Thanks for the memories

Mom is pregnant. The baby is due this fall. Excitement – and her belly – are bulging. 

 

Wouldn’t it be fun to capture a moment in time from your baby’s birth day plus some of the magic from the first year of your child’s life?

 

More and more parents, with the help of grandparents, siblings and friends, are creating time capsules to celebrate a new baby.

 

What does a time capsule hold? It can house historical records or things that represent the current time and culture. It’s a snapshot in time, that will be kept and preserved for the baby until he or she is much older.

 

Consider these items – memorabilia, keepsakes, stories, photos plus other firsts for your baby’s time capsule: 

 

Photos. Lots and lots of photos. Mom. Baby. Mom and Baby. Siblings. Parents. Grandparents. Baby’s first family portrait. Milestone photos (one week, one month, three months, six months, nine months, one year)

News. Include a local daily newspaper published on the day of birth, plus a copy of a big news story. 

ID items. Mom and baby bracelets from hospital. Birth certificate. Fingerprints/foot print.

Money. New or nearly new coins and/or bank notes from the year of your baby’s birth. 

Music. A favourite music CD or a download of a song that was popular the year of your baby’s birth.

Birth notice. Copy of birth notice.

History of name. Recreate page from baby name book plus add some details explaining how baby’s name was chosen.

Messages. Create a personal note to your baby. Say something nice, share hopes and dreams, words of wisdom and make predictions for child’s future. Let dad, grandma, grandpa and siblings do the same.

Printed items. A popular news or entertainment magazine, favourite children’s book, a baby catalogue, a Toys R Us flyer, sports card, postage stamp,  receipt from a store, or a pocket schedule from a local team.

Baby shower memorabilia. Cards, milk bottles, bibs, burp clothes, baby spoons etc.

First-year items. First baby booties. First onesie. Baby bonnet. Baby toy. Lock of hair. 

 

One mom put her mother’s knitted baby gift items (cap and socks) into the capsule. Ottawa mom Glenda Senack tells Parenting Times that she saved many of the above items, plus her son’s first lost tooth, baptismal certificate and report cards (he’s now 18) plus other things in a hand-crafted wooden box. Items can also be stored in a shoebox or put into a small plastic storage container. They even sell reasonably-priced time capsules in some stores or online.

 

The Royal Canadian Mint sells a ‘Welcome to the World’ silver coin, with year of birth and baby feet ‘kicking the air’. A personal message can be added on the accompanying certificate. They also have a Baby Gift Set with a specially struck $1 piece for $21.95. 

 

When should the capsule be opened? There’s no one right answer. But not too soon, of course. Perhaps during the tween years, or, better yet, wait until the child is 16 or 18. This time frame will ensure that a variety of change has taken place – and that your child will be old enough to not only appreciate the effort that has gone into preparing, but also the intrinsic value of its contents. The longer the wait, the more memorable (and historic) the items inside your capsule will seem. 

 

Whenever the time capsule is opened there will always more than a few laughs — and tons of memories.

 

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