The Baby Keepsake Checklist
A guide to deciding what to save — and how to store it — without the overwhelm.
You don’t need a plan. You need a place to start.
Last year, I made a keepsake box for my own baby — nothing fancy, just something to hold onto the little things before they disappeared into a junk drawer or got lost all together. When a friend asked me to help her make one, I went looking for ideas, and realized there’s no single list of everything worth saving. Just scattered inspiration, and a quiet pressure to make it look like something off Pinterest.
So I put this together — not as a rulebook, but as a starting point. Read through it, and keep only what actually matters to you. Skip the rest, guilt-free.
Read it with someone specific in mind.
As you go, picture the baby, the moment, the person this box is for. Some items will feel obvious right away. Others won’t matter to you at all — and that’s fine. This isn’t about collecting everything. It’s about noticing what actually pulls at you, and letting that be enough.
Everything you might want to save
Organized by the moments they come from — pregnancy through baby’s first year.
Pregnancy
- Positive pregnancy test
- Ultrasound photos
- Baby shower invitation
- Belly bump photos
- Maternity hospital wristband
- A letter written to baby before birth
Hospital & Birth
- First outfit worn
- Hospital ID bands
- Umbilical cord clip
- Hospital-issued hat
- Hospital blanket
- Baby footprints/handprints
- Birth announcement card
- Going-home outfit
Little Treasures
- Umbilical cord stump
- First lock of hair
- Favorite pacifier
- First nail clippings
Milestones & Firsts
- First tooth
- First haircut lock
- First shoes
- Firsts card set
Cards & Well-Wishes
- Baby shower cards
- Birth congratulations cards
- Cards from family with notes
Photos & Documents
- Monthly photos
- Birth certificate copy
- Hospital discharge paperwork
- Growth chart printouts
Clothing & Textiles
- Coming-home outfit
- A special gifted outfit
- Baby’s first blanket
You don’t have to craft alone.
Come hang out where the rest of the Life Pinspired community is — trade ideas, share your own version of this box, or just say hi.
You don’t have to figure it out alone.