The first year of a baby's life, they grow spectacularly … and you have month-by-month photos to prove it. But just because they slow down a bit in the next few years doesn't mean you shouldn't document it — growth is growth, after all, and it won't be long before you're missing these little-kid years.
Whether yearly photos or before/after shots, these 10 ideas for tracking the first few years of your kid's life are genius and adorable, and they'll help you come to terms with all the growing up your kid is doing.
Image via nameisgrace.blogspot.com
Take a First Day/Last Day Photo
School years fly by once your kid is in them, and sometimes we forget to notice exactly how much our kids are changing in those months. But Life with Finger Paint's First/Last Day of School Photo Tutorial will show you how to combine these photos so you can really see the difference a year makes.
More from The Stir:16 Creative Photo Ideas for Tracking Your Baby's First Year
Fill a Chalkboard With Their Favorite Things
Kids fly through phases so quickly, we can hardly keep up. But if you can snap a photo on each birthday with a chalkboard list of what they're into in that moment (like this one from My Name is Grace), you'll build a sweet collection of fun photos as they grow older.
Use Props to Mark Their Age
We love Dirty Diaper Laundry's idea of spelling out your child's age in pumpkins for a sweet photo op. Sure, it's perfect for fall babies, but this idea could be adapted to fit any season — how about flowers for spring? Sand for summer? Snowballs for winter?
More from The Stir: 25 Photos Every Parent Should Capture of Their Kids Before Age 10 (PHOTOS)
Snap an Annual Holiday Photo
It doesn't matter the backdrop, so much as the fact that you use the same one for an annual photo of your child (on whatever holiday you choose). Here, the tree stays the same, but each year, the boy gets bigger and bigger in comparison. Seeing these two next to each other accentuates just how much he's growing!
Make a Growing Handprint Craft
Each year, your kids's little hands will grow more than you thought possible. If you cut out their handprints each year from different colored paper and stack them on top of each other (with the youngest hand on top), you'll get an awesome piece of wall art that grows as your kid does.
Press Their Feet into Salt Dough
The Imagination Tree has a simple tutorial for Salt Dough Footprint Keepsakes that are easy enough to make every year. Once you start building a collection, how cute would these look as stepping stones?!
Track More Than Just Height
This wooden plank from Brooklyn Limestone is so much more than a growth chart — there are sections for a child's milestones, adventures, and favorites.
More from The Stir: 9 DIY Growth Charts to Stylishly Track Your Kid's Height (PHOTOS)
Create a Bookshelf That Tells Their Story
What if once a year, you asked your child what their favorite book was, then added that one book to a special bookshelf with an inscription? When they've grown up, they can look back on the shelf and see a history of their likes and interests as they grew up.
Get Those Little Feet on Canvas
Foot stamping works well on babies, but the project gets cuter the longer you do it. Barnes Yard plans on adding a second canvas for her baby's second year — we can't wait to see how it comes out!
DIY a Keepsake They Can Save Forever
Marking up doorframes with pencil is all well and good until you move and you lose all the years of your children's history with the house. But this adorable Portable Growth Chart will pack up and move houses with you, and it rolls up neatly and stores well in a little box if you'd rather it not hang around on the wall at all times.
