Looking for a journal to keep all of your new baby’s firsts and other memories?
I spent weeks, maybe even months, trying to find the right baby book for me. Everywhere I looked, I couldn’t find a book to match my story, which was ultimately the most important part to me in selecting a book. I searched and searched trying to decide on a baby journal. It finally came to my due date and I still hadn’t ordered one. I finally decided on one, but I still felt it didn’t fully fit my situation.
After a lot more research, my top pick for best baby memory book is the All About Me Baby Journal. Why is it the best? It is so flexible, it will fit any family situation, which is ultimately what you look for in a baby book.
The All About Me Baby Journal is my personal favorite because it is so versatile. But not everyone is sure to like it! Here it is, along with some other bests, that vary depending on what you are looking for.
Best Baby Memory Books and Keepsake Books 2019
1. All About Me Baby Journal
Best Simple Baby Memory Book
So why the All About Me Baby Journal? You want it to match your story and be tailored to your family.
Features
The most important aspect in looking for a baby journal was that I wanted it to fit my story. I didn’t want to have blank spaces in it where I wasn’t able to fill in the information. For example, I’m not married. Some books have a whole page about getting engaged and married. This isn’t something I wanted in my baby book. The All About Me Baby Journal has a space to talk about parents, but doesn’t go into detail about the engagement and wedding and so on.
This book works for any parent. A lot of baby books out there have a page that says something like “All about Mommy” and one that says “All about Daddy”. The All About Me Baby Journal gets rid of those specific terms and just says “parents”, thereby working for same sex couples, unmarried couples, etc.
Design
In filling out my baby memory book, I often came across milestones that I hadn’t recorded the exact date of and then felt stressed trying to fill in certain pieces of information. Filling out a memory book for your child shouldn’t be a stressful exercise. The simplistic All About Me Journal makes sure it’s not too difficult to fill in the blanks after some time has passed. Just by looking back at photos, you should be able to fill in any blanks even if you’re like me and don’t take detailed notes!
Some baby memory books are religious or centered on a particular world-view, really limiting the audience that they will fit. The All About Me Journal is not religious, although if you wanted to include something like a baptism in it, there is room to do so.
Special Dates and Pages
Baby Shower
I’ve seen some books with 3 or 4 pages dedicated to the baby shower. If you didn’t have a baby shower, this probably isn’t something you want in there. The All About Me Journal does have a spot to put a picture from your baby shower, but you could easily put a different picture there if you didn’t have one.
Footprints and handprints
There is a place for footprints and handprints. I do like that this book isn’t super bulky either, so it isn’t a whole lot to pack if you want to bring it in your suitcase to the hospital to get these prints done when your baby is born.
Around the world
Most baby books have a space to describe “what the world was like when you were born.” Some are really detailed, and ask for the price of a gallon of milk, current price of a stamp, popular songs, and so on. The All About Me Journal does have a section for this, but it isn’t very detailed. It asks who the president was, what was in the news, and a couple of other current event type questions.
Possible downfalls?
It isn’t super informative
The All About Me journal doesn’t ask for every single detail. I personally like this, but I know people who have a journal that they write in every single day for their children, so if you are someone like this, it may not be what you are looking for. Instead of asking for every single milestone, it has a page for each month and a space to fill in a special memory from each month.
It’s expensive
You can easily find an array of options for half the price of this book. Is it worth the extra price? If you are struggling to find a baby book that fits you and your family’s story, I’d say it is worth the price. Like I mentioned before, I initially ended up getting a book that I wasn’t fully happy with just because I was running out of time (and wanted the book in time to get my baby’s hand and footprints done at the hospital!) Then I was left with some empty pages because they just didn’t fit my story. I ended up spending more, in the end, to get the book that better fit my needs. So yes, in my opinion, it is worth spending a little bit more to get a book that matches your story.
2. The Lil’ Peach Train Memory Book
Best Baby Memory Book for Boys
The Lil’ Peach Train Memory Book is a great option if you’re looking for a cheaper baby book. It does have a narrower audience in that it does talk about Mommy and Daddy, their wedding day, and has a few pages about the mother’s pregnancy as well. But if this story fits you, I say this is a great option!
3. Lucy Darling Baby’s First Year: A Simple Book of Firsts Memory Book
Best Baby Memory Book for Girls
When you have a little girl, you want something that’s just as sweet as she is. That’s when you can turn to this adorable First Year Memory Book from Lucy Darling. The whole book features a rustic floral theme that perfectly reflects the current trends. This book starts with some pregnancy pages, then it has pages for each month after baby is born. There’s an area for handprints and footprints, as well as areas for baby’s firsts and holidays. This book covers all the way until the 5th year, where you can put your kiddo’s first school picture! Even though there is limited space to write, there are some blank pages at the back for any extras. It’s just one of the top baby books, period.
