One of the most magical (and sometimes heart-breaking) parts of being a new parent is watching your little baby grow before your very eyes. Your baby’s first year is filled with so many exciting physical and developmental milestones — from discovering favorite foods and toys through to outgrowing onesies in a matter of weeks. In this digital age, we’re lucky to be able to easily document these changes in day-to-day life. Monthly milestone photos have taken the internet by storm, and for good reason — it’s a lovely way to capture some of your cutie’s biggest moments and keep track of your child’s development!
We’ve created a list of fun, and gorgeous baby milestone photo ideas, from sweet themes to quirky comparisons. You’re sure to find something that fits your family’s style!
1. Snuggle session on their cozy blanket
Using a soft and snuggly baby blanket as the background for your milestone photos is an adorable way to keep them comfortable but also track their growth. Choose from the charming patterns Minky Couture offers to add a hint of personality without overshadowing the star of the show. Keeping the background the same means the focus will be squarely on your little one — and they’ll likely be more amenable to having their photo snapped if they’re with a comfort item like their cozy baby blanket.
2. Hugs and growth with mama or dada
Want an adorable gauge of how much your baby is growing each month? Take a photo of them in your arms! Getting mama or dada in the picture with the little one is a nice extra touch — especially as we often get too busy in that first year to take photos of ourselves with our babies. You can spice it up by wearing matching colors for each monthly baby milestone photo, creating a gorgeous rainbow effect at the end – especially if printed and hung on the wall.
3. Same onesie, growing baby
A hilarious way to document your little one turning into a bigger one is photographing them in the same onesie each month. By the time you get a few months in, there’s going to be some serious squeezing going on. Eventually, you might just lay the onesie beside them, showcasing just how quickly they've grown.
4. Baby’s journey through nature’s calendar
If you want to document the changes to the seasons as well as the changes to your baby, it’s time to take this photoshoot outdoors! If you live in an area with lots of seasonal markers like spring blooms, fall foliage, and snow, this is a great opportunity to use nature as your backdrop — and a marker for your kid’s growth.
5. Message board sweet and fun times
Looking for an affordable way to mix up your monthly milestone photoshoot? Invest in a message board so you can customize your pictures. You can use the board to highlight baby’s firsts or favorites that month, or just put up a sweet and sentimental message — you can even keep it super simple and just mark the month.
6. Growing side by side with favorite toys
Here’s another sweet and sentimental idea that’s perfect for clingier bubs or those prone to separation anxiety — taking a photo of them with the same favorite toys each month. This effect looks especially dynamic if the toy is on either the small or oversized side — the contrast between your growing baby and an unchanging object can make for striking results.
7. Personalized onesies for monthly mementos
Photoshoots with personalized themes don’t have to be expensive — all you need are plain onesies and some fabric paint. Whether you're celebrating month-by-month growth with cute numbers or letting your artistic whims guide you, the possibilities are boundless. Be minimalist with subtle designs or go all-out with vibrant patterns. No matter the route you choose, each onesie becomes a heartwarming keepsake of your baby's treasured moments.
8. Lounger or laundry basket props
If you’re after something that really emphasizes the size change of your baby month to month, popping them in a lounger or laundry basket for their milestone snaps will do the trick. By the time you get to 12 months, your little one is bound to have a limb or two poking over the edge! The laundry basket is also a nice ode to the amount of time you’ll have spent getting to know the spin cycle…
9. Tiny features tell the loveliest stories
While a long shot showing your baby’s growth makes for a striking image, it’s also fun to take some close-ups of their other adorable little features that change so much over the year. Watching little hands get more grabby, little feet start to walk, and brand-new facial expressions come out is something you’ll want to look back on when you’re remembering physical milestones.
10. Merging yesteryears with new baby milestones
Super-nostalgic parents will love this one — why not recreate some of your own childhood photos with your baby? Find similar outfits and backdrops, get them into similar poses (if possible — art-directing an infant is quite the task!), and indulge in the vintage vibes of it all. Tracking your child’s growth against your own as a baby is also super fun — but remember, all babies grow at their own pace.
11. Capture it all with baby milestone cards
Looking for a cute option that doesn’t require a lot of effort? Investing in some pre-made monthly baby milestone cards could be right up your alley. There are loads of different styles available, from funny and cheeky (baby’s first poop explosion, anyone?) to more heartfelt developmental milestones (crawling, sitting up, or smiling). It can be lovely to look back and have a tangible reminder of what your baby accomplished and when.
12. Feeling fruity – a seasonal snapshot
It’s bright, it’s pretty, and you can eat it afterward — so why not use fruit to add a fun and colorful touch to your monthly baby milestone photos? Opt for seasonal fruits to lend each photo a unique theme. For instance, the charm of placing your tiny baby next to a big pumpkin in the autumn months is undeniable — the size contrast not only highlights how petite your little one is but it also creates an extremely cute visual. Dressing your baby in colors that complement the chosen fruit can be a sweet touch too.
13. Babies illustrated magical growth
Got an artistic streak? Take your monthly baby milestone photo on a plain background and then add your own illustrations digitally! You can turn your little one into a weightlifter, rockstar, astronaut, or catwalk model with just a few strokes of the (digital) pen in post-production. If you like the idea, but you’re not much of an artist, don’t fret — there are plenty of photographers and graphic designers who offer these services.
14. Sky-high celebrations with balloons milestones
They’re affordable, accessible, and so much fun — balloons are a no-brainer for your baby’s milestone photoshoots. You can use the balloons in so many different ways — color-coded for each photoshoot, to spell out the number of months that have passed, or even starting with one balloon and adding one each month. As a bonus, tossing a balloon with your baby is a great way to develop gross motor skills.
15. Color-coded baby life
From the baby’s clothes to the backdrop and accessories, going for a color-coded photoshoot each month means you wind up with a beautiful rainbow of images by the time you hit 12 months! The photos are also striking on their own, as your little one is surrounded by a monochrome wonderland.
16. Tip-to-tip tales of baby’s growth
Is there anything more adorable than a baby’s tiny, grabby hands and teeny little tootsies? We didn’t think so! Getting your baby’s hand or footprint each month, marking the date, and using it as a prop for your photoshoot also leaves you with an extra physical keepsake of your baby’s development to cherish. You can even gather all the prints at the one-year mark to create your own growth chart collage.
Remember to celebrate every moment
Keeping track of your baby’s monthly developmental milestones doesn’t have to be a flashy, expensive, or stressful task. You can be as extra or as low-key as you’d like — what matters is that you and bub are happy! If you try something and it doesn’t work, don’t be discouraged — with some trial and error, you’re bound to find a photoshoot style you like. Just remember to smile, enjoy the ride and soak up all these adorable moments because they truly are fleeting and precious.
