Making the Most of Your Baby’s First Pictures

Nothing is sweeter than a new baby. While it’s true that they keep you up all night, it’s hard to look away even for a minute, it seems. Babies grow and develop at a fantastic pace during their first 12 months, and so it’s easy to feel that you might miss out on something big in just a blink of an eye. This is perhaps why parents go crazy taking pictures of their little ones.

In this day and age of the post-film era, smartphones, memory cards, and Facebook and Instagram all make documenting a baby’s firsts become way more accessible. No more sending photos to the grandparents via snail mail. Sharing is almost instant and real-time, thanks to technology. Everyone agrees that a baby’s firsts are genuinely share-worthy.

Your Baby’s Developmental Milestones

A baby’sdevelopmental milestonesare behaviors or physical skills observed as they grow. During the first months, rolling over, babbling, sitting up, crawling, standing, and walking are the most exciting milestones.

During the baby’s first year, a baby’s growth can be described as nothing short of breakneck speed. The baby’s weight will double by its fifth to sixth month and triple right around its first birthday. With this, your little onelearns new things rapidly. Below are some of the more share-worthy poses you can capture every month:

• Month 1: Move head from side to side while on the prone position, sound recognition, especially parents’ voices
• Month 3: Support the upper body with the baby’s arms while on the prone position, open-shut the hands, push down on legs when on a firm surface, babbling, smiling, crying with cessation of play
• Month 7: Sitting up unsupported, explore object using the hands and mouth, responding to own name, enjoys peek-a-boo games, distinguish emotions by tone of voice, crawling
• Month 12: Walking, saying “dada” and “mama”, begin to use objects correctly (such as drinking from a cup or combing the hair), simple gestures (such as shaking the head fornoor waving “bye-bye”)

Note, however, that the above milestones are onlyguidelines. No two babies are alike. It is your baby’s pediatrician who will evaluate your baby’s development at every well-baby visit.

What are Milestone Photos?

Simply put, milestone photos are pictures taken primarily to document and celebrate each milestone. You can either take photographs according to each milestone (first step, first taste of solid food, first smile, etc.) or take a memorable photo every month birthday, as a majority of parents do. However which way, milestone photos are a fun way to track your baby’s growth and development.

Milestone photos are typically taken in abundance during a baby’s first 12 months of life. It is in this first year that many firsts are revealed. Some parents book appointments with professional photography studios for newborns, 6th months, and 1st birthdays. Still, more parents take to social media and post DIY milestone photos. Do it however suits you. But the point is to do it immediately-before you find that your little one is not so little anymore.

How to DIY Your Baby’s Milestone Photos

While each milestone might mean a lot to you, you don’t need to go all out. Here are some simple DIY ideas for your baby’s milestone photos:

• Milestone Blankets:Milestone blanketsare quilted or printed blankets emblazoned with numbers to represent months. All you need is to take an object you would like to use to highlight your baby’s current age.
• Favorite Toys: Placing your baby’s favorite toys in the picture not only makes the shot more adorable but also adds more meaning and sentiment. Perhaps use a toy that your baby has had from day one and show, too, how this toy has fared along with your baby’s growth months.
• Nature’s Best: Use foliage or flowers to spell out how old your little one is in months. Not only will this be pretty to look at-but natural elements bring a pop of color like no other. Twigs and pebbles will make for an excellent, woodsy photo, while small leaves and baby’s breath flowers are dreamy and romantic.
• Developmental Tidbits:You can most definitely include current information about your baby in milestone photos. You can edit in figures like height, weight, developmental milestones, etc., using text via editing software or visually represent them with cut-outs origami, or clay. If you are not so great in the crafts department or software front, fret not. You can easily find akids photo editing servicethat can help you add your baby’s stats.

No two babies will be the same, asyour baby will develop at its own pace. Milestone photos are to celebrate this uniqueness and, of course, the joy of life. Immortalizing every little milestone is not only the best part of parenthood. But a collection of your little one’s achievements will be a priceless heirloom piece for your baby when the baby is all grown up.