Before the fog sets in and the details start to blur — here's what's worth keeping.

The first year of a child's life moves fast and leaves behind a trail of beautiful, fleeting things. The hospital bracelet. The tiny take-home outfit. The stack of cards that arrived when the world found out they were here. The first photograph that actually looks like them.

Most of it ends up in a drawer, a box, or a bag that gets moved from surface to surface until nobody remembers what's in it. Not because you don't care — because you're keeping a small human alive and there are genuinely not enough hours.

This guide is for those things. What's worth saving, when to save it, and how to make sure the first year doesn't disappear into a bin.

Before Baby Arrives:

Start Earlier Than You Think

Most people don't think about keepsakes until after the baby is born — which means the pregnancy itself often goes undocumented. A few things worth capturing before they arrive:

The bump photos

Even one photo per month, taken casually on your phone, becomes something extraordinary later. You don't need a professional shoot — you just need the record.

Baby shower cards

Shower cards are different from birth congratulations cards. They're often more personal, written before the sleep deprivation hit, from people who were celebrating you becoming a mother. Keep the ones with real messages — not just signatures. These belong in the keepsake collection.

Ultrasound images

Print at least one and keep it somewhere it won't get lost. The blurry 20-week scan that you squinted at trying to see a nose — that's a keepsake. Don't leave it in an app.

At the Hospital:

The Most Irreplaceable 48 Hours

The hospital is where the most irreplaceable keepsakes live, and also where you are least equipped to think about keepsakes. Here's the short list — most of it requires zero effort:

The hospital bracelet — both yours and theirs

These are tiny, fragile, and gone the moment you leave. Tuck them both into a small envelope or ziplock before you pack up. The matching bracelets — the physical proof that you two were connected from hour one — are one of the most meaningful things you can save.

The take-home outfit

Whatever they wore home is the outfit. Even if it's a plain white onesie. Especially if it's a plain white onesie. Wash it, fold it, and keep it — it's astonishing how small it is when you look at it five years later.

The birth stats card or announcement

Name, date, time, weight, length. Many hospitals provide a keepsake card — if yours doesn't, write it down and keep the paper. These are the facts that your kids will ask about in the years to come. More importantly, they're the facts that matter.

The first photo that looks like them

Print one. Not every photo — one. The one where you can see their face and recognize the person they're going to be. Print it, label the back with the date and their age in hours, and keep it somewhere safe.

The Cards:

Cherishing Words from Loved Ones

The cards that arrive in the first weeks are a category of their own. There are usually more than you expect — birth congratulations, the note stuck in with a homemade casserole and sometimes cards that keep coming for weeks after. Here's how to think about them:

Baby shower cards

Pre-arrival, often from your closest circle, usually the most personal. Keep any card with a handwritten message. Let go of signed-only cards.

Birth congratulations cards

The flood that arrives after. Same filter: keep the ones with real messages, especially from people your child will want to know about someday — grandparents, family friends, even the little notes with each flower delivery.

Birth announcements you sent out

Keep two or three of your own announcements. The ones you designed and sent out are part of the record — future you will want to show your child the announcement that went out when they arrived.

First birthday cards

A natural bookend to the first year. The birthday card from the first birthday is different from all the ones that follow — it marks the end of the baby chapter. Keep the meaningful ones.

Through the First Year:

The Small Things That Disappear

Beyond the official moments, the first year leaves behind a trail of tiny things that feel ordinary and become extraordinary:

A lock of hair from the first haircut

If you do a first haircut in the first year, save a small lock. An envelope in their keepsake box is enough.

Their footprint and handprint

Most hospitals do one at birth — ask for a copy. If you didn't get one, an ink pad and a piece of cardstock works perfectly. Date it.

The first outing or activity

The first time they went to the zoo, park, aquarium — or the first time they splashed in the pool or relaxed by the sea. Snap the photos, save the tickets, cherish the memories.

Something that shows how small they were

A sock. A newborn hat. Their first pair of shoes. One item that physically shows the scale of how tiny they were — because you will forget, and you will not believe it when you're reminded.

The Simplest System

You don't need a complicated organizational system. You need one box or folder labeled with their name, and a habit of putting things in it when they happen — not later, not when you get organized, when they happen.

That's it. One container, one habit. Everything else is details.

And when you're ready to do something beautiful with what's in it — turn it into a book that actually lives somewhere it can be seen — that's what Plum Print is for.