ So, recording baby milestones, photos, and memories in a baby journal or a baby memory book is what you need to start doing.
Yes, I am aware that you don’t have all the time in the world to DIY baby books. Because of that, I have compiled a list of carefully selected baby journals and baby memory books that are low maintenance-nothing too complicated-do once a week kind. These baby journals will let you capture all those memories and moments of the baby’s first year and beyond without being a burden while you are going through a postpartum haze.
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What is Baby Journal?
Also known as baby memory books, baby keepsake books, baby books, and baby milestone books are a great place to write baby’s milestones, moments, birth story, baby’s birth stat, birthdays, your experience and preserve those memories and moments to revisit years later.
Types of Baby Journal
There are two types of baby journals or Baby memory books.
Traditional Baby Journal
Traditional journals are ready to use a journal that you purchase, and it already has prompts or not (depending on your choice) to get you started journaling your baby’s milestones and moments. In addition, traditional baby keepsake journals are available in all kinds of themes and sizes; whether you want a detailed baby journal or something simple, you can get it easily.
Digital Baby Journal or Printable Baby Journal
Digital Baby journal or printable baby journal is journals to print it at home and use it as you need. With printable baby journals, you have more flexibility to make your journal DIY kind by adding your own page as you want. A digital baby journal’s content is no different from a traditional journal, with the added flexibility of printing as many times as you wish for multiple kids. (It’s better to have a similar journal for every child!!)
7 Best Baby Journal and Baby Memory Books for Busy Parents
The first few months with a newborn are really busy for parents to get used to a new addition to the family. But finding 10-15 mins once a week for journaling your baby’s milestones is something that you can fit into your schedule. Here are the 7 best baby journal and baby memory books to preserve your baby’s milestones and memories for busy parents.
1. My Baby Book: Memories & Moments
This woodland theme, a gender-neutral printable baby book, is specifically designed to keep busy parents in mind. The month-to-month baby journal comes with pre-written prompts and designated space for the baby’s photos.
The pre-written prompts help you capture essential milestones of your baby’s first year and the flexibility of extending it up to five years if you wish to continue documenting your baby’s journey beyond the first year.
This beautifully designed 49-pages My Baby Book includes,
Before Baby’s Arrival
- Cover page
- All about my Mommy
- All about my Daddy
- My Parents
- All about my Brother
- All about my sister
- When they first find out the news
- A letter for baby
Welcome to the World
- Cover page
- Hello! Little one
- My Birth story
- Coming home
- My tiny hands
- My tiny feet
- Growth Chart
- Teething Chart
- Family tree
Milestones + Birthdays
- Cover page
- Milestones
- Month 1-12 journal
- Month 12+ beyond journal
- My first B’day to fifth B’day Milestone pages
- My first B’day to fifth B’day party memories
- My first B’day to fifth B’day cake memories
2. Mixbook Personalized Kid’s Book Unicorns and Ice Creams by Hello!Lucky
Looking for a creative way to document your baby’s first year without spending too much time. Mixbook offers a customizable baby photo book that looks exactly like a high-end glossy magazine.
Once you sign up with Mixbook, you have an option to choose size, paper type, shape, and cover page from softcover to leather-bound. Then start designing your baby photo book by adding baby milestone photos, inserting text, adding stickers to an already provided layout to make it your personal touch.
It is heavy on baby photos with the option for adding text where you want. It is excellent for parents who want a baby photo book.
3. All About Me Baby Journal
This simple, cute, affordable baby journal will let you capture the baby’s first-year milestones and moments. It is about 50 pages with space for baby milestones, birth story, baby’s hand, and footprint without much bluff.
The nature-inspired theme makes this baby book suitable for a boy or a girl. I like that this baby book isn’t bulky, and you can carry it with you anywhere you go. This baby book is very straightforward and doesn’t go into much detail about how parents got engaged or married (for single mothers), or description about a baby shower(if you didn’t have one) and all. However, it has a very general page about parents (which makes it great for same-sex parent), attaching baby shower pictures.
This baby book is very affordable, made with high-quality paper that will last you forever and won’t take much of your time journaling your baby’s first year.
4. Baby, You’re Here!: A One-Line-a-Day Baby Memory Book
This one-line-a-day baby memory book will help you highlight the baby’s life daily without being too much pressure. You can record your baby’s early memories and moments in customizable “firsts” and blank sections.
Baby, You’re Here! The day-to-day journal lets you write tiny details about a baby’s everyday life, such as the first time the baby smiled at you, the first time they lifted their head or their mischief. The daily pages are divided into three sections and have plenty of space to write 2-3 sentences each day.
Besides daily pages, weekly pages with prompts are super helpful for documenting your baby’s weekly moments. Monthly milestone pages, growth charts, family trees, and immunization charts are also part of this super simple journal.
This journal is great if you are more into writing small details of your baby’s everyday life. However, it does not have a space for attaching baby photos. So, if you are looking for a balance between journaling and photos, this baby book is not for you. It is mostly for journaling every single day of your baby’s first year.
5. The Wonderful Baby You Are: A Record of Baby’s First Year
Not into documenting a baby’s life on an everyday basis? You can’t go wrong with this super cute baby book with whimsical illustrations to journal your baby’s first year. Unlike other baby books with series of firsts and photos, this book will let you document your baby’s first year as an evolving story.
The book has sections for monthly milestones, family history, prenatal phase, and plenty of space for photos and keepsakes. This book includes all the important milestones without being excessive.
This book is the best ready-to-use baby book if you do not want to be overwhelmed and still want something cute and meaningful to pass onto your kids when they grow up.
