Record your favourite memories of a little one's early days by making a baby scrapbook, filled with milestones, experiences and special moments together.
Before you know it, that tiny newborn will be off to school and you'll be wondering where the time has gone – so it's never too early to start capturing it all on paper!
Whether you're making a scrapbook for yourself or looking for a thoughtful baby shower gift, we have baby scrapbooking ideas to inspire you across a range of styles and themes.
Main image credit: Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash
What do you put in a baby scrapbook?
A baby scrapbook is the place for all your special memories of your little one's first year. You could create a page for each month from birth to toddler, or focus on specific milestones and important days that you want to remember.
For each memory it's best to include at least one photo, as well as some text to record your thoughts.
You may also want to add other keepsakes and mementos to your scrapbook, such as ultrasound photos, hospital tags, letters, tickets from days out, or drawings by a big brother or sister.
List of baby firsts for scrapbook
'Firsts' are a popular topic for baby scrapbooks – after all, there are so many in those early months!
You could record milestones such as their first smile, first attempts at rolling or crawling, a new tooth, early steps or their first word.
Or how about commemorating first experiences, including their first day in the world, first meetings with siblings and relatives, first bubble bath, or first taste of solid food?
Significant days also make fun themes for scrapbook pages. You could tell the story of the day they started nursery, went on holiday, or played in the snow for the first time.
And don't forget special occasions such as their first Christmas or Halloween. These are great opportunities to dress your little one up for a cute costume photo shoot!
How to start a scrapbook for baby
To start making a baby scrapbook, you first need to decide on the style of book you're going to make.
A popular option is to buy a ready-made scrapbook album that contains blank pages for you to create your layouts on. Alternatively, you could make your layouts individually and then store them in page protectors within a ring-binder.
Whatever you choose, make sure you look for archival quality materials that will ensure your scrapbook stands the test of time.
Next, decide on a theme. Having a consistent design theme or motif will help tie your scrapbook pages together.
You might be inspired by a colour (sweet-shop shades and pale pastels are ideal for baby scrapbooks), or you could let baby's interests or nursery décor guide you. From farm animals to flowers, jungle creatures to rainbows, there are theme ideas to suit every style!
Now you're ready to start making your pages. Each page needs five main elements: a title; a photo; journaling; accents or embellishments; and a background or border.
To see how these elements work together and for gorgeous layouts to inspire your creativity, skip to our baby scrapbooking ideas below.
Where can I buy a baby scrapbook?
You can find baby scrapbooks in all big high street stationers (such as WHSmith, Ryman and The Works), as well as dedicated craft shops such as Hobbycraft.
If you're shopping online, try stores such as The Mad Scrapper, Papermaze and LoveCrafts.
Here are some of our favourite scrapbooks:
1. We R Memory Keepers album
This leather D-ring album from We R Memory Keepers features a 13x15x3-inch cover with five 12x12-inch page protectors inside, enabling you to keep your layouts safe and secure.
It's a great option if you prefer to make your scrapbook pages separately rather than working directly into an album, or want a scrapbook that you can come back and add to at a later date.
Extra page protectors are sold separately, so you can tailor the number of pages in the scrapbook to suit your needs.
The album is acid free and archival quality. It comes in a range of colours – as well as traditional pink and blue there's also classic white and bright orange or yellow.
2. Papermania scrapbook
A simple, sophisticated album that you can really put your stamp on, this 12x12-inch scrapbook is perfect for capturing memories and more. It's also available in a smaller 8x8-inch size and comes in either white or rustic brown.
It includes 40 sheets of 200gsm paper and is closed with a pretty satin ribbon tie. The smooth, thick, durable paper means you can use adhesives, pens and even paint without worrying about anything bleeding through to the next page.
This spiral-bound album opens flat to make it easy to create your layouts, and the plain front means you can also customise the cover for an extra personal touch.
3. Personalised kid's scrapbook
With its customisable cover, this personalised scrapbook for baby would make a lovely gift. It measures just over 8 inches square and includes 24 heavyweight, acid free 280gsm pages, with the option of adding more in multiples of 12.
- Buy the Personalised kid's scrapbook scrapbook from Not on the High Street
Baby scrapbooking ideas
1. Ultrasound pictures
Start your scrapbook with your very first baby photo! That special glimpse of baby at their initial ultrasound scan is the perfect theme for a layout.
We like how this 'Life on the Inside' page by Carlisle980 shows baby's growth in four different images, with journaling hidden behind.
2. A growing bump
As well as the inside, don't forget to show the outside too! Document the progression of the pregnancy with a sequence of bump photos, including dates for each and the story of how you first found out.
Amy Schneider has used lots of images for her 'The Belly Bump' layout, with the number of months shown using hand gestures in each picture.
