Baby Photos

Words cannot describe the rush of emotions that you feel when your child takes their first breath. One of my favorite ways to capture and share that moment for years to come is by getting their first footprints.

When a hospital documents your child’s birth, they record a lot of information, including your child’s first footprints. Many hospitals will allow you to bring items into the delivery room to get stamped. The nurses in the delivery room are used to this request and will happily accommodate you.

Photo Mat with Footprints

To do this effectively, you need a little preplanning. First, you should check with the hospital to make sure this is something they will do. If you are attending a child birth class through the hospital, you can ask about this there. Once you have decided what to have stamped, you need to prepare it for the big day. You should remove any plastic wrapping or anything else protecting the item. I would also suggest adding a sticky note indicating where and how you want the footprints to appear. Don’t forget to have your item ready with your suitcase so you don’t leave it at home when you rush to the hospital.

Preparing Your Photo Mat

A word of hesitation to those perfectionists – newborns are wriggly. Your footprints might not be exactly as you want. But let’s face it, getting someone else to do it on this special day is well worth the risk. First, the nurses in the delivery room have done this many times. They have everything needed, and lots of help. By the time you have the energy to do it yourself, your newborn will have grown an incredible amount. If you feel the need, you can always take in a few “extras”. They will make great Christmas gifts for grandparents! They certainly won’t mind that you picked the best one for yourself. I had 3 sets, and the nurse actually thanked me for the extra ones.

Need some ideas for items to get stamped? Try these: 

• Picture Frame
• Picture Mats
• Memory Box
• Photo Album Cover
• Scrapbook Page

Example Picture Frame you can Stamp with Handprints

An option for those perfectionists out there - you can always just use a blank piece of paper. The prints are easy to frame. You can cut out the prints and then add them to the special item you like later. You could even photocopy the prints for extra projects. They would be great to decoupage onto items. You can also scan them to add to your digital scrapbook projects. Don’t miss the opportunity to cherish just how small your child was. The birth may seem forever, but the time holding your child slips by quickly. Before you know it, your child will have grown several inches and gained many pounds. You will realize just how quickly your child is growing, and that you missed the opportunity to document just how tiny they really were.

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• Capturing Keepsakes Beyond Your Scrapbooks
• Scrapbooking
• Tiny Prints for Baby Shower Invitations and Birth Announcements
• When to Use Patterned Scrapbook Paper
• How to Scrapbook Baby Photos