Things to keep from your baby’s first year

Babies seem to come with a whole lot of gear, but what items are good to keep from your baby's first year and add to their memory box for when they’re older?

Have a look at these ideas.
 

12 things to keep from your baby's first year

1. Baby name list

 

• Whether you wrote your favourite baby names on a serviette, a post-it or in an email, keep the list to remind yourself of the names that didn’t quite make the cut. Your little one will love finding out what their name could have been.

2. Congratulation cards

 

• No doubt you’ll have received dozens of cards congratulating you on your baby’s birth. And while you may not have the space to keep them all, make sure you save the most precious ones to look back on later.

3. Hand & foot prints

 

• You can either do your own or pay for a company to take a cast of your baby’s hand and foot prints whilst they're still small. You could also coat their hands and feet in washable paint or ink and make up some prints at home. In years to come, you’ll love looking at how much they’ve grown.

4. First painting

 

• It may not be the best painting you’ve ever seen, but it’s their first and will be fun to look back on.

5. First family photo

 

• It's hard not to take photos of your baby, but saving the first one is a must. Make lots of copies to keep in case some go missing and to give to the grandparents.

6. First pair of baby shoes

 

• Unlike some of your baby’s other clothing, their first pair of shoes will have barely been worn and will look as good as new.

7. Growth records

 

• Your baby will grow quickly so it’s a good idea to document how much they’re progressing by keeping a record of their weigh-ins with your GP or Plunket nurse.

8. Hospital band

 

• This is a great keepsake to show when and where your baby was born. It's amazing how soon you forget how small their wrists were!

9. Lock of hair

 

• Whether you wait until your baby’s first haircut or sneakily cut a few strands off when they’re asleep, a lock of hair is something special to keep.

10. Newspaper published on date of birth

 

• Years later there’s something magical about reading about what happened in the world on the day your little one was born.

11. Scan pictures

 

• As the first ever photos of your baby, you absolutely have to keep these safe. And when they’re older, they will love looking at photos of themselves growing inside you.

12. Umbilical cord stump

 

• This isn’t a keepsake that every parent will want to save, but some mums feel it resembles the connection they shared with their baby throughout their pregnancy.

 

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^{Image source: Star Child}