My Kid’s Memory Box.

When I moved into my first post-university apartment, I was officially handed the massive storage bin of all my childhood memories. I had browsed the bin a few times as a teenager, but now the bin was officially mine to do with it as I please. Over the years, with each move, the bin turned into a smaller bin, until the items just became part of other categories (family photos, baby clothes etc). Now, as a mom of two littles (3.5 and 9 months), doing my best to keep our lives minimalistic-ish, I think back to the things I’ve cherished from my memory box as I build theirs. My kid’s memories are currently curated through a First Year Baby Book, a First Year Alphabet Photo Album, a Second-a-day video, a first birthday time capsule, mindfully selected baby clothes, a Birthday Book, Portable Height Chart and a Quote Book. 

First Year Book

I decided to go with the classic first year book, mostly out of social expectation, and because I had one that my parents wrote it (including a few missed pages). I tried to find one that didn’t seem overwhelming and had questions that were in line with our values. If I could go back in time when I was buying this book, I’d tell myself to find an even simpler one.

First Year Video

Using the One Second a Day App, I curated a video of my kid’s first year by capturing, as the app name suggests, one second videos (mostly live photos) for each day of their first year. For days I didn't have a photo, I just pulled from another day that had multiples - I was not going to loose any sleep over that! Technically this isn’t a physical item in their memory box, but instead, a well enjoyed non-physical memory to share digitally with family.

First Year Alphabet Photo Album

Even though I had the first year video, I still had so many photos from the first year, I felt like I needed to do something creative with them. I decided to go with Shutterfly to curated an album of all the first year photos. I categorize the photos by letters in the Alphabet (ex. B is for Bath - all photos in the tub, G is for Grandparents - all photos of grandparents and great grandparents, S is for Seasons - a photo from each season, and so on). I included a heartfelt note at the beginning of the album. I won’t pretend like I didn’t clock many hours on this one, it was a project. But I’ve since gone through the album so many times with my 3.5 year old. I also love that if anything happens to it, I can always re-print it from Shutterfly. 

Time Capsule

In lieu of gifts for the first birthday, we asked family to add something to a time capsule, such as a letter or significant artifact from the year he turned one (like a newspaper clipping). Polaroids were taken at the party and guests were asked to fill out a slip of paper and with questions about pop culture from that year (artist, movie, etc). The time capsule is tapped up and will be opened on the 18th birthday. 

Baby Clothes

My childhood memory box had a red Roots onesie, that both my kids have now worn. This roots onesie will definitely be making into one of their boxes, along with a very select few pieces that they wore often and I know will stand the test of time for future generations. I’m committing to the size of the memory box, which will help me keep in check with being very selective with the number of clothing items to keep. 

Birthday Book

The same author of the First Year Baby Book has a fantastic Birthday Book. From ages 1-18, you have a place for an exclusive birthday interview, photos for that year, and an envelope to store any meaningful items associated with that year. For me, this Birthday Book is the perfect amount of effort beyond the first year.

Portable Height Chart

My parents took my height on the side of a bookshelf, and while the bookshelf is long gone, my mom still has the 6 foot wooden sideboard of the bookshelf tucked away in a closet, having survived more than one move.  I decided to go with a height chart that can be hung up on the wall and easily rolled up, moved and eventually tucked into the memory box. I’m not expecting this to last generations, but we are really enjoying the tradition of tracking height twice a year.

Quote Book

My absolute favourite items from my memory box were the school notebooks from a young age where the teacher captioned what I said about the drawing. Kid’s really do say the darndest things. The My Quotable Kid Book comes with blank pages allowing you to capture all those hilarious moments and I can’t wait to look back on these. 

The Memory Box

The memories are stored in a decorative box on a bookshelf in our TV room. It is important to me that they aren’t buried away. I want my kids and I to be able to look at it any time we want (except the time capsule of course). 

My hope is that in reading about my kid’s memory boxes, you are feeling a sense of permission to climb out of the mountain of things you are saving for your kids and focus on what you would care about if it was your memory box. If my memory boxes in anyway create a sense of parental guilt because you liked something I suggested and are feeling like you missed the chance, you didn’t! Make a time capsule together now, backtrack and fill in what you can in the birthday book, start the quote book from their current age, do a one second video for their first year of school.

The most special pieces I’ve saved from my own childhood were the ones that clearly had been curated and were special to my parents. Quality over quantity, always. 

As the gatekeeper of my kid’s memory boxes, I’m just doing my best to keep the memories, and not the stuff.