When my son was born early, the first time I managed to leave the hospital, I went out and bought him a baby book. I knew the first months of his life would be spent in the hospital, which is not the normal beginning to life we all expect our children will have. I did not want to forget a moment of what was going on, even if much of it was painful at first. Baby books are a treasure to hand to your children one day, and one of the few paper type of books people still use. Photos and blogs are digital, but a baby book is something you can still hold in your hands.
Baby books are great ways to record everything that you want to remember for the first five years of your baby's life. For the most part, you will record the most information during their first two years. They fit everything imaginable in these books. You may find that some of the pages are not things you think you need to remember. For most parents, recording each and every routine appointment with the doctor is not necessary. Some will record the first few teeth, but find that recording the rest really serves no purpose. Most baby books include these entries just in case you want to use them.
Baby books often have room for some photos, but not a lot. These photos are usually for things that are traditionally photographed. Your baby books may have room for the first picture taken after birth, first bath, first tooth, first smile, first step, and a few other moments that you will want to remember forever. It is often a good idea to get a scrapbook or other photo album to go with your baby book so that you can keep all the photos you take in once place.
Most of the baby books that you can buy are going to have spaces for birth announcements or certificates. You may not want to keep the original and legal versions of birth certificates and other items. Most hospitals give you keepsake versions, so put those in your baby books. The originals should be put away for safe keeping. The first curls cut off at a first haircut are great for your baby books, as well as small items that can lay relatively flat. Look for books that are made with acid free paper and use scrap-booking tape to keep the book nice as long as possible.
If you have a premature baby, most baby books will work just fine, but you may find it hard to record all of the things that happen in the NICU. Babies first haircut may be because of a medical procedure, and you may not hold your baby right away. This is something you may not find room for in ordinary baby books. Look online for a few different books made just to record the birth, early months, and then first five or six years of a premature baby's life.