I wish I had thought of that

[orchidsonabudget]

What are the things you wish you had done when babies were small
Or traditions etc?

I know it’s a bit cheesy but I wish I had used those milestone cards to take nice photos, or a photo once a month on the same blanket etc to show growth and development. I have hundreds of photos but none like that. Would be nice to look back on!

Yes.
I had a book of cute things my kids said but life got in the way and I haven't done many

Taken more videos. I have lots of pictures but only a few videos and they are so much better.

Made a record of who said what when. I thought I would remember but I can remember the occasion but often have no idea who it was. I also can’t recall age of walking/first word for them all.

I did actually do this so I don't know if it counts!

Every year on their birthday I take a picture of them with their age. I try to be creative with the number (holding a number balloon etc.) It's lovely to have an album with all kids on the same page at exactly the same age. I wonder if they'll still indulge me when they're adults

First day of school every year, film them, ask them how old they are, who their teacher is and who their best friend is. As Ds1 is now 18 I struggle to remember his teacher's names, I do have all his reports so could look but a video would have been so much nicer.

For babies, one picture every month for the first year.

I heard of some people setting up an email account in their child's name and then every birthday each year (or if something big happens) they send that email account a 'letter'. Just things they're doing or what's happened over the year.
Then on their 18th birthday they give them the email account to open and look back on!
I could still start it I guess a few years later

Only one a month? I took more than that a day!

My best friend's dad made a little video of himself every year on her birthday talking about the last year, what he was proud of, funny things she'd said etc. He started the night after she was born, and just kept it going. He played them all on her 18th at her birthday party. We were all in bits by the time he'd finished! I always said I'd do the same when I had kids, but I just never quite seemed to manage it...

I did a daily photo diary for the first couple of years. So lovely to look back on. I wish I’d had those nice cards though. My friend is a graphic designer and she gets her boys to write how old they are, what year they’re going into and what they want to be when they grow up their first day of each year. Wish I’d thought of that. Seems to be a bit late to start with DD now.

Can I add to this. Don't stop taking photos when they are grown up. My son died when he was 28. We had hundreds of photos of him as a child. Hardly any of him as an adult. I'm taking lots of my other two now. But I'd love more of my eldest son as a man.

I set up an for my dd. Every month I email her all of the pics of her from the month before. She's 8 lol

An email

More videos! Have plenty of photos but not so many videos.

I took a photo every month till DD was 1 on a particular blanket with a jellycat teddy I'd bought her before she was born. She's about the same size as it in the first photo and it's lovely to see the comparison.

I wish someone had bought me milestone cards.

Wish Id taken more videos.

Wish Id got more professional fotos taken.

Take photos of their art work and put them in a scrapbook. Saves having to keep hundreds of bits do paper but a nice way to save them memories.

I kept track of DC1s language development but not DC2s. I remember DC2’s first sentence. And then he could talk normally. I assume there was a bit in between but I can’t remember it.

Also video them talking when they were toddlers (people probably do that all the time now anyway).

Making sure all photos and videos are backed up on a cloud or storage, I lost my phone and subsequently lost the first three years of my children’s lives in photos and videos, it still hurts my heart now!

I did 1SE for DS’ first year, a mixture of video and photos. It’s such a nice memento.

With my third baby, I take a photo of her laying on the same blanket, with the same teddy every time she turns a month older. So you can see her growing against the blanket and the teddy getting smaller.

Only, she stated to walk just before 7 months and will not lay on her back for love nor money (nappy charges are done standing up 😂). She’s 10 months now and it’s been interesting trying to get the past couple! Two more months to go, not giving up now!

After spending hours trawling through photos for a relatives big birthday book, I wish I’d written at least dates on the back of photos and who is in them for the really old ones!

My first baby, I kept a baby book journal religiously from pregnancy until he was 3. It’s so lovely to look back on , a diary of his first few years, I wrote in it every few days.

Second baby I managed to keep it up for a year.

My ten month old - I think i last wrote in it at 6 months and the last entry was a couple of months before that