What to write each month in a baby’s first-year book

Months one to three: settling in

These early pages can hold the details of becoming a family together. If the month felt like a blur, begin with a place, a sound or a person rather than a list of events.

Example: ‘At two months, the kitchen light was your favourite thing to study. We stood there together most mornings while the kettle boiled.’

• Month 1: What did an ordinary morning look like when we first came home?
• Month 2: What place, sound or face has your attention lately?
• Month 3: Who has helped us feel at home in this new routine?

Months four to six: noticing personality

Write about what makes this particular baby unmistakable to you. The answer might be a squeal, a serious stare or a favourite way to be held. No skill needs to arrive by a particular month for the page to be full.

Example: ‘At five months, you greeted the dog with a look of complete surprise every time, as if you had never met.’

• Month 4: What expression or habit feels most like you?
• Month 5: What makes you laugh, settle or grow curious?
• Month 6: What small family ritual has become yours too?

Months seven to nine: the world around them

As the year moves on, let the book show the places and people around your baby. Include an unremarkable day: the walk you always take, the café you stop at, or the corner of the living room that seems to hold half the toys.

Example: ‘At eight months, our walk to the letterbox took ten minutes because you wanted to inspect every leaf.’

• Month 7: What place have we visited often together?
• Month 8: What object do you return to again and again?
• Month 9: Who or what do you notice before anyone else does?

Months ten to twelve: looking back

The final pages can notice change without turning the first birthday into a finish line. Compare the family rhythm now with the beginning. Include what you learned, who was beside you, and what you hope to remember when the details blur.

Example: ‘At eleven months, the same blue cup that seemed enormous in our first photos fits perfectly beside your hand.’

• Month 10: What is different about our days from six months ago?
• Month 11: Which small moment from this month would I replay?
• Month 12: What do I want you to know about your first year with us?

Make the prompts yours

A month label is a chapter marker, not a deadline. If you miss one, use a photograph to recover a detail or simply start at the current page. Replace any question that does not fit your family. A few honest lines and a photo are enough to make the year recognisable later.