Monthly Baby Photo Ideas: 12 Photos to Take in the First Year

Set up a spot you can use each month

It's easy to take hundreds of baby photos and still struggle to find one from each month. Choose a spot at home for a regular picture. A blanket on a floor mat near a window is a good place to start, and you can leave the rest of the room as it is.

Keep the background and camera angle fairly consistent. Include the same soft toy so you have something to compare your baby's size against. Use the light from the window, and turn off nearby lamps if they give the scene an orange tint.

You don't have to take the photo on the exact monthly date. A few days either way is fine. Keep the real capture date, and try again later if your baby isn't in the mood. The ideas below are prompts for photos; choose whatever fits what your baby enjoys doing that day.

12 monthly baby photo ideas, from 1 to 12 months

1 month: Start with a full-length photo

Lay your baby on their back on a blanket spread over a floor mat, and take a photo from above. Leave room around their hands and feet. Then move closer for a picture of their hand wrapped around your finger. Keep the blanket handy for next month.

2 months: Catch a few awake expressions

Pick a moment when your baby is awake and fairly content. Bring your phone down to eye level, talk to them, and take a few shots. A yawn, a puzzled look, or that serious little stare is worth keeping.

3 months: Get down low for tummy time

If your baby is comfortable during supervised tummy time, get down on the floor for a photo as they lift their head. Stay close and stop when they've had enough. A photo on their back works just as well if today isn't a tummy-time day.

4 months: Photograph those busy hands

A fist around your finger, a tug on a sleeve, a hand reaching for a soft toy: try a close-up of whatever your baby is doing. Take your usual full-length photo too, from the same spot as before.

5 months: Get in the picture

Ask someone to photograph you holding your baby, or set up your phone and use the timer. Sit somewhere comfortable and talk to them. You don't both need to look at the camera. A small hand on your cheek makes a lovely photo on its own.

6 months: Bring back the first month's blanket

Use the same blanket and toy, and try to match your original camera angle and framing. Put the new photo next to the one-month picture. Keeping the toy the same size in both frames makes the change easier to see.

7 months: Follow their attention

Let your baby play while you take a few pictures nearby. Watch for a hand reaching toward a toy or a face deep in concentration. There's no need to keep calling their name to get them to look up.

8 months: Include a familiar corner of home

Take an extra photo on the play mat, beside the book basket, or wherever you spend time together. Leave a little of the room in the frame. The blanket on the couch and the pile of board books will help you remember this part of life too.

9 months: Keep the serious face

Photograph your baby studying a toy, looking at a book with you, or watching something through the window. A set of monthly baby pictures can include more than smiles. Choose an expression you recognize from everyday life.

10 months: Add someone familiar

Include a grandparent, another caregiver, or the toy that goes everywhere with your baby. If a family pet joins the photo, have another adult supervise closely. A quiet moment together is enough; everyone doesn't need to pose.

11 months: Look for what's missing

Scroll through the photos you've kept so far. Have you got a close-up of those small feet? A photo with you? A little of your home? Pick one gap to fill this month, then take your usual photo for the monthly set.

12 months: Put the first and last photos together

Take one more photo with the original blanket, toy, and camera angle. You can photograph the birthday gathering separately. Place the one-month and twelve-month pictures side by side, then look back through the months in between.

Turn your monthly photos into a first-year set

Choose one main photo for each month and keep the extras. Crop the main photos to the same proportions, leaving hands and feet in the frame where you can. Sort them by capture date. If a photo has been edited or sent through a messaging app, check that its date is still correct.

Add a consistent age label or date stamp so you can tell the months apart later. How to batch add date and days since birth walks through reading capture dates and stamping a whole set. In BabyMoment, import your photos, check the capture dates and your baby's birth date, then add age and date stamps and export copies. Try one or two photos first to check the text position and color before doing the rest.

You can arrange the finished pictures in a comparison grid or put them in a photo album in date order. Keep the slightly blurry month and the month with the grumpy face. If you missed a month, look for an everyday photo taken then rather than taking a new one and giving it an old date.