A baby book is one of the best and most memorable photobooks you can make, as few other pictures hold as much sentimental value as those of your tiny baby.
Unfortunately, it is also one of the most difficult photobooks to create, due to the sheer volume of pictures you have likely accumulated. If you have taken thousands of photos of your little bundle of joy during those first few months or years, and never found the time to sort through them, you are not alone! Who has time to organize pictures, when you have a little one to enjoy?
First, I would recommend to focus on the first year of your baby’s life. This will give your book a clear structure, and create some natural, clear-cut boundaries. It is also just a logical limit, that will still allow you to include all those adorable milestones: first smile, first toys, sitting up, crawling, walking, etc.
Secondly, don’t worry too much about organizing all your pictures, all you need to do is select your favorite photos. Sure, it would be nice to have everything organized in chronological order, tagged and archived. But for the purpose of this project, you don’t need to go through all this work. It’s like you’re going on vacation and need to pack a suitcase: yes, you could start by organizing your whole wardrobe, and then choose the clothes you want to take with you, but your end result will be just as good if you just pick your favorite outfits, and leave the mess for another day.
So, pick about 200 pictures that you really like, and make sure to have a good chronological balance, so that each stage is represented. Also, try to include pictures of your whole family, and anyone who is really important in your child’s life: grand-parents, extended family, friends, caregivers etc.
How to structure your book?
When it comes to the layout of your pages, I usually recommend using variety to make sure your book is enjoyable to read, and doesn’t become monotonous. That being said, for baby photobooks specifically, I find that selecting one page layout that you are going to repeat periodically throughout the book really helps.
If you have those adorable monthly pictures of your baby, go ahead and repeat that same layout for every single month. This will create some structure and consistency for your book. You can then insert the rest of your pictures within that existing chronological order.
Finally, if your kids are anything like mine, they will LOVE to flip through these books, as kids notoriously love to look at pictures of themselves. So, if you can, I would recommend getting an extra copy of your baby photobook and gifting it to your child.