3. Mum or Dad to be
Every baby scrapbook needs a page dedicated to their parent(s) to be. You could answer questions such as: How were you feeling about baby's arrival? What were you doing to prepare? How old were you, and where did you live?
In this layout from Evelyn Pratiwi Yusuf, a single image provides the focal point, with cleverly placed embellishments drawing the eye into the centre.
4. The day you were born
It's the big day! Celebrate baby's arrival with a special layout and your favourite newborn photo. You may want to record their full name, the date and time of birth, and their weight and length.
For her 'Worth the Wait' layout, Chefs Wifey writes about meeting her son for the first time, and surrounds a cute photo with beautifully mismatched patterned papers.
5. First footprints
Tiny baby hand and footprints make an adorable addition to any scrapbook layout. Babies' hands don't uncurl until they're around six months old, so footprints are easiest to take in the very early days. Try an inkless kit for mess-free printing.
We think using footprints to make the letter 'V' in 'love' is such a clever idea! Kariyava's project also features a trio of photos and a sweet pastel colour theme.
6. Family tree
Tell a little one all about their family with a layout that focuses on the generations before them. As well as names, you might want to include photos, birthdates and their relationship to baby.
In her 'Family Tree' layout, Corrin has mounted pictures of four generations onto a stylised patchwork tree, with a bigger, central picture of the youngest making him the focal point.
Quotes for a baby scrapbook
Every scrapbook page needs a title, but it can be tricky to come up with the perfect headline. You want something catchy, and not too long, that captures the theme of your page.
Try a line from a favourite poem or story book, or browse slogan nursery wall art on sites such as Etsy for inspiration.
Here are some popular baby-related phrases and sayings to get you started:
- Ten little fingers and ten little toes
- Bundle of joy
- Hello… I'm new here
- Enjoy the little things
- Cute as a button
- Sometimes the smallest things take up the most space in your heart
- Oh baby!
- Eat, sleep, repeat
- Dream big little one
- I love you to the moon and back
- Welcome to the world
- You are my sunshine
7. Monthly milestones
A great way to show how much baby has grown and changed over their first year is to create a scrapbook page for every month. Make sure you include plenty of journaling to record new skills and personality traits as they emerge.
In her collection of monthly pages, Traci Reed shows how one layout can be reused without becoming stale. But our favourite thing about this design is how she's matched the theme to her baby's sleepsuit!
8. The world around us
When you're in the 'baby bubble', paying attention to current events may be the last thing on your mind – but telling the story of the world around you can be a lovely way to tell your baby's story too. What was in the news on their birthday; who were the important political figures; what songs, films and TV shows were popular; how much was a pint of milk?
Create a 'This Day in History' layout for the day your baby was born, like this one from Nettio Designs, tailoring the topics to your location and interests.
9. First haircut
It's a special day when they go to the hairdresser's for the first time, so make it one to remember in your baby scrapbook. You might want to include before and after photos, and a description of how it went – did they sit still or were they wriggly?
For her 'My 1st Haircut' layout, Scrap2K features a sequence of images in the salon, plus a photo of the finished haircut, and also includes a lock of her baby's hair.
10. A toothy smile
What could be cuter than a big gummy baby smile? Teething can be hard (on parents as well as little ones!), so celebrate the arrival of that first incisor with a baby scrapbook layout.
To create this 'First Pearly Whites' page, Scrapmomof4 has used a colourful under-the-sea theme with shiny pearl embellishments. We love how well each element works together.
11. The nursery
For many parents, preparing the nursery is a big part of getting ready for baby's arrival, so why not include it in your scrapbook? If they don't have their own room, you could write about their crib or a special teddy instead.
Sew Scrappy Day uses her baby room layout to highlight the handmade details that made her son's nursery so special.
12. On the move
Suddenly that sleepy, still baby isn't so much of either anymore! Remember those early milestone movements with a baby scrapbook page all about how they rolled, crawled or stepped for the first time.
Laura Vegas's layout 'Look at me, I'm crawling' shows how you can use ready-made, matching collections of papers and embellishments to create a perfectly coordinated page.
All kitted out
Not sure where to start? Get all the supplies you need in one easy parcel with our guide to the best scrapbooking kits.
Capture memories in a baby scrapbook
Baby's first year can pass in a blur of busy days and sleepless nights, so making a scrapbook is a wonderful way to remember the moments you never want to forget.
Even if your kids are older now and you're well past the baby phase, it's not too late to put those memories down on paper.
Not only will your scrapbook be something for you to treasure, but your little (or not so little!) one will be fascinated to look through it with you too.
Enjoy reminiscing about all those precious moments and milestones as you create your very own baby scrapbook – we hope we've inspired you to give it a go!
Shop for stash with Gathered
To make your baby scrapbook you're going to need card, paper, pens, stickers and more. Check out Gathered's guide to the best scrapbooking supplies for all the stationery you need in your stash.
