When you are expecting a baby, everyone tells you how fast the time will go. How quickly your little one will grow. To enjoy every moment while they are little. The days are long, but the years are short. You will blink and they will be in kindergarten (or college), and so on. Even though you hear all these things, nothing can truly prepare you for the reality of it. It’s all true!

During baby’s first year, there are so many milestones that you will want to capture and be able to look back on and remember forever. While in the thick of the day-to-day caring for a newborn and juggling everything else in life, it may seem overwhelming to document all those moments. For many parents, the easiest way to accomplish this is to take baby milestone photos at home, and we have good news, it’s easier than you may think.

These days, just about everyone has access to a high-quality camera built right into their smart phone, so taking quality photos of your little one has never been easier. The key to taking beautiful baby milestone photos at home is to have the right photo props and accessories on hand and easily accessible when you need them. We’ve included some of our favorite tips and products here to help you prepare to capture all of baby’s first milestones at home.

Birth Announcement

The very first milestone you will record for your baby is of course a big one, their birth! You will undoubtedly take dozens of photos of your little one in their first hours and days of life. You may bring a special outfit, blanket, or stuffed animal to the hospital to include in baby’s first photo shoot.

Birth Announcement Disc

One newborn photo prop you will love is this beautiful wooden birth announcement disc. Introduce baby to the world with the expression “I’m here!” and fill in the provided spaces to record baby’s name, date, weight and height at birth. Place the disc next to your baby for a precious photo worthy of framing and sending to all of your friends and family. This is perfect size to pack in your hospital bag (don’t forget a marker) and makes a beautiful keepsake of a very special day.

Monthly Milestones

A popular way to document baby’s growth in the first year is through monthly milestone photos. There are a lot of fun and creative ways to set up a monthly photo shoot for your baby. It looks nice to use a consistent style and include the same or a similar object in each monthly photo. After your baby’s first year, you will have a beautiful set of photos that document just how much your baby has grown and changed from month to month. We love the idea of printing baby milestone photos in a hard cover book for easy viewing, displaying, and sharing.

Monthly Milestone Set

If you like the birth announcement disc, you will love this monthly milestone set. You can create a beautiful set of photos with your little one from the moment they arrive, starting with, “I’m here”, and “One week old”. There are also discs for months one through eleven, and “One year old” to finish the year. They even come in a cute drawstring bag to keep them all together and within easy reach each month.

Watch Me Grow Milestone Blanket

Another popular trend for baby milestone photos is using a milestone blanket, like this one by Pearhead. This adorable black and white photo blanket comes with three black and teal props to mark the month in your photo. Take beautiful baby milestone photos at home by placing baby in the center of the numbered circle for a perfect way to mark baby’s age and share with family and friends.

Baby’s First Milestones

Aside from marking baby’s age at monthly milestones, there are countless other milestones your little one will reach during their first year and beyond. Celebrate all the special achievements in baby’s life by capturing baby milestone photos for all of baby’s firsts to add to your beautiful photo collection!

Baby’s First Milestones Set

Baby’s First Milestone Set is the perfect way to complete your collection of beautiful wooden discs by Bebe Au Lait. This set includes every major milestone, from “I slept through the night” to “I can roll over” and “First steps”, and everything in between. These are the little moments you will want to document and look back on forever, and this disc set makes it so easy to take beautiful baby milestone photos at home. Keep them within easy reach so you can be ready to snap a photo whenever these special moments happen.