Journaling in your child's baby keepsake book doesn't have to be intimidating if you keep in mind a few quick and easy tips for scrapbooking memories of your little one.
Journaling in Your Baby Keepsake Book
A baby journal should answer the following questions:
- Who are the people in the photo? Include their full names and their relationship to your child.
- What is going on in the picture? Aside from what is obviously shown, what will your child want to know about this picture when he is an adult? For example, a picture of your baby starting solids should be accompanied by a description of what type of baby foods you tried first and what foods were his favorites.
- When did the photo happen? If you can't remember specific dates, at least try to provide the season and the year the photo was taken. "Summer 2010" isn't the ideal description for a scrapbook photo, but it's better than having no date at all.
- Where was the photo taken? Remember that your child will probably have very little memory of specific locations during this point in his life when he is an adult. You can't assume that he will be able to tell the picture of him napping was taken at Grandma's house just because her floral print couch is clearly visible in the background.
- Why is this photo important to you? Does the photo showcase the resemblance between your child and another relative? Is it a good illustration of his personality at this particular point in time?
- How does this photo relate to the theme of your baby keepsake book?
The traditional way to write baby journal pages is as if you were speaking to your child when he is fully grown. This is a very sentimental and personal approach, but some new parents find it hard to see past those first sleep-deprived months into a time when their child will have a family of his own. In this case, writing as if you're describing the scene to another friend or family member is a perfectly fine way to approach scrapbooking memories.
If you don't consider yourself to be a very good writer, keep in mind that you can choose to simply structure the journaling in your baby keepsake book as a list or as short photo captions. Your high school English teacher isn't going to be grading your work, so focus on providing the needed information in a format that works for you.
Including Handwriting in Your Baby Journal
Many scrapbookers repeatedly stress the importance of handwritten journaling. However, this doesn't mean you're doomed to scrapbook failure if you can't stand your handwriting. While handwritten text gives your baby layout a personal touch, it's not absolutely essential for scrapbooking memories. There are free fonts available in almost every style imaginable, including many that look like handwritten text. Type your journaling if this is how you feel the most comfortable; it's better to have a baby scrapbook album with typed journaling than a bunch of photos sitting in a shoebox.
If you like your handwriting, but just prefer the convenience of computer-generated text, consider turning your handwriting into a font using the service from Fontifier. After you upload a sample of your handwriting, this unique service transforms it into a font you can purchase to use in your baby keepsake book as well as all your other creative craft projects.