Ideas (traditions) you had or wish you had when your kids were born (baby, toy)

[num1baby]

I have seen a lot of great things people have done with their kids and there are a few I wish I had done with my own. I am not talking about discipline or even the regular day-to-day stuff. Traditions that your family followed. I think it would be great to list them to give other people ideas of what they could do.

Recently I watched a Youtube video of a guy in his 20s now. His dad had taken a picture of him every day of his life. He would meet up with his son every day (even long-ish distances) to take a picture of him. There were only a couple of days missing. I thought it was amazing that the dad was that dedicated to the project and the son even got excited about it.

I have a "growth tree". It is a 6' tree painted on a piece of plywood attached to DD's wall. Every year, on her birthday, we measure her, My mom (fantastic artist) then paints a new branch to represent her height for the year. The year is drawn into one of the leaves. It is on the plywood so that we can move it if we ever decide to move or if we need to repaint her walls.

I thought someone on this site mentioned a video they were taking of their kids to show them when they were older.


What little traditions does your family have? What do you wish you had done?

[Mrs. Skeffington]

I wish I would have kept the baby books current...I did it with my oldest for about six months, then kind of forgot about it. My youngest daughter's book is almost blank. When I look at mine, and DH's, I feel very guilty - our moms were meticulous about posting EVERY milestone we had.

[mc33433]

A couple friends of mine did this and I thought it was great - they took a picture from birth and then at the end of every single month with the child next to the same specific toy or stuffed animals. Amazing to chart the growth and the emerging personality of the child.

[Charles]

Interview your kids on video. Ask them old "Candid Camera" Alan Funt questions that force the kids to make up answers.
Save in Education IRAs or other college savings accounts from birth
Measure their height against a wall on their birthdays
I videotaped my kids when they were five or so and asked them "What would you want to say to your future husband?" I plan on playing this back at their weddings.

[Sonic_Spork]

I wish I had got more video of the kids. I've got a few little clips that I watch over and over...

One thing we've done, I have stopped buying the school photos and instead take them to Walmart or some other studio (wherever I can get a deal)--I save money and we have more flexibility. We bring a prop that is meaningful to the kid. I have some great portraits of my 13 year old with his viola. The instrument was an expensive gift, so it was good to send those pics to the family member who paid for it.

We also do an annual family portrait (similar, inexpensive portrait studio) and since at Walmart in particular you can only pick one photo to be the entire package if you're going with the cheapo deal, instead of picking the most perfect family portrait, I pick the silliest one. The one where someone is making a ridiculous face or something. We are a silly family, so we like to look at those pictures on the wall and laugh.