Best Baby Memory Books: A Guide to Selecting the Perfect Book to Capture Baby's First Year

Keeping a memory book for your new baby is one of the best gifts you can give your new child and your family. The years go by quickly and without written and photo documentation it's all too easy to forget the small details of childhood. Fortunately there are more options than ever to create a keepsake for your child.

First, you're going to have to decide upon your format. There are several options available. Here are the five leading books:

Rag & Bone Bindery has two great options for parents. Baby's First Book is a 10" x 11" "fill-in-the-blank style" book. Each gorgeous book is bound with a colored ribbon. Style-wise parents will love picking from the nearly 20 prints for the book's cover. The prints have slightly Asian appeal and are subtle and timeless (my favorite is Blue Topiary). Don't worry about becoming enslaved to this book, at 24 pages it is a manageable commitment--perfect for the parent trying to squeeze in a career and baby. To make recording baby's milestones easy, Rag & Bone provides preformatted pages ready for you to personalize.

Hey, just about anyone can summon up the energy to do that! ($68) Another option from Rag & Bone is their digital scrapbook (9" x 13"). This one's going to take a bit more work and technological savvy, but in the end, the product will be stunning. Once again, pick from the full line of stylish covers. Next step: Filling up the 10 pages inside with your digital prints. It's up to you to tap into your imagination to craft a truly one-of-a-kind book for your baby. Each page measures 8.5" x 11" and will fit in a standard printer. The scrapbook ships with templates from Renee Pearson's digital scrap booking designs. ($39)