Baby’s First Year: 3 Monthly Photos You Must Take

as cliche as it sounds, your baby’s first year will go by in the blink of an eye.  as mamas, the thought of our little one growing so quickly begs us to do one thing…grab the camera.  we naturally want to remember every moment, every change, every facial expression.  it can be a little overwhelming to think about the list of pictures we want to take with our sweet babies during their first year, but there are really only three that you simply must take.  everything else is just a beautiful bonus!

need some help photographing your little one?  check out my 10 tips for photographing your own newborn.

>>this post contains affiliate links.  thank you in advance for supporting bethadilly photography!<<

Baby’s First Year: 3 Monthly Photos You Must Take

the goal of taking monthly photos of your little one during your baby’s first year is to document their growth.  they just change so much in such a short amount of time and every month our little ones are completely different little humans!  to make it easy on yourself, take your baby’s birthdate and circle it every month on your calendar.  for example, if your baby was born on the 5th day of the month, put a circle around the 5th day each month on your calendar to remind you to take out your camera to document these three photos.

1.  Your Baby With A Letter Board

this amazing letter board was sent to me by Letterfolk and, let me tell you, it is a must have when documenting your baby’s first year!  not only are you taking a photo of your little one, but by incorporating the letter board you are documenting that month’s milestones all in the same photo.  i love that these letter boards are interchangeable and can spell out new things every month.  you can completely personalize them to say whatever you want, and with the white letters contrasting so nicely to the dark board, the boards photograph so easily and beautifully.  not only does the letter board display your baby’s monthly milestones, but it can also be used for other things like birth announcements, motivational quotes, weekly dinner menus, etc.

2.  Your Baby With Onesie Monthly Stickers

i really like using monthly onesie stickers because, honestly, they are just adorable and so very easy.  i purchased the floral watercolor stickers by Pinkie Penguin to document my little girl’s first year and it makes for a really easy picture setup.  every month, i simply put her in a white onesie, put the corresponding month’s sticker on the front and take her picture.  because i want all of my monthly pictures to look the same, i make sure to use the exact same backdrop each month so that the only thing that is different every month is her and how much she is changing.  to really document your baby’s growth in a photograph, try placing the same stuffed animal in the picture each month to show how your baby proportionately measures up each month compared to the object.

after all 12 photos are taken, place them in a frame together to display your baby’s first year.  i purchased the Pearhead Photo Moments Frame for this photo project.

3.  Your Baby In Your Arms

one of the easiest ways to document your baby’s growth is by getting a photo of you holding them in your arms every month.  while the first month will find them cradled so small in your arms, the fifth month will find them bouncing on your hip!  and by the end of the first year, they will barely want to be held in your arms and will be on the move.  by holding your baby in your arms each month you are providing a reference.  in each month’s photo, you are showing just how much your baby is growing and changing simply by showing not only how big they are getting in your arms, but how they are interacting with you as well.  this is a great way to create scale in your images, as it will show just how much your baby is growing compared to you each month.

while there are so many photos that you are going to want to take during your baby’s first year, the monthly photos are going to be what really document the developmental, emotional, and physical changes in your baby.  having a goal to take at least these three photos every month during your first year will help guarantee that you are not only documenting their growth, but that you are sneaking in some time to grab your camera.

be sure to join my exclusive email list to receive my latest photography tips and tutorials.  it’s free!

need some photography tips + inspiration?  check out what posts are trending below!