Use these milestone cards to record your baby's age milestones. I've whipped up a set of blue baby boy cards as well as a set of pink baby girl cards for you to download and print.
When my kids were bubbas I had the best of intentions to keep a baby book and write in it. Well, that lasted about three months (pretty amazing I think right?!). Then the second child came along. Poor kid, I filled in his name and that was about as far as I got!
One thing I'm never without though is my phone. And let's face it – this generation isn't going to be camera shy given it's in their faces all the time! That's why I love the concept of baby milestone cards. It's so much quicker and easier.
You can then share on Insta and Facebook for everyone to compliment you on how amazing you are at producing seriously gorgeous kids.
Check out the quick video further below that I recorded whilst cutting these cards.
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What you're getting with your free printable download
These milestone cards are available for boys in aqua/mint green and navy. Or you can select the pink and burgundy option for your gorgeous gal.
Once you've downloaded your preferred colour you will have a set of fun, cards in cute modern patterns. There is a total of 18 cards, with one per page each measuring 5″ x 7″ (127mm x 178mm).
There is a space on each card to record the date as well as an area to write your babe’s name on the first card. The milestones range from birth through to 1 year of age.
The super brief rundown on how to print and cut your baby milestone cards
There’s not much to it. If you’re already a VIP member you will find the direct links by clicking on the pictures below. If you’re not yet a member, then quit stalling! Sign up so you can access these free printables plus a heap of others.
Once you have your download you can print these on your home computer or take them to your local print store to have them print the cards out. You will need to print them on thicker cardstock, at least 170 gsm although I do prefer 200 gsm for these. Even thicker than that would be fine as long as your printer is able to take a heavier card.
When it comes to cutting them out I prefer to use a paper trimmer. If however, you don't have one then regular old scissors will do the trick. I've also written another article to help you get the most out of your free printables.
Photographing your baby with their milestone cards
When baby is small you can place the card next to them or on their tummy. As they get older encouraging bub to grab or hold onto the milestone card looks cute and also shows their developmental stages.
It's always nice to have a cute little face ready for the camera. But they don't always want to play! Cranky, screaming and tantrum faces are also pretty adorable so don't stress if it doesn't always work out. I love this one of my son Campbell below. Don't worry, I didn't leave him to cry like this just to get a few pics, he received cuddles within seconds!
I'm so far from being a professional photographer but a couple of other basic tips I like to follow for getting a good photo include:
- Choosing natural lighting. Pick a room that has good, natural and diffused light. Then place your sweet little model beside it. I found my bedroom window with the morning light was always best.
- Select a background. For small babies, blankets are perfect for this. Previously I've propped my kids in a baby bean bag and put a soft textured throw under them.
- Coordinating. Consider the colour of the cards, the baby's clothes and the background to ensure they don't clash. Don't forget about neutrals or textures. A nudie baby is always a cute innocent look. If you like you can place the card or some blanket over bub's unmentionables.
- It's all in the angle. If you're not a pro a great trick to remember is to keep the angles straight. What I mean is not to tilt the camera, move your body if you need to.
- Click, click, click. Take as many photos as you can! I always like to capture close-ups and others with a good amount of background. Even when you think you have enough background, go for more. I've been caught out so many times with this.
I hope you get so much out of these cards, I had so much fun creating them for you. As I'm writing this I am actually humbled by the fact that for decades to come you and your family will be looking over those precious moments. And within them are these cards to help record those milestones.
I would love to know how you got along with your photo shoot, drop me a comment below! Share your photo on Instagram with the hashtag #avmfreebies or tag me @avisualmerriment on Facebook.
This post may contain some product affiliate links of which I may receive a small commission if you choose to purchase. Please know that I only recommend products that I would buy myself and that are relevant to this blog. Thank you for your support!
Other article/s you might be interested in:
3 of My Favourite Printable Kids Activities
59 Activities for Kids to Do at Home
Tips on Printing & Making your Free Printables Look Pro Worthy
2 Comments
Hi Lauren I’m a new Zealander & wanting to actually create my own Maori design milestone cards. If it’s ok are you able to lead me in the right direction of what programme/App you use to create my design so I can do this & print Two on 1 A4 size paper & is glossy card stock ok so it looks professional?
Hi Vanessa! That sounds amazing. I used Adobe Illustrator to create my milestone cards and I use it for the majority of my printables. I wouldn’t use any other software myself. However, it can be a bit of a learning curve so another suggestion would be Adobe Fresco for illustrating (available as an app) or Canva. Both of the Adobe options have free trials. Canva software is very popular for people getting started with little to no design experience. It is easy and has a great free version. As far as printing 2 cards onto an A4 size goes, that just means making the milestone card small enough to be able to include 2 to a page. Glossy or matte is usually a personal preference, you may like to trial this to see which you prefer. For the best print results, I would have them printed on professional printers at a local or online store/printer. Good luck, Vanessa! I’d love to see them when they’re done 🙂