The "Non-Crafty" Mom's Guide to Creating a Baby Book

I am one of those "non-crafty" types of people who is not interested in spending hours at a Creative Memories party or even an afternoon cutting and pasting to make an intricate scrapbook. I have friends who love to do this kind of thing and have beautiful albums for each of their children-some have albums for every year of each child's life. I used to feel badly about the fact that scrapbooking is not my chosen hobby, but I have come to the conclusion that I can still put together a baby book that my child will cherish in future years. If you are also in the "non-crafty" category, here are some baby book tips for you:

1. Don't be afraid to use a baby book you buy at the store. These are actually beautiful books. All you have to do is fill them in and add photographs. I am using these books for both of my sons. They cover all the basic baby birth and growth information plus a lot of extras like the family tree, holidays, dedications or Christenings, family gatherings, world events, and more! Many of them go all the way up to school age or beyond. There is usually lots of extra room in these books to add additional comments or photographs.

2. Add ultrasound pictures and any prenatal diaries you may have written to the front of the book. Even if there are not pages for these types of memories, probably your child will wonder what you were thinking and feeling before they were born.

3. Save newspaper clippings, cards, crafts, and coloring pages. Some baby books have pockets that you can simply put these into. In my baby books, I just put them in between the pages for the year they were from. It may not look as great as if they were scrap booked, but my sons will still have these momentos to enjoy in later years. As a side note, just save the best/favorite items, as your off-spring will probably not want every single coloring page they completed or card they received as a child.

4. Be sure to fill out the book regularly. Sometimes we as mothers get busy and forget to take the time to do little things like update a baby book. It is important to do this often, so we can remember the cute things that our children say and do. When your baby learns to walk, get out the baby book and write the date down right away so you do not forget. Include funny things your toddler and preschoolers says, that he or she will enjoy reading later on. Do not forget to add important birthday and Christmas events.

In conclusion, do not feel like just because you are not a crafty person, your child cannot have a wonderful baby book. Just the fact that you took the time to fill out a baby book and save momentos is a special gift to your child.