4. Mom’s One Line a Day
Best Baby Journal Book
If you’re someone who keeps a daily journal, it’s worth taking a look at Mom’s One Line a Day. This is a different style of baby book in that it doesn’t have room for pictures and doesn’t ask for firsts or anything like that. But it does give you a place to keep a daily account of things that your little one did that day.
It has one page for each year, and spans five years. For example, March 5th 2017-2021 all will share the same page. It’s kind of neat in that once you hit the one year mark, when you write in it each day, you will see what your child was up to a year ago that day.
5. My Baby Time First Year Memory Book
Best Book for Storing Baby’s Keepsakes
The My Baby Times First Year Memory Book doesn’t allow for a whole lot of details, and it’s only a baby’s first year book. But it does have secured pockets to keep things like your baby’s hospital bracelet, your pregnancy test, ultrasound pictures, and so on. I like the idea of this as sort of a secondary baby book. It doesn’t allow for many descriptive memories, but it does keep all of your child’s little keepsakes in a safe place.
6. Hello World Calendar
Best Calendar Style Baby Memory Book
If you’re looking for a calendar style journal, I do recommend the C. R. Gibson Hello World Calendar. It’s pretty simple, and fits any family. The only issue I really had with it was that I felt the need to fill in every day at first, and then once my son got older I had issues finding something to write each day. After a while, there is a bit of a lull between milestones!
There is a spot for a picture each month and it leaves room for some details about your child’s favorite things each month. It comes complete with a bunch of milestone stickers that are fun to place on the calendar.
7. Promptly Journals – Childhood History Journal
Best Childhood Journal Book
If you are like me, you got older and got married, and your mom handed you about 5 different memory books to span your first 18 years of life. The Promptly Journals- Childhood History Journal book looks to consolidate all that. So rather than just documenting baby’s first year or baby’s first through fifth years, it goes from pregnancy to age 18. There are 254 pages to fill, and the book has prompts just in case you aren’t sure what to put. There’s spaces for photos, footprints, and other keepsakes, too. The linen cover is gorgeous and timeless, so it will grow easily with your child.
8. First Year Memory Book: Letters to My Baby
Best Baby Letter Memory Book
This 10 inch by 7 inch book has spaces for all of baby’s memories. The unique thing about the First Year Memory Book: Letters to My Baby book is that it comes with paper, over 200 stickers, and other scrapbooking gear to help you make letters for baby. There are prompts that will help you write down all your thoughts and feelings into sealed letters for your child to read when they get older. Honestly, there are fancy companies out there selling something similar for a much higher price, so this is a great idea for a baby memory book on the cheap! Plus, they make another First Year Memory Book: Letters to My Baby for years 1 through 5, so you can have a cute set.
9. Artifact Uprising Baby Book Photo Album
Best Modern Baby Memory Book
Some parents don’t want the slightly kitschy and childish design that a lot of baby memory books have. The Artifact Uprising Baby Book Photo Album is amazingly simple. It has a nice fabric cover, real binding, gold or copper foil lettering, and 100 pages to fill. It has some of the normal baby firsts and baby book pages, but it’s updated and truly modern, with pages that help you focus on the everyday moments that make up life. Plus, this book comes with photo adhesive, a really nice ballpoint pen, and photo credits to help you get started. Yes, this is a very expensive baby book, but if you want something outside the norm, then this is the baby memory book for you.
10. Ronica First Years Baby Memory Book & Baby Journal
Best First Years Memory Book
While most baby books really focus on that first year, this book distributes the attention and space evenly across the first 5 years. You can buy it in gender neutral or gender specific themes. No matter which design you choose, the pictures inside are cute and fun and bright. 60 pages have room for a 4×6 photo and a few notes. You capture monthly ages, plus the big days like dentist visits, doctor visits, holidays, and even pregnancy. There’s room for a family tree, too. If you want a classic and fun first years memory book for your child, then the Ronica First Years Baby Memory Book is for you!
My Recommendation
I strongly recommend the All About Me baby journal for anyone looking for a simple, and broad baby journal.
That being said, overall, it is important to try to get any details about the baby book you’re purchasing beforehand because you don’t want to get a book that makes what should be a fun exercise overwhelming or stressful for you! If you are someone who jots down every detail about your little ones, then you may want a more descriptive book. If you have more of a “non-traditional” family like me, I’d strongly recommend checking out the All About Me journal because I found it broad enough to fit into any family.
