Every milestone in one album, with the cards to mark them. Because the first year goes faster than anyone warns you, and the photos end up scattered across a phone with nothing written down.
What's included
- The album
- A full set of milestone cards
Why it works
- The cards come with it. Milestone cards bought separately end up in a drawer. Here they live in the book they belong to, which is the difference between a nice idea and a finished album.
- Somewhere for the words. Photos capture what they looked like. The album is where you write down what they were like, which is the part nobody remembers later.
- Made to be handled. It's a book. You open it, you add to it, you put it back on a shelf. Nothing to log into and nothing to renew.
- Forgiving. There's no penalty for skipping a month or filling three in at once. Nobody is checking.
How people use it
Most take a photo with the relevant card in it, month by month, and fill in the page afterwards. Some do it properly on the day. Others do six months in one sitting on a rainy afternoon and it still comes out fine.
The useful advice: write more than the date. First tooth is a fact. What they did when the tooth came through, and how many nights nobody slept, is the bit you'll want back in ten years. There is room for it, so use it.
As a gift
It works as a baby shower gift, because it can sit unopened until the baby arrives, and as a new-baby gift, because there is nothing to assemble. If you're giving it, write something on the first page. An album that already has one entry in it is far more likely to get a second.
Materials & care
- Keep it somewhere dry and out of direct sunlight
- Test any pen on a back page before writing on a page you care about
- Let ink dry before closing the book, especially over a photo
Common questions
What if we start late?
Fill in what you remember and carry on. Plenty of people start at four months. The album doesn't know.
Is it only for the first year?
The cards are built around the first year of milestones. What you write in it afterwards is up to you.
Can we use one album for two children?
It's designed as one child's book, and one set of cards comes with it. For a second baby, most people buy a second album so each one has their own.
Does it need anything else?
A pen and, if you want photos in it, printed photos. Everything else comes in the box.
