Before you know it, your little one won’t be so little anymore! You’ll be planning a first birthday party, after what feels like only just bringing your baby home from the hospital. Time is such a thief and unfortunately, we have no choice but to let it happen. As the time passes, there will be a lot you want to save, to look back on one day. While you have the option to create a memory box for your baby, there are also very creative ways you can preserve all those sweet moments.
As an adult, it’s always fun to look back on those childhood memories and reminisce with your family, and I know one day, your child will feel the same way. Think about what is important to you to save, or what might be fun for your child to have in the future. Maybe you want to keep some favorite clothes, or the first pair of shoes, the teeny tiny hospital band or your first family picture. There are so many precious memories to keep, and there are even more creative options of what exactly you can do with them all:
Memory Quilt
Your little one will grow out of clothes so fast, and instead of keeping them all folded nicely in a box to pass down to siblings or even grandchildren one day, think about turning some of them into a quilt. If you are creative (and confident!) enough, feel free to try this on your own. You may also find a talented seamstress somewhere that can help you. I had one of these made for me, at my baby shower, to pass down to my children and it was truly the most special gift I could have ever received.
DIY Shoe Growth Chart
Not only do little ones grow out of clothes quickly, they also grow out of shoes so fast! This is a creative way to put some of those tiny shoes to use and document your child’s growth from year to year or even season to season. Little kids always find it fascinating to learn just how small they once were, so I’m sure this creative keepsake will be so fun for them to look back on one day!
Keepsake Shadow Box
This is a fun way to have your baby keepsake items proudly displayed for all to see! Create the shadow box to fit your style, and include whatever is important to you. A shadow box can easily be recreated for all of your little ones. Make each shadow box unique, just as all of your children are unique in their own way.
Resin Letters
Resin is a thick gel-like substance that is used in the crafting world to create a variety of items. Think of it as clear glue, in which you can add color, glitter, small items, confetti, etc. to it and it will dry as a hard plastic material, in whatever mold you place it in. (There is A LOT more involved with it, but you get the general idea)
Using resin is trendy right now, and understandably so because it is so versatile and the final product can be something so beautiful. I love these keepsake letters that can be displayed in your baby’s nursery. Fill the letter mold with a few keepsake items, and once dried you truly have a one-of-a-kind piece, to save for many years to come.
Resin can be tricky to work with, so make sure to do some extra research if you plan on DIYing this one. And wear a mask while working with it!
Keepsake Ornament
What a sweet and practical way to preserve some special mementos for your little one. This is sure to be your favorite ornament on the tree year after year. A precious reminder of how fast your little one is growing.
If you don’t put up a tree for the holidays, or don’t want to make an ornament for your tree, you can use this same concept (but use a different shaped clear container) in other ways. Fill the clear container with sand or small rocks to create a paperweight, or use an ‘ornament’ to hang off of a door handle or display on a shelf in the nursery. Be creative and do what works for you!
Stuffed Animal
You can upcycle the clothes your little one has grown out of, and create a stuffed animal they will cherish forever. Similar to the blanket idea above, if you have the sewing skills to do this, make it happen! There are also talented seamstresses out there who will be able to help if needed. This is another really great way to keep the memories but in a practical way.
Baby Binder
You might not have the room, the time or even the desire to create a full blown baby keepsake box, but you might, however, be able to slide pictures, invitations, drawings, etc. into a plastic sleeve of a binder. A baby binder is easy to store and takes up little space on a shelf. You can easily pull it out to add to it, and it doesn’t have to be beautifully displayed or organized. As your little one gets older, have them decorate the binder with stickers, allow them to be creative too!
In addition to all of these, you always have the option to get creative and make dozens of keepsakes with your little one’s handprint or footprint – kids love to see how much they have grown over the years, and your Mama heart will cherish those sweet keepsakes as well.
However you choose to save your memories, I encourage you to find a system that works, because one day you will be so happy you did. When the messes are gone and the house is quiet again, you’ll love to pull out your children’s keepsakes and reminisce on how fast those years went. Your children will also love to look back on their childhood in this special way. You get to make these memories once, might as well save them, somehow, forever!