Recommend your Baby book/ journal / keepsake

[jkgal]

hi! preparing for my hospital bag and just noticed that i do not have a baby book. then look at border or B&N. i am having a girl - and find most of the memory book/ keepsake / journal are too frilly or girly haha. nothing against it

but i wanted something more neutral and modern. can you recommend yours? or where i can find nice choices?

want to bring it with me to the hospital so i can have them put the foot print.

also did anyone use the hand or footprints similar to this?
http://gifts.redenvelope.com/baby/deluxebabykeepsakekit-30000224?viewpos=1&trackingpgroup=rbbsl&ref=REDorganicgglbrand_red%2benvelope

http://gifts.redenvelope.com/gifts/keepsakebabyprintsornament-30002454?viewpos=8&trackingpgroup=rbbsl&ref=REDorganicgglbrand_red%2benvelope

Thanks in advance!

[citymama]

I loved ours - made by Carters, of all places - that I found at BRU. I don't know if they have the same exact one still (I bought it 4 years ago) but it was totally gender neutral and not frilly at all. Here are some other options from Carters:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=carters+baby+book&x=0&y=0

The Sweet Pea book looks similar to ours and could work for what you're looking for.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Day to day I preferred a calendar to a book. Each day I would write something, whether it be a milestone, special event, an outing, or just daily routine stuff (very handy to refer back to with future kids so you can remember what it was really like!). When I had the time I'd transfer the main stuff to our baby book. With ds1 I had a special Baby's First Year calendar but with ds2 I just used one of the many calendars we already had laying around after the "Goodnight Moon" one I bought turned out to be useless (boxes too small, only some pens wrote on it...).

I didn't do the imprints, just a page in the baby book. However, before they were 3m old I took both boys and got their feet prints on a picture frame at one of those paint your own pottery places.

Go to Etsy and search through the baby memory books there. There are a ton of great looking ones to chose from!
http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=handmade&search_query=baby+memory+book

Beth

[baymom]

Okay, not exactly a baby book or keepsake, but something that I've done is keep a "Baby's First Year" calendar for both my kids. I bought them at Hallmark but have also seen them at Bed Bath & Beyond. There are stickers in the back for things like 'first smile, 1st Drs appt, 1st tooth, ect.. But mainly, I love it because it is just a small space for me to jot down the day's highlights. I always thought I would do a baby book and even bought one that I loved at the time (5 yrs ago) but just never filled it in. The calendar has been great...just a short 3 min thing to do before going to bed each night. My kids are 3 and 5 now, and I STILL keep one for them--it's become a habit!

[wellyes]

I found a blank journal much more useful. I just write in happy thoughts, things I remember, things I want her to know. Whenever she has a milestone I write in it; whenever she cracks me up, I put the anecdote into the book.

Recently wrote her a letter into it talking about her grandfather (my FIL) who just passed away. She's too young to understand but I'm glad I got to tell her all about him while it's still fresh in my mind..... but that's not the kind of thing there is space for in regular baby books. Will give the book to her when she's older.