As much as we may wish otherwise, sadly, childhood comes with an expiration date. Therefore, a baby keepsake box is a worthwhile purchase for moms who want to cherish baby-related memories. Keepsake boxes don’t have to cost much – they can be made at home from an ordinary storage or shoebox, perhaps decorated or covered in pretty wrapping paper or other cheaper alternatives like cloth bags, grocery bag, newspapers, among other things. Anything else your imagination can suggest- but almost all baby retailers carry premade baby boxes if you’re not feeling creative, or you’re simply pressed for time.
What to Include
Items to include in your baby keepsake box can vary according to your desires: there’s no prescribed list of “essential” items. As with all things pretty, the Internet is a great source of inspiration when you’re planning one for your baby. A memory box doesn’t have to be too cutesy, though. It can hold treasured items to tell your child about their origins and their family: think about including pictures of parents and grandparents, a letter from you, old photographs of family homes, or information about the family tree.
A Time Capsule of Babyhood
If you want to create a memory box that’s essentially a time capsule collection of babyhood items, then you can start before your baby is even born. Think about including ultrasound images, and photographs of you and your partner while you’re pregnant. Once baby is born, think about little items such as hospital wrist bands, a copy of the front page of a respected national newspaper from the day your child was born, first toy, first socks or baby shoes, first photo after birth, and congratulations cards from family and friends.
Locks of hair (in ziplock bags) and first teeth are also popular souvenirs. If this doesn’t appeal to you, think about including photos of various milestones (first steps, first solid food, first haircut, first holiday). In a digital age, hard copies of personal images are increasingly rare, so think about creating an annotate photo album- some stores will do this for you, or you could simply buy an album and annotate by yourself.
Ultimately, what you’re doing is creating a record to show your child how important they are to you, and how much they’re cherished and loved by you. Because of this, memory boxes are incredibly personal, so don’t feel that you “have” to include a certain item just because others are doing so.
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