Starting a family has the power to make most of us sentimental, as we all love the idea of collecting memorable objects as our little babies grow up. That’s why we spoke to Kirsty Prankerd, Managing Director of sentimental keepsake company Write From The Heart, who gave us her guidance on how to put together a baby keepsake box.
A baby’s life is full of firsts, from their first lock of hair to their first words, so why wouldn’t you want to keep these memories for years to come? In fact, according to Lloyds Bank, more than a quarter of Brits (27%) keep sentimental items in their home — some with the equivalent of nine boxes or more full. In this article, I’ll be telling you how to make a keepsake box to store your baby’s special memories in.
How to start a keepsake box
Your memory box should be as unique as your little one, so there are no strict instructions on how to start it. But remember, the bigger the box, the more you can fit into it. So, if you’re planning on collecting items for years to come, you’ll need to take this into consideration.
Since this box is going to be so personal to you and your child, it’s a great idea to customise the outside of it too. You can buy keepsake boxes from speciality personalisation companies who can add names, dates, and photographs for decoration. Or, if you’re feeling more creative, you can make your own with an empty shoebox.
What to put in your keepsake box
Because it’s so personal to you, you have the freedom to add anything to your keepsake box at any time. You can even start collecting things before your baby is born. Some ideas of what to include are:
- An ultrasound picture
- Baby’s hospital wristband
- Their first clothes worn home from the hospital
- Congratulations cards from when they were born
- A newspaper from the date of your baby’s birth
- A coin made the year they were born
- Their first lock of hair
- Their first tooth
- Footprints and handprints (you can get these cast in plaster, or printed by dipping their hands and feet in paint)
- Their first dummy
- Their first toy or blanket
- Their first drawing
- Their first photograph as a newborn
- Their favourite book
- A pair of baby shoes, mittens, or socks
You can stop collecting any time you want. Some parents only collect mementos for up to a year, but you can keep adding any photos and memories as your child grows up, such as:
- Awards, trophies, and medals
- Photos from their first holiday
- Their first passport
- A photo from their first day of school
- School reports from each year
- School photos
- Any sports team photos
- A birthday card from each year
- Pictures of pets
- Tickets and mementos from events and experiences
You can even write letters looking back on each year or keep a baby diary so you never forget any memories that would otherwise be difficult to store.
Don’t go overboard
As tempting as it might be, try not to keep every single thing from your little one’s childhood, otherwise you could end up with boxes upon boxes of pictures, school tests, and toys. It’ll also make any mementos you’ve collected feel less special, so try to only keep the things that truly mean something to both you and your child.
As your little one grows, you might be tempted to keep all of their baby clothes as a reminder of when they were small, but this will only take up valuable space that could be used for other memories. As a sentimental solution, you can create a blanket from them. This means you can still keep and use each piece, and you’re not filling up a box with them all.
You should also keep taking stock of your keepsake box. Remember that this is a place for you to store memories so, if you come across an item and you don’t remember why you put it in there, get rid of it.
Work together or give your keepsake boxes as gifts
Making a keepsake box is a lovely way to collect memories for you and your child and, as they get older, you can make it a fun activity to do together. Or, you could secretly collect each item and give it to your child on their 18th or 21st birthday as a charmingly sentimental gift.
Memories are some of the most precious things we have, and keepsake boxes offer the perfect way to keep and share these memories for years to come. They’re easy enough to do and, once you have your box, you can keep adding special mementos to it for as long as you like.
