How I Make Keepsake Boxes for My Kids
With a husband who would love to be a minimalist (and has no problem donating anything that we no longer use), I try to be ultra strategic about the special pieces I keep from my children’s childhood. Those foot prints from the hospital, the outfit they wore on their first birthday, their first pair of shoes—I want them to have a box of treasures to share with their own families one day. That being said, I want them to have a curated box of mementos rather than keeping boxes and boxes of things for them to sift through.
A few years ago, I started these memory boxes for my kids. It has been a great way to simplify what I save and add meaningful touches along the way.
Baby Clothes
I keep about 5-8 favorite pieces from their first year of life. Maybe it’s the outfit they wore over and over again or the dress with the cake stains from a first birthday celebration. I write a little note with why each piece is special (if I can’t think of something to write, it’s likely it doesn’t need to be saved) and place it in a sealed envelope in a compression bag, along with their baby quilt. It saves space and seems to keep them protected. I may look into wrapping them in acid free paper too to keep them from yellowing?? Any tips on that, send them my way.
Mementos
The rest of the box is filled with special mementos. The piece of hair from their first haircut, their first passport pictures, their footprints from the hospital etc etc. I store as many of these special little items in a photo box to keep them contained inside these memory boxes.
As the years have passed, I’ve continued to add a few little keepsakes to their boxes. Some mementos from our pandemic, a picture book from our first home when we moved—things like that.
The final touch was adding little labels to their boxes. I used this etsy template to make the labels.
Curating a box of treasures is more than storing things for later—it’s preserving those memories to enjoy for years to come!
Shop the Supplies
Photo Boxes // Compression Bag Set // Under the Bed Storage Bin (similar) // Custom Labels // Notecards
