What to Write in a Baby Book: 70 Ideas, From Newborn to School Age

Updated October 18, 2026 · By the Smalljoy team

Short answer

Write down the small, everyday things you'll forget, not just the big milestones. Good baby book entries include the first time they did something, things they say, what they love right now, who they spend time with, and a note from you. Add the date and their age to every entry.

A parent and young child walking hand in hand outside

Most baby books start strong. The first pages fill up with birth stats and the first smile. Then life gets busy, and the book quietly ends somewhere around the first birthday.

The fix isn’t to write more. It’s to write the right things: small, specific moments that only you will remember. Here are ideas for every stage, so you’re never staring at a blank page.

The golden rule: small and specific

“Loves bath time” is fine. “Splashes so hard at bath time that the cat now leaves the room when the water starts running” is a memory.

When you write an entry, try to include:

  • The date and their age, like 4 months or 2y 6m.
  • One concrete detail: a word, a sound, a place, a person.
  • How you felt, if you want. Future you will love knowing.

Newborn (0 to 3 months)

  1. The day they were born and what the weather was like
  2. Who visited first
  3. What they were almost named
  4. The first time they looked right at you
  5. How they liked to be held
  6. The song that calmed them down
  7. Their first bath, and how it went
  8. The little sounds they made while sleeping
  9. What a normal night looked like (be honest)
  10. Who they look like, according to everyone
  11. The first time you went out together
  12. What you were most surprised by

Baby (3 to 12 months)

  1. The first real laugh, and what caused it
  2. First foods, and the faces they made
  3. Favorite toy right now
  4. When they first rolled, sat, crawled or stood
  5. Their first word, or the sound you’re sure was a word
  6. Games that always worked, like peekaboo
  7. What made them cry every single time
  8. Their first trip somewhere new
  9. Who they reached for first
  10. Nicknames you used
  11. The first time they waved
  12. How you celebrated their first birthday

Toddler (1 to 3 years)

  1. New words, with the date you first heard each one
  2. Words they say wrong (keep these, they disappear fast; see our list of words toddlers say wrong)
  3. Their first sentence
  4. Things they’re scared of right now
  5. What they’re obsessed with: trucks, dinosaurs, a certain song
  6. Favorite book, and the page they always skip to
  7. Their best friend
  8. The funniest thing they said this month
  9. How they say “I love you”
  10. Foods they refuse
  11. Their bedtime routine
  12. Questions they ask
  13. Things they insist on doing “by myself”
  14. A typical Saturday
A baby book that keeps going Smalljoy makes each entry take ten seconds: tap and talk, add a photo or video, or type a note. Every moment shows how old they were. Get Smalljoy on iPhone

Preschool (3 to 5 years)

  1. Big questions, like where the sun goes at night
  2. Their favorite joke (even if it makes no sense)
  3. What they want to be when they grow up
  4. Imaginary friends, and their names
  5. Their first day at daycare or preschool
  6. Songs they make up
  7. Rules they invent for games
  8. Things they’ve learned to do alone
  9. What they think you do at work
  10. Their favorite thing about each family member
  11. A conversation you had in the car
  12. Something kind they did without being asked
  13. Their answers to the same five questions, every birthday (here are 50 good ones)

School age (5 years and up)

  1. Their first day of school, and what they said after
  2. Friends they talk about
  3. Things they’re proud of
  4. What they worry about
  5. Books they read on their own
  6. Hobbies and what they love about them
  7. Inside jokes you share
  8. Their take on the news or the world
  9. Things they want to learn
  10. A time they surprised you

Any age

  1. A letter from you, written on their birthday
  2. What a normal day looks like right now
  3. Their height and weight, and how fast they’re growing
  4. Photos with a sentence about what was happening
  5. The way they say your name
  6. Family traditions you started
  7. Things you never want to forget about this age
  8. A short voice recording of them talking
  9. What you hope for them

How to keep going after year one

The baby book doesn’t have to be a book. What matters is that you keep adding to it. A few things make that much easier:

  • Make entries tiny. One sentence counts. So does a quote.
  • Keep it on your phone. The moments happen when the book is in a drawer.
  • Set a weekly reminder. Sunday evening: “What happened this week?”
  • Let your partner add too. Two people notice twice as much.

If you want to compare options, we put together a side-by-side of a paper baby book vs. a baby book app.

The best baby book is the one you’re still adding to when they’re ten.