6. Memory Baby Book: Birth to Five Years
This all about baby book is to document your baby’s first five years of life in only 52 pages. So, without being overwhelmed about filling every detail of a baby’s life, this baby book lets you document essential milestones of your baby’s first 5 years.
This baby includes pages to write pregnancy story, birth story, page for footprints and handprints, monthly milestones (1-12 months), 1-5 birthdays, baby’s first day of school, space to write baby’s special milestones, and blank pages to document any special milestone or occasion.
You can also turn the blank page into a keepsake for the baby’s hair or hospital bracelet by adding an envelope. And also comes with coordinated milestone stickers.
This baby book is specifically designed for a girl child and can be used by single parents or same-sex parents.
7. Baby Books First Year Memory Book – Little Rainbow Memory Book
If you are looking for a straightforward baby journal that will allow you to document memories with simple prompts and photos, this baby memory book is for you.
Unlike other journals with open-ended writing prompts, this journal needs only photos and few words added to each page. In addition, the colorful rainbow theme throughout the journal will take pressure off busy mama to make baby journal aesthetically pleasing.
This journal includes pages for prenatal happening (ultrasound photo, note to baby), birth announcement, footprints, 1-12 months milestone, all around the world, family tree, favorite things, my firsts including holidays, 1-5 birthdays, the first day of school, and blank pages for journaling and scrapbooking.
FAQs
Do I need a Baby Journal?
It’s totally up to you. If you have a pregnancy journal allowing you to jot down the first year of your baby’s life, you don’t need a baby journal.
While you may feel like you don’t want to keep a baby journal as you will be super busy with your baby, wait until your baby starts showing her ‘firsts.’ You will want to capture your baby’s first smile, the first-time baby lifts her head, the first word, first crawl and sneaking out of her bouncer.
You also want to capture the weird thing that your baby does, like hitting the head on your chest, baby biting while breastfeeding, or shaking their head side-to-side. If you don’t jot it down when it happens in a baby journal, you will likely forget about it in a month (or week!).
Trust me, the first year of a baby’s life flies, and before you know it, you will be singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to your little bundle of joy. Keeping a baby journal or a baby memory book is a great way to remember every single milestone of your baby’s first year.
Depending upon the type of baby journal, it also prompts and guides you to write down the things that are most important to capture.
If you don’t want a baby journal, you can also choose to record the memories by creating an online photo book. Mixbook is a great platform that allows you to create a photo book if you don’t want a traditional baby journal.
What do you write in a Baby Journal or a Baby Memory Book?
Depending on the type of baby journal or a Baby memory book you have, you can write as detailed as you want or as simple as you want it to be. For example, some baby journals are very detailed and include space for every single milestone of your baby for the first 5 years. Others are straightforward and prompt you to jot down important milestones of your baby’s first year.
Majority of baby journal or baby memory books includes space to write down baby’s milestones (first smile, first word, crawling, first birthday, etc.), attach photos, stories, teething chart, family history, baby’s birth stat, birth story, growth chart, and parent’s experience.
What to look for in a Best Baby Journal?
Baby journals or Baby memory books are available in a variety of designs and styles. Here are few features to consider when choosing the best baby journal to document your baby’s milestones and memories.
Timeframe
Some baby journals cover the first year of a baby’s life, some cover nine months of pregnancy and baby’s first year, and other baby books cover the first five years of a baby’s life and beyond. So, before you purchase a baby memory book, think about the timeframe you want to document.
Content
Depending upon how much time and energy you want to put in a baby journal, there are plenty of options. Do you want a baby keepsake journal with lots of pictures? Or want a baby journal that gives you lots of space to write? Or want a baby memory book with prompts to help you get started with your journaling? Some baby journals come with pre-written prompts, while others are blank journals. There are also digital baby journals that let you upload your baby’s picture without much of a writing part if that’s what you want.
Ready to use or Printable Baby Journal
If you are a DIY kind, the printable baby journal is an excellent option for you. You can print the baby journal pages and add your own as you wish. Ready to use baby journals are also a great option if you want something to keep by your night table or carry with you.
Style
Baby journal or Baby memory books are available in a variety of styles. While styles are limited in ready-to-use baby journals, printable baby books are available in pretty much any theme you want. So get it in pretty pink, blue, or gender-neutral, depending on the gender of your baby.
The most important thing to consider while purchasing the type of baby journal is to choose something that you can commit to documenting without being overwhelmed by it.
7 Best Baby Journals and Baby Memory books for Busy Parents I Conclusion
I wish, we parents, have all the time in the world to document every single memory of baby’s first year and beyond. But, unfortunately, we have only 24 hours a day and zillion other commitments.
But this shouldn’t stop you from documenting your baby’s important milestones and memories to live those moments years later. This list of the 7 best baby journals and baby memory books will document all the important milestones and memories of your baby’s first year and beyond without being extra pressure on your shoulder.
I highly recommend getting digital My Baby Book: Memories & Moments for anyone looking for a straightforward, multiple-use journal with the option of customization (in case you find extra half an hour for a change). The guided prompts in this printable baby book will help you document all the important milestones and memories of your baby once a week. The digital journal will fit whether you are a traditional or non-traditional family. You can decide to print pages based on what you want to include in your baby journal.
If you are looking for a ready-to-use journal, I highly recommend The Wonderful Baby You Are: A Record of Baby’s First Year. This journal is very cute, minimalist, gender-neutral, includes all the important milestones without being excessive and stressful for you.
That being said, regardless of which baby journal you end up choosing, make sure to document you’re your baby’s journey because trust me, the first year of baby’s life flies, and you will be wondering years later when your baby said ‘mama’ or ‘dada’ for the first time.
Good Luck and Have fun documenting your baby’s journey!!
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