The first year of parenthood is a TRIP. The days can feel so long, but the months seem to fly. Just yesterday you were laughing at the newborn scrunch and wearing your sleepy baby in the wrap. And then, without warning, that tiny baby is babbling and crawling and eating solids—and making you feel like you’ve already forgotten what their sleepy face looked like when they first came home.
Which is why photos matter. Because a year from now, you’ll want to remember everything—the milk-drunk smiles, the wrap naps, those impossibly tiny fingers.
So grab your phone (or your “real” camera) and make sure to capture these sweet, fleeting moments from your baby’s first year:
1. The hospital snuggle
Your first photo together!! A momentous shot of a moment when everything changed—in the most drastic, beautiful way. You’ll treasure it forever.
2. Coming home
That exhilarating (and slightly terrifying) moment when you realize they’re actually letting you leave with this tiny human… and you’re in charge now.
3. In the Solly Wrap
Wrapped up together, heart to heart—because (hate to break it to you!) there will come a day when their body won’t fit on your chest anymore.
4. Monthly milestones
From one month to twelve, documenting their growth (and cheeks!) side by side with a consistent background or prop is a sweet way to watch the months unfold.
5. Tiny details
Fuzzy shoulders. Tiny toes. Long lashes. Don’t skip the close-ups—you’ll want to remember every inch.
6. First smile
It’s okay if it’s not the VERY first—that one can be so quick and unexpected! But you’ll definitely want one of those first heart-melting gummy grins.
7. With siblings or pets
Think of it as the very first photo they took with their best friend.
8. Reading together
Baby on your lap and book in hand—it’ll be the start of years and years worth of story time together.
9. Napping together
Those early months are exhausting for both you and baby, and there’ll be plenty of moments where both of you will be conked out together. The two of you together, mouths open wide, sleeping peacefully will be one of your favorite photos to look back on.
10. Bathtime
Chubby arms, soapy hair, and splashy moments. Is there anything cuter??
11. Spending time outside
Whether it’s a walk around the block or toes in the grass for the first time, this one feels like a breath of fresh air—literally and figuratively.
12. The birthday photo
One whole year of them. One whole year of you as a parent. Snap a photo that feels as big as the milestone (cake optional, tears likely).
One final note:
There’s no “right” way to capture baby’s first year. Some photos will be blurry. A lot of them will be taken on very little sleep. You might not document all of the monthly milestones on time (or at all). The point is really just to document things as they are—because one day you’ll look back at the photos from that first year and feel like you’re holding time in your hands—proof that you were there, that they were that small, and that the days were as tender and wild and beautiful as you remember.
