Chances are, you’ll want to keep every tiny, precious thing that belongs to your tiny, precious baby. After all, every outfit, every toy is a memory. On the other hand, you don’t want to see your home disappear under piles of stain-splattered rompers and bibs!

Don’t let clutter take over your life. Instead, pick a few of the most special baby items and store them in a beautiful keepsake box. It’s a decorative yet compact way to keep your mementoes and is designed to be passed down through the generations. But how do you decide what goes in? Here are ten great ideas:
 

1. BABY’S HOSPITAL WRISTBAND
The first item ever to grace Baby’s tiny body – of course, the hospital wristband should be in there! It will include Baby’s name, their date of birth, weight and height and Mummy’s name. When your little one is all grown up, they’ll look back on it in wonder.

2. A LOCK OF BABY’S HAIR
When Baby gets their first haircut, be sure to hold onto a curl of hair. This long-held tradition results from an old saying: keeping the first lock of Baby’s hair will bring luck! Pop the little lock inside an envelope to keep it tucked away neatly.

3. BABY’S FIRST CLOTHES AND SHOES
Store away the first set of clothes and shoes that Baby ever wore. You’ll feel a swell of joy and nostalgia every time you look at them in the years to come: could that great big kid of yours ever have been so tiny?

4. BIRTH AND BIRTHDAY CARDS
It’s lovely to look back on the congratulations and well-wishes you received when Baby was first born and on their earliest birthdays. You’ll get to pull them out once your child is old enough to read and the two of you can pore over them together.

5. MUMMY’S BABY JOURNAL
Lots of Mummies keep diaries of their pregnancy and Baby’s first year. These little books are perfect time capsules. They capture all the big milestones and lots of little memories you might have otherwise forgotten, like the names you were considering and the foods you craved.

6. A NEWSPAPER FROM BABY’S DAY OF BIRTH
When your child turns 18, sit together and read the newspaper from the day they were born. You’ll be marvelling at how the world has changed, and it will remind you both of how you’ve changed alongside it.

7. BABY’S FAVOURITE TOY
AKA Baby’s first-ever BFF. There’s always that one particular soft toy or soother that Baby reaches for again and again. If it actually gets them to calm down during a tantrum, it might just become Mummy’s BFF, too.

8. PHOTOS OF SPECIAL MOMENTS
Print some of your very favourite snaps and put them together in a little photo album. You’ll probably have bigger albums elsewhere, but this can be a selection of the absolute most precious. Don’t forget Baby’s first ultrasound scan!

9. BABY’S FIRST TOOTH
This one comes later, when Baby has turned Toddler. It’s always a special moment when that first milk tooth pops out. Once The Tooth Fairy has paid her visit, tuck that tooth in a little trinket box for Baby to discover a few years down the line.

10. (NO LONGER A) BABY’S FIRST SCHOOL REPORT!
Getting your child’s first school report can be unexpectedly emotional. Yes, the first day of school marks the end of an era, but the first report is a chance to see how your baby bird flies! It’s a joy to see your child through the eyes of the world and to get to know the person they’re becoming.

Discover gorgeous personalised memory boxes and keepsake baby gifts at  My 1st Years.