Not surprisingly, when Laurel was en route I hunted avidly for a baby book, but found them all either too cutesy or utterly overwhelming in the amount/scope of fill-in-the-blank details. If you’ve found yourself in a similar keepsake quandary, be sure to check out Tiny Tales.

Tiny Tales offers a stylish, simple keepsake system that includes notepads to quickly indicate the type of event or milestone that occurred (e.g., embarrassing, hilarious, maddening, wonderful, etc.), the date, and any other details you wish to include. Then just file the sheet behind the appropriate divider tab (pre-printed baby and toddler age dividers are available or you can create your own custom tabs) and include photos if you wish. The system sits within a sturdy acrylic box that is compact enough to sit within easy reach (i.e., out in plain view so you remember to use it) while keeping your memories free of food splatter or other spills. And once the box is full, your memories already will be date organized and ready to transfer to an album.

Whether you jot a note every day or once a month, in the future, your kid likely will pore over your every word and love having a historical record of this chaotic and amazing time.