Ideas for an Online Baby Scrapbook
- A stork carrying a baby makes a scrapbook page layout.baby girl and stork image by hannahfelicity from Fotolia.com
Having a baby is a time you want to remember since children grow up so quickly. While many people enjoy looking through scrapbooks, not everyone has the time, resources or creativity to put a paper scrapbook together. Online or digital scrapbooks make preserving memories simpler and sleeker. While you can't glue the chunk of hair from the first haircut on a page, you can order a slick, professionally-bound book with the click of your mouse. - Scan items if you do not have digital photos. Scan a copy of her birth certificate to include in the opening pages of the scrapbook as an introduction. Scan cards she receives from friends and family, then cut and paste special comments written in the card to scan to use on the pages. A photo of her just after birth on a white page surrounded by handwritten comments and words of congratulations will make a lovely page you can title "Surrounded By Love" or "Loving Words."
- For specific page ideas create "first" pages. Each page can be a different "first" for the baby such as his first step, his first solid food feeding or his first haircut. First holidays also make great pages. Make a page with his first Halloween with pictures of him in his Halloween costume or first Christmas with photos of him meeting Santa, opening a present or dressed up in fancy clothes. Try a first Easter page with photos of him collecting eggs. Create pages centered around people and favorite things such as a "Grandparents" page or multiple pages with photos and comments about his interaction with his grandparents or a "Friends" page with photos of him playing with other babies and children. A "Favorite Toys" page can include photos of him playing with his favorite toys or use clip art or Internet photos of the actual toys.
- There are numerous background layouts you can download. Backgrounds with baby block borders, rubber duckies and the wording "baby boy" or "baby girl" are cute to use for a scrapbook. You also can make your own backgrounds using a program such as Adobe Photoshop. For a vacation page you can use a photo of the place you visited such as a beach. Take a photo of just the beach to use as your background. All the photos you place on top of the beach background will be in the proper setting and convey the theme more fully. Play around with the background and manipulate images to get the exact dimensions and color scheme you need to perfect your pages.
- Use clip art like you would traditional scrapbooking stickers and paper cutouts. Place clip art images on the sheets in random spaces to fill the page and give the page life. Use images of baby rattles, bibs, romper outfits, blocks, a stroller or pacifiers. For a page such as "Baby's First Meal," you might include an image of a bib and spoon and fork set. For a "Baby's First Step" page you could find an image of a baby's footprint or baby shoes.
- If you kept a journal of your thoughts and feelings about the baby, put some of these into the scrapbook. Type quotes from your journal on the pages to complement the photos and express your emotions during that period or in that moment. It will make the scrapbook that much more personal and special for both you and the baby who will someday see it and know how loved he is.
- Order a paper copy of the book online. You can order softcover books, hardcover, case-wrapped hardcover or hardcover with a paper book cover. The books also are available in a variety of sizes depending on which exterior you select. Email a link to the book so your family and friends can view online if they don't receive or purchase a paper copy. If you have a blog or website for your family, post a link for everyone to access.
