It's instinctive to save life's little bits and pieces: old valentines, ticket stubs, pictures from the prom. These scraps help recall who you were, what you did, and how awful your hair was back then. Now, as a mom, you want to record every moment with your sweet baby, but who has the time? If you need an easier option than the endless fill-ins of a store-bought baby book, then give scrapbooking a try. It's creative, it's fun, and, best of all, you can do it with your friends.
1. Invite friends -- the more the merrier
Nearly every new mom wants to document the big (and little) events in their infants' lives. "I found it extremely rewarding to watch the scrapbook grow along with my child, from day one through the toddler years and beyond," says Elisabeth Bergoo, a mom of three in Marietta, Georgia, with decades of experience.
Setting aside a specific time to work on the book each week ensures that you'll have some "me time," or you can meet up with friends to make the time more social and fun. Not only can you share supplies, but you can also bond over those late-night feeding sessions and the spitup on your shirt. So take advantage of this guilt-free way to put your husband on baby duty, grab your photos, and head out.
To learn more, check out websites like www.ScrapJazz.com or www.Scrapbooking.com, which can point you to "scrapper" clubs in your area.
2. Smile, baby! Use pictures to say it all
Photos are the heart of scrapbooking, so if you don't already have a camera that you like, consider getting a new one. It doesn't need to be very pricey, it just has to take reliable shots. The key here is to get one you're comfortable with so you'll always bring it with you -- babies do the cutest things at any moment of the day.
Keep your photos in one place so you don't have to search for them when you're ready to work on your book. "Photo boxes store and organize your pictures by date, event, or theme," says Erica Oesterreich, a mom of two in Portland, Oregon, and the founder of PersonalScrapper.com.
Jennifer Kelly Geddes is the mom of two girls in New York City and senior associate research editor at Parenting.
