Advice for New Parents: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff… or the Baby Book

As with much of motherhood, keeping up with the baby book is one of those tasks that can bring about overwhelming feelings of inadequacy. Today we’re sharing some extremely freeing advice for new parents. Even if you’ve heard it before, it’s worth the repeat. Don’t sweat the small stuff… or the baby book.

Even seasoned moms can feel buried under all the things they’re not doing but think they should be. Case in point: that adorable book that tracks all of baby’s milestones.

Many of my friends, still in the glowing anticipation of pregnancy, bought or registered for a shiny padded book adorned with giraffes or monkeys or cherub-faced angels. They looked over every line of it and dreamed about filling in the dates and adding photos.

How many of my new mom friends actually completed the baby book?

Not one.

My own little bundles of joy are now 9 and 7. Our firstborn’s book, after many sleepless nights, is about half finished. Our younger child’s book is less than a quarter finished.

And I’ve finally realized it’s OK. I’m just not one of those moms who loves scrapbooking or even making photo albums. Frankly, I’m good to get my digital photos organized within a year of when they were taken.

Advice for New Parents to Help Save the Memories Without the Stress

My new parent advice: If you love documenting every milestone of babyhood, then by all means, do it! But if you’re not inclined, don’t stress about it.

Related: Your Six-Week Postpartum Care Plan: A Daily Guide for New Moms

Here are some ways to capture those special moments without all of the pomp and circumstance. If you want to add them to a baby book or scrapbook later, you’ll know where to find them.

Use a wall calendar or your planner

Jot down milestones and important events on a wall calendar you can use later to make your baby book. It takes only seconds to jot down that lost tooth or the trip to the zoo.

Review your social media feed

If you post Instagram photos of your little ones or update your Facebook status when they do something awesome, those posts can serve as the dated reminders of milestones. I stopped worrying so much about taking copious notes on our achievements when I realized that it’s all right there on Facebook, including the photos and congratulatory comments from the grandparents. I can just print it out and add them to the scrapbook.

Try an app

Apps and online programs such as Kid Capsule, Moment Garden, and Sprout Baby combine the best of online convenience with growth tracking, milestones and photo uploads

The best piece of advice for new parents?

Keep it all in perspective. When life gets crazy, keep in mind there’s no deadline. I plan to create a respectable book for each of my kids before, say, high school graduation. But I’m giving myself grace. Trying to do everything is just going to wear you out, stress you out, and most likely, burn you out. That’s not good for you or your children. Let it go, and don’t feel guilty. The laundry and the dishes will still be there. So will the baby book.