How to turn baby’s first year into a photo album

Two things are pretty much guaranteed with the arrival of a baby: you’ll have lots of photos and not much spare time. But don’t worry, we’ve made it as easy as possible to capture those first precious months.

From time-saving tools and templates to creative design tips – find out how to create a personalised first-year photo album that tells your little one’s story.

Collect all the photos for your first-year album

Chances are your camera roll is already bursting with baby pics. When it’s time to choose the ones for your baby’s first photo book, opt for a lovely mix: close-ups of tiny feet and hands, everyday moments, snaps from the baby shooting and plenty of pics with all the family members.

Gentle reminder: Make sure the mum is in the photos too. She’s so often behind the camera that she can end up missing from the memories. And if you are the mum: don’t be shy about handing your phone to someone else. You deserve to be part of the story.

Top tip: Want to avoid long scrolling sessions? Simply upload all your snaps to My Photos and ask your partner to do the same. Everything will sync across devices, ready for you to get started.

Pick a pre-design for your 1st year photo album

Good news: you don’t need to be a professional to create a first-year photo book that looks great. Meet pre-designed book templates, ready to be filled with your snaps. Just choose the style you love and drop your favourite photos into the layouts.

Our in-house design team has created a range of lovely options, from sweet designs with illustrations to clean, minimalist templates. Pick what feels most like you. And at the end, you still have creative control: rearrange layouts, tweak backgrounds and personalise every page just the way you want.

Use our time-saving tools

We get it, choosing photos for their first photo book can feel overwhelming – especially when you’re running on very little sleep. But our Smart Assistant is there to help. Just hand over your snaps and let it work its magic: it picks the best ones, skips the blurs and duplicates and creates a layout. All you have to do is add the finishing touches.

And the best part? Your first-year album stays synced between app and web. So you can make quick tweaks on your phone during nap time, then tackle the bigger edits on your laptop once the house is quiet again.

Document all their firsts in the photo album

The first year is full of milestones – the first proper smile, the first teeth and of course the wobbly first steps. A personalised first-year photo album is the perfect place to document all those little memories you’ll love to look back on.

Pair each “first” with a photo and jot down the date as a lovely little reminder. By adding them chronologically, your album tells the story of how your baby’s first year unfolded. And if you don’t manage to get a perfect shot – don’t worry. A baby photo album is about emotion, not perfection.

Add the little moments of baby’s first year to the photo book

It’s not just all about the milestones though. Sometimes it’s the little joyful moments in between that you remember the most. Think of their favourite snuggly toy, the adorable outfit gifted by a loved one or that magical day they discovered the park for the first time.

All these little moments make up the story of their first year. They’re just as precious as the big milestones and deserve to be included in their first photo book.

Get creative with the design

Our templates already give you a beautiful layout to start with, but there’s still plenty of room to get creative. Mix things up by switiching between single layouts and collages to really let your favourite snaps shine.

And don’t be afraid to get playful. Add some sweet stickers, try out masks and backgrounds and make each page feel uniquely yours. After all, you can tell the story of your baby’s first-year photo album should tell their story – and reflect your own style.

Make the first-year photo book even more personal

A photo album doesn’t just need to be about photos. Think of it as a scrapbook of your family’s story. Get creative with what you add to the pages – a scan of the birth certificate, the ultra sounds from pregnancy or tiny hand and foot prints. All these bits and piece add in extra colour to your baby’s story.

It’s also worth capturing your home during the first year in the album. Take wide shots of your living room, bedroom and the rest of the house too. If you move in the future, you’ll be glad to have these snapshots of where your family’s story began.

Add text to the first-year photo album

When you add text to your book, you really get to bring your story to life. First, choose a title. Classics like “My first photo album” or “(Baby’s name)’s 1st photo album” are always a lovely choice.

Then sprinkle in the details that make your story unique. The little anecdotes, important dates or that funny quote from grandad that you want to remember. These memories will become treasured reminders you’ll love to revisit over the years.

Add extras to make their first photo book shine

Want to make baby’s first photo book to truly stand out? We’ve got just the extras for that. Choose layflat binding and your pages will open completely flat – perfect for those goregous panoramic shots that deserve to stretch across a full double page.

For a touch of luxury, opt for glossy pages. They make colours and details pop and add a polished, premium look and feel. And why not add an extra copy for grandma and grandad too? They’ll love having a first-year book of their own to show off their little grandkid.

Top tip: If you’ve picked one of our themes, you can add a matching mug with the same design as another sweet little souvenir.

Your baby’s first year goes by so fast. A photo book helps you to hold on those big milestones and little moments in between. Tell the story of your little family and capture everything that makes that first year so special – not perfectly, but lovingly.

Start creating your 1st year photo book