Filling in a baby book: what to write and how to do it well

A blank page, the baby book open, and no idea where to start. Or you're a few months in already and feel guilty about everything you haven't kept up with. Both are easy to fix.

Here's what to write, how to keep it short, and what to do if you've fallen behind. If you're still looking for a format that suits you, making a memory book for your child helps you choose between paper, a photo book and an online diary with photos.

Who you're writing for

Most parents write for three readers:

1. Themselves, twenty years from now. You want to be able to look back and get the feeling back.
2. Your child. Once they're old enough to read it, they'll want to know who they were.
3. Family, right now. Grandparents and aunts who are following along.

Once you know who you're writing for, the tone sorts itself out: personal, warm, with details that bring the moment to life.

What do you write in a baby book?

Birth details

The basics. Note the date and time of birth, birth weight and length, place of birth, and who was there. Add the first photo, including the one from the delivery room where you look completely wrecked.

Add a few sentences about how the birth went. The feeling of that drive to the hospital, the waiting, the moment afterwards. It doesn't need to be a medical report.

The first weeks at home

Chaotic, overwhelming, and that's exactly why they're worth recording. What did your baby do first that surprised you? How was the first night at home?

Pick one or two moments a week that stayed with you most. You don't have to describe everything.

Monthly milestones

In the first year your child changes visibly every month. Each month, note down:

• Weight and length (if you keep track)
• What's new: rolling over, sitting up, babbling
• What your baby loves doing most
• What an average day looks like
• Something funny or touching that happened

Add a photo, taken in the same spot every month. The same chair, for instance. Later on that gives you a series where you can really see them grow.

The big firsts

Moments you'll definitely want to record:

• First real smile (a social one, not the sleepy grin): the date and what set it off
• First time sleeping through the night
• First tooth: which one, and when
• First solid food: what it was and how your baby reacted
• First attempt at crawling
• First steps: date, place, who was there
• First word: exactly what, and in what situation

Personality and habits

The most valuable section, and the one that's filled in least. This is where you record who your child already was in that first year:

• How does your baby react to strangers? Curious or wary?
• What makes your baby laugh?
• What settles them fastest?
• Does your baby already have a clear favourite toy, song or book?
• What is your baby like at night? A calm sleeper or wide awake?

Twenty years from now, these are the details you'll miss most if they aren't written down anywhere.

How you feel as a parent

Later on, your child will want to know who you were too. Write honestly about how it went: the lack of sleep, the uncertainty, the love you sometimes didn't know how to carry.

One sentence a week is enough. Short and concrete sticks far better later than a long description written after the fact.

Three sentences now beat a long write-up later

There's no minimum and no maximum. Some parents write a detailed entry every week; others do it monthly and keep it to three sentences and a photo.

Waiting until you "have enough time" doesn't work. That time never comes. Three sentences in the moment are worth more than a long account pieced together from hazy memories three months later.

A few months behind: how to catch up

Lots of parents only start recording things properly after a few months. That missing stretch feels bigger than it is.

You can always fill it in afterwards. Go through your photos by date, scroll through old WhatsApp messages, ask the grandparents what they remember. Even brief notes written after the fact give you more later than an empty chapter.

Digital baby book: always to hand, never lost

A digital baby book lives on your phone, you add photos straight away, and everything is stored safely in the cloud. You look things up by date instead of searching "somewhere in that one notebook".

In Ouderliefde you add memories by date, write a note with them, and everything sorts itself onto a timeline automatically. Filling in the past works just as well. Co-parents can both contribute, so the baby book stays complete no matter which parent your child was with that week.