What to Put in a Baby Memory Box

If you have recently had a baby, you have probably already started collecting little bits and pieces you cannot bear to throw away. The hospital wristband, those tiny first clothes, the cards from family and friends. Before you know it, they are all tucked away in different drawers and cupboards, and you cannot remember where you have put half of them.

That is where a baby memory box comes in. We have been selling personalised gifts at Born Gifted since 2003, and a good keepsake box is something we would recommend to any new parent. Here is what we would put in one, along with a few ideas you might not have thought of.

First, the box

A memory box is simply somewhere to keep the small things from your baby’s early years that you will want to look at again: the hospital wristband, the first outfit, the cards, the scan picture. The box itself matters more than you might think, because it will be opened and closed for decades.

Wood is king, as far as we are concerned. Our personalised wooden keepsake boxes are popular because they are sturdy, made to last and look the part on a shelf.

Buy bigger than you think you need, preferably with a bit of depth too. A hospital wristband and a few photographs do not take up much room, but once you add the first outfit, baby shoes and birthday cards, the space soon disappears. Check the internal measurements before you buy, as some boxes look bigger in photographs than they actually are. Go too small and you could need a second box before they have started school.

What to write on a memory box

It is entirely a matter of taste, but we would suggest the baby’s full name and date of birth as a minimum. Many of our designs have room for the birth weight, the time of birth or a short message as well, which is a nice touch if there is space. Our advice is not to overcrowd it. The box will hopefully be around for a very long time, so something simple and timeless usually works best. If you are buying it as a surprise, double-check the spelling and the date before you order; names and dates are the two things that cannot easily be put right afterwards.

What to put in a baby memory box

There are no rules. It really depends on what you want to remember. But some things turn up in nearly every memory box, and for good reason:

• The hospital wristband. One of the first things your baby wore, and probably the smallest bracelet they will ever own. It is quite something looking back at just how tiny it was.
• The scan pictures. The very first photographs of your baby. They fade over time, so keep them out of the light, or have a copy printed.
• The going-home outfit. The clothes they wore to leave the hospital. Wash them first.
• Their first shoes. Impossible to throw away, and they take up less room than you would think.
• The cards. New baby cards, christening cards and first birthday cards. Keep your favourites, particularly those with lovely handwritten messages inside.
• A pregnancy journal or a few notes. When you first felt them kick, the names you nearly chose, the cravings. It does not have to be a proper diary; a few pages in your own handwriting are enough.
• A lock of hair from the first haircut. An envelope or a small bag keeps it tidy.
• Hand and footprints. A casting kit for a three-dimensional version, or a baby-safe inkless printing kit for a flat one. Do them at a few weeks old and again at a year and you will have a before and after.
• The first dummy. When the time comes to give the dummies up, whether to the dummy fairy or anyone else, keep one back.
• The comforter. The one they could not leave the house without. You may have to wait a few years before they are prepared to part with it.
• The first drawing. It will go on the fridge first. When it comes down, it goes in the box.
• The first Mother’s Day and Father’s Day cards. The baby obviously did not write them, but a scribble or a handprint inside makes them worth keeping.
• A playlist. The songs that were playing around the time of the birth, or the music you had on during those first sleepless weeks. You cannot put a streaming playlist in a wooden box, but you can write the track list down.

A “born in” time capsule

We particularly like the idea of turning part of the memory box into a little time capsule. Alongside all the baby keepsakes, why not include a few things that show what life was like in the year they were born? It could make fascinating reading when they are older.

• A newspaper from the day they were born. A national paper for the big news, or the local one, which is often the more interesting read later on. Some parents also pay for a birth announcement in the local press and keep the clipping.
• Coins from their birth year. A full set of that year’s coins is a nice touch, but even a single pound coin with the right date will do.
• What things cost. Write down the price of a loaf of bread, a pint of milk, a litre of petrol and whatever else you buy every week. Imagine looking back and discovering what a loaf cost the year you were born.
• What was popular. The songs in the charts, the programme everyone was watching, the film of the summer. A handwritten list is all you need.
• A family photograph. One of everyone, taken in the first few weeks. Print it; do not rely on the phone it was taken on still working in twenty years.
• A letter from each of you. To be opened at eighteen, or twenty-one, or whenever you decide. Grandparents often like to write one too.

The more unusual things people keep

Every family has its own idea of what counts as a keepsake, and some go further than others. An unused first nappy, kept purely to remember how tiny they once were. And, at the more unusual end of the scale, the dried umbilical cord stump, which we suspect is not for everyone. If it means something to you, though, there is no reason not to keep it, as long as it is completely dry and stored separately from everything else. It is your box, after all.

Write it down

If you take one thing from this guide, make it this. Keep a small notepad and a pen inside the memory box itself, or a note on your phone that you only use for this. Whenever your child does or says something you know you will want to remember, write it down there and then, with the date.

It might be their first word, an expression they have invented, or something completely ridiculous announced over breakfast. You will be certain you will remember it. You will not. The first outfit and the wristband are lovely things to keep, but twenty years from now, some of those scribbled notes may turn out to be the most valuable things in the box.

Keeping it all in good condition

A few practical points, because a memory box is only as good as what is still readable when it is opened.

• Keep the box somewhere clean and dry, away from damp and out of direct sunlight. A wardrobe shelf is better than a windowsill.
• Wash fabrics before they go in, and make sure they are completely dry.
• Photographs, scan pictures and newspapers can fade or deteriorate over time. Keep them in acid-free envelopes or photo-safe sleeves, and consider making copies of anything particularly important.
• For digital photographs and videos, make sure you have a backup somewhere other than your phone. Phones get replaced, accounts get forgotten and files have a habit of disappearing when you least expect it.
• Label things as you go. A date on the back of a drawing takes two seconds now and saves an argument later.

It does not have to stop at babies

Most memory boxes start with a new baby, but there is no reason to close the lid at one. School photographs, certificates, swimming badges, programmes from the nativity play and the odd spectacular report card all belong in there too. Some families start a second box when the first one fills up, which, as we said earlier, tends to happen sooner than you expect.

Weddings are the other occasion people like to keep things from, and for those we also sell personalised wedding guest books and photo albums.

Buying one as a gift

Parents usually buy the memory box for their own baby, because they are the ones collecting all the bits and pieces from the day the baby arrives. But a grandparent or a close friend buying one as a new baby or christening present is far from unusual, and it is a thoughtful gift, especially if the parents have not got round to it themselves.

If you are giving one, a personalised baby photo album alongside it makes a good pair. And a word on timing: most of our personalised gifts take up to three working days to make, and it varies by product, so check the delivery estimate on the product page rather than assuming every box has the same turnaround. Some have an expedited option with same-day production and next-working-day delivery, subject to the cut-off time and availability.

Whatever you decide to keep, do not leave it too long to get started. It is surprising how quickly those first few months disappear, along with all the little things you thought you would remember forever.

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