There’s something so special about looking back at photos of your baby’s first year and seeing just how much they changed from month to month. When I had my first baby, I wanted an easy way to capture those little changes without making every monthly photo shoot complicated. So I created a simple setup at home using the same blanket, the same monthly milestone sign, and the same general pose each month.

What started as a simple way to document my first baby’s first year eventually became something I did with all three of my kids. I used essentially the same setup for each of them, which now means I have monthly baby photos of all three kids at the exact same ages. Seeing them side by side and noticing how similar—or different—they looked at each stage is one of my favorite parts.

In this post, I’m sharing how I took monthly baby photos at home, the simple setup I used, and a few tips for making the process easy enough to actually keep up with for an entire year.

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The Simple Setup for Monthly Baby Photos

When I started taking monthly photos of my babies, I wanted to keep the setup simple. I didn’t want a bunch of props or a busy background competing with my baby’s face. I wanted the focus to be on them and all of those little features that changed so much from month to month.

My setup consisted of just a few simple things: a blanket, a monthly milestone letter board, and a comfortable chair or couch. That’s it!

I used a blanket we had purchased from Target years ago as my backdrop and draped it over the back of our couch. Then I placed my baby in front of it with the same monthly milestone letter board beside them. I kept the overall composition as consistent as possible each month.

The best part? I eventually did this exact same setup for all three of my kids.

With my first two kids, I was able to use the same spot in our home. By the time my third baby came along, we had moved and no longer had the same couch. But because the blanket was serving as the backdrop, I could simply drape it over a different chair and recreate the same look.

And that’s why I think this is such an easy way to document your baby’s first year. You don’t need a dedicated photography space or a bunch of fancy props. A simple backdrop and a few consistent details can give you a beautiful collection of photos you’ll love looking back on.

Baby Milestone Letter Board
Similar baby milestone letter boards are available on Amazon.

Similar Knit Blanket
Find a similar soft knit blanket on Amazon.

How to Take the Monthly Baby Photo

I kept the setup really simple. I draped the blanket over the back of our couch or a soft armchair and positioned the baby in the corner where the back and arm of the chair met. This gave them a little support while keeping the blanket behind them as a simple backdrop.

Safety first: Never leave your baby unattended on a couch, chair, or other elevated surface for a photo. I was always within arm’s reach of my babies while taking these pictures. As babies get older and become more mobile, they can roll, wiggle, or try to crawl away surprisingly quickly, so stay right next to them the entire time.

Once the baby was positioned, I would place the monthly milestone letter board beside them and get ready to take pictures.

I also found it helpful to have something nearby to get my baby’s attention. A favorite toy, keys, or even someone standing behind the camera making silly noises can help get those adorable little eyes looking toward the camera.

If you have another person available, it can make things even easier. One person can stand behind the camera and make noises or distract the baby while the other person takes the photos.

And my biggest photography tip? Take a LOT of pictures! 😂 Babies move, blink, look away, make funny faces, and generally don’t care that you’re trying to get the perfect photo. Take as many as you can while you have their attention. Somewhere in that camera roll is bound to be the one you love!

Be Consistent, But Give Yourself Some Flexibility

I didn’t miss a month with any of my kids! That doesn’t mean I always took the photo on their exact monthly birthday. If we were traveling, I had to work, or life was just busy, I would take it a couple of days early or late.

The goal was simply to capture each month, not to make the date perfect.

There were definitely times when it felt tedious to set everything up or figure out an outfit, but I’m so glad I stuck with it. Looking back now, having a photo from every month of my kids’ first year is something I truly treasure.

Why I Love These Monthly Photos

What I love most about doing monthly photos with all three of my kids is being able to look back and compare them at the exact same ages.

When my son was a baby, so many people commented on how much he looked like my oldest. Once I started looking back at their monthly photos side by side, I could really see it! And then I started noticing my middle child in him, too. Seeing all three of them at the same ages makes it so fun to spot the little similarities and differences between them.

I even have some of their monthly photos in the same outfits, just at different ages, which makes comparing them even more fun.

Today, I have all of their monthly photos displayed together in our kids’ playroom. It’s one of my favorite things in the room, and it’s always fun when guests notice the photos and start comparing the kids, too.

At the time, taking these photos every month sometimes felt like one more thing to remember. But now, I’m so glad I did it. These photos have become such a special keepsake, and they’re something I’ll treasure for years to come. ❤️

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