Penning a letter to a newborn baby is a great way to remember events or emotions that occur during the early months of a child's life. Chronicle your journey into parenthood so that you (and someday your child) will have these moments captured for posterity. The newborn days fly by in the blink of an eye, so describing the highlights in letter form is a wonderful way to make the memories last a lifetime.
Writing a Letter to Your Newborn Baby
While not exactly a new concept, the notion of writing a keepsake message to a newborn has finally caught up with technology. Along with using simple pen and paper, people can now utilize the Internet to write and publish their letters for public viewing, for family members in faraway locations, and even for a growing baby who can someday pull the letters up and read them.
Who Should Write the Letter?
Anyone who loves the new baby and their family can write a lovely letter to baby. In most cases, the letter writers are mothers and fathers, but grandparents, siblings, extended family members, and close family friends can also record their thoughts in a letter.
Why Write a Letter to Your Newborn Baby?
While letter writing hasn't altogether replaced traditional baby books as a means of recording the infancy experience, it has helped to enhance early parenthood for parents and children alike. The actual reasons you might choose to write a letter to your newborn are uniquely yours, but consider the following:
- Documentation of major events that took place in the world in the year your baby was born.
- To answer questions older children might ask about their infancy. Kids are forever wondering about what they were like as a baby.
- Detailing the earliest months and milestones of a baby's life.
- Describe your baby's birth story so they can someday learn about the biggest moment of both of your lives.
- Sharing thoughts, emotions, and baby's "firsts" with family members, especially ones who love them yet live far away.
- Expressing meaningful personal information as a keepsake for children.
- Allowing baby's siblings to introduce themselves to the new baby.
Tips for Writing a Letter to a Newborn
Pouring out your love for your child in word form may sound easy, but some people may want to plan before they sit down to write. If you're interested in creating a meaningful letter for your baby to read when they grow older, consider these tips to help you get started on your literary project.
Choose a Tone
The tone of the letter is one of the most difficult aspects of letter writing to a child. Grown-up family members have adult knowledge about the world that can seep into a letter unintentionally. For some, this type of intimate and frank sharing becomes the point of the letter, but others may choose to keep the tone light, airy, and fun, especially if the child reads the letter at a young age. Spend some time deciding when you plan to give the letter to your child and how much worldly knowledge you'd like it to contain, as that helps guide the direction of the tone.
Don't Sweat Mistakes
A great benefit in writing letters to a baby is basking in the luxury of time. It will be a long while before your child is old enough to read the letter, so mistakes aren't important. After you write your letter, give yourself some time and then read what you've written again. This is your baby and your thoughts and words, so feel free to revisit and revise your writing whenever you choose.
Letter Topics
A letter to a newborn can wander down many poignant pathways, but sometimes people aren't sure where to start. If you're having trouble coming up with an initial topic, browse the discussion ideas in the list below. Your child will take delight in learning about the things you talk about in your letter.
- Favorite memories of parents and newborn
- Early strengths and habits during infancy
- Funny faces, gestures, sounds, and mannerisms that they made as an infant
- Sleeping and eating habits or other baby milestones
- Most special moments shared with baby
- Things about your newborn that surprised you
- Who baby looks like
- Local and current world events
- Hopes, dreams, and ambitions for your little one, as well as your feelings about them
Expanding on a Letter to Baby
You can write a single letter to your infant, capturing moments, memories, and emotions, or you can get creative in your quest to chronicle their early stages in life.
- Keep a journal with daily thoughts, happenings, and moments. Do this for the first month, a few months, or a year.
- Write one letter per month to your baby and pair it with a picture of your baby, taking a new one each month.
- Write letters spontaneously, when significant things happen or when you want to write down a thought, moment, or special event. Compile these letters in a scrapbook. Include any images and baby quotes that help paint a picture of your life with baby!
- Take the letters and frame them. Hang them in your child's nursery.
- Start an email account for your child. Email the letters to the address and give the account information to your child later on in life so they can access everything you documented.
- With written letters, it is a good idea to make copies. Should anything ever happen to the original, you can replace the memento.
Give Your Child Words to Treasure for a Lifetime
There is no right or wrong way to craft a letter to your darling. This is your child and your moments and memories, so whatever you choose to include will be just right for you and your family. As long as you are writing something loving and heartfelt, your child will grow up to cherish your words.
