Ideas for Newborn Baby Souvenirs

• After having a baby, you will want to remember every moment of his newborn days. Unfortunately, those first few days are often lost in a haze of diaper changes, feedings and very little sleep, along with the challenges of mom's physical recovery. Save any items you think you will want to keep in an easy-to-reach box or basket, and you can sort them later on when you have more time and energy.

Photographs

• Photos are perhaps the best souvenir of the newborn days and can conjure up many memories when viewed as baby grows. Take as many photos as you can. Use a digital camera to store pictures on one of the many free online photo sharing programs to easily share photos with friends and family and allow for quick printing when you have time. You can even make birth announcements in many of these programs. Print out photos for an old-fashioned photo album of your baby's first days when you have time.

Clothing

• If you bought a special going home outfit or other first outfit for baby, save it in a special place. Include the clothing, the hat and even the socks so you can see how tiny baby was in his first days. You may even want to tuck away an unused diaper with the outfit. Also save any handmade or special items from baby's first days that you may want to pass along to future generations. Try to only save clothing that is special for that individual baby since you may want to use other items for future babies.

Newspapers

• Purchase extra copies of your local and national papers from the day baby was born. Looking back to see what happened that special day is both interesting and educational, especially since both parents were probably too distracted to notice at the time.

Cards

• Save congratulations cards from well-wishing family and friends. Baby will enjoy seeing how many people were excited for him to come into the world when he is older, and mom and dad can use them to write thank-you notes if needed.

Journal

• Mom and dad should try to keep a brief journal of baby's birth and first few days. Even jotting down thoughts and feelings once or twice a day will create a special record of what mom and dad were experiencing with their new baby. Parents and baby will enjoy reading this journal for years to come.