Childhood is a special time, but it seems to pass so quickly. One moment, you’re holding your little one in your arms; the next, you’re waving them off for secondary school. It’s therefore important not just to celebrate all your child’s significant milestones, but to capture them as well, so that you have something to look back on.
But how do you mark and track the various stages of your son or daughter’s childhood?
Identify the stages
First of all, it’s important to identify the main stages in your child’s development so that you are prepared for them when they arise. You can find out the key stages from your doctor, health professional, or via services, such as the NHS.
Keep a journal
Keeping a diary to note down all your child’s milestones is an effective way to track their development progress. Start by writing down sections of your child’s life, for instance ‘0-6 months’, ‘6-12 months’, and so on up until whatever age you wish.
Within each section, list the main key development stages – for example ‘first smile’, ‘first words’ etc.
You don’t have to complete writing down these sections all at once; just make sure you’re always at least a few months ahead at the time of each milestone. You can also add to these later on, as new milestones become apparent and expected.
Photo by Alyssa Stevenson on Unsplash
Make a photo book
Similar to a journal, but more creative, a scrapbook is a lovely way to mark and track your little one’s childhood stages. As well as writing down your child’s major development milestones, a scrapbook can be used to display treasured photographs of those special moments, such as your child’s first day at school or their graduation.
More and more people like to share their child’s achievements on social media platforms, such as Instagram. If this is you, then you can easily and quickly immortalize your child’s significant milestones through an Instagram photo book. This will serve as a permanent special reminder of your son or daughter’s childhood and will also ensure that you have a hard copy of your most precious photographs.
Create a memory box
A memory box is ideal for complimenting your journal or photo book. Not only can it be used to store your book, but it can also be used to store larger mementos that can’t be stuck onto pages. These could include items such as your child’s first tooth, their Christening robes, something they made at nursery, sports medals – anything that marks a significant moment in their life.
Download an app
There are mobile apps you can download that help follow your child’s developmental progress. Designed for parents, these tracker apps are often interactive and will flag up important milestones for you.
There’s a multitude of child development apps, many of which are free to download and use. Speak to your health provider and look at reviews online to decide which app is best for you.
You only get one chance to capture the special moments in your child’s life, so it’s crucial that you get it right. Having a keepsake that immortalizes all their significant milestones is something that you, and them, will treasure forever.
