Do you ever start something and then once you’re knee-deep into it wonder “what the heck did I get myself into?” I did that with my children’s monthly milestone baby photos. But man am I thankful I stuck it out and took them because they make me smile ear to ear.
I remember seeing a friend post a milestone baby photo on a blanket with 1-12 months printed on it. This was my first time seeing a milestone blanket and I thought it was adorable. I bought the blanket from Batzkids when I was pregnant with my son and thought it would be a fun opportunity to get creative every month with milestone baby photos.
Little did I know what it would turn into (you’ll see below how it escalated haha.)
When my second babe came around I knew what a big commitment I was making to take these monthly (and while I didnt take them on her actual month bday like I managed with Tate) I’m so happy I did these with her not only because she’s my second child and #equality but because it was really fun to do different themes with a girl baby.
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Tips for monthly photos:
- Showing growth: Choosing an object, or blanket, or chair for them to sit in will show their growth month over month. We chose a milestone blanket from BatzKids (and in Tate’s weeklys a wooden arrow)
- Lighting & location consistency: While your set up doesn’t have to be as elaborate as ours I do recommend choosing a location with good natural lighting, and being consistent on what time of day you shoot these.
We have a large square coffee table near the two biggest windows in our house, the milestone blanket happened to be the same size as our table so we shot all the monthly pics on that coffee table usually in the early afternoon after morning nap. (but always in the day time with nice bright natural light!)
- Get baby’s attention: Have something or someone to get the baby’s attention, especially as they get older and want to crawl/ roll away from you. Usually, my husband was around to help or a babysitter, I would also bring a bell or something that made noise onto the ladder with me to get baby to look my way long enough to snap some pics.
Brainstorming
A question I got asked a lot when sharing these monthly milestone photos was – how do you think of these themes. So I’ve got to be honest – a lot of these ideas would pop into my head as I was drifting off to sleep or right at the last possible moment. ( maybe I work well under pressure.) But typically my thought process would go through a few questions to asses as I brainstormed:
- What month is it?
- Are there any holidays, big events this month?
- What # of months will baby be? Is there anything significant about that #?
- Is there anything unique to our family that lands on this month or season?
So with no further adieu here are Tate & Kennedy’s milestone photos throughout their first year. I’ve also included at the bottom some of their weekly photos, I took photos weekly of them for their entire first year. My mom had custom quilts made for each of them and I thought what a perfect use for these.
Tatum Joseph’s Monthly Milestone Baby Photo Ideas
Tatum’s Tee Pee // These monthly milestone baby pictures started out simple enough… 😉
Tate’s first month we mimicked his nursery theme Tatum’s Teepee ( view his nursery here)
‘Merica // Tate turned two months in July so we went with a 4th of July theme. He also had 2 bomb pops on his shirt for two months ( I stuck with trying to add the # in a creative way to his outfit through about 8 months I think but they became less obvious, see if you can spot them)
Back to School // August is Back to School for many people which inspired Tate’s 3 month milestone photo. I found all of these cute props in the Target dollar spot!
LumberJACKED to be 4 months // As we entered fall (Tate turned 4 months in September) this cute Lumbar Jack theme came to me, he even let me put a beard on him! Haha. You’ll notice each month I have a prop like a garland to highlight the # of months he is turning.
OKTOBERFEST // My husband’s birthday is in October and I always call it OctTAYLORfest, so for Tate’s 5-month milestone photo we did an Oktoberfest theme. I made his lederhosen from thick ribbon, felt and a scarf from a snowman craft at hobby lobby & his hat out of felt and the same snowman scarf.
PS I LOVE YOU // Tate’s 1/2 birthday / 6-month photo fell in November (aka PSL season!) our baby barista was a huge hit! I made his apron from felt and cut the logo and the 6 pumpkins out of heat transfer vinyl.
ELF ON THE SHELF // Tate as an Elf on The Shelf might be my all-time favorite. If you want all the details on recreating this scene check out my post on how to turn your baby into the Elf on the Shelf.
Gnome is where the heart is // I was stumped on a theme for January, Tate’s 8 months… then I remembered that January was the 1 year anniversary of buying our home!! My mama is also obsessed with Gnomes so it was an ode to Grandmoe (aka Grandgnomie)
Will you accept this rose? // The Bachelor was on during February, the month of love… so Tate became a tiny Bachelor with baby celebs vying for his heart. Haha. His tux was from Amazon & the paper roses were handmade by me.
Hang Ten // My dad is a surfer which gave me the idea of “Hang 10” if you look closely you’ll see the brand Hang Ten’s logo on the bucket and surfboard (which is actually a cheese board) Water made from felt, sand was made from a big roll from hobby lobby and I stuffed underneath it.
Somebunny Is 11 months // This fell during Easter so we made some bunny very unhappy by making him wear a paper-mache egg. The loose carrots were from the Target dollar section, the fences from hobby lobby and the garlands at the top from Homegoods.
Full Year of Baby Ford // Our last name is Ford, so I wanted his final month to be Ford themed. That incredible vintage Ford cut out was gifted to us by my bestie at our babyshower!
Kennedy Jean’s Monthly Milestone Baby Photo Ideas
April showers bring MAYflowers. // Kennedy was born in April, so her first-monthly shot was in May. Mayflowers get it? haha. The ship was from Hobby Lobby and the fresh flowers from Trader Joes!
Some Beach Somewhere // Little miss turned 2-months in the heat of the summer JUNE. I couldn’t resist making her a tiny beach babe.
Details:
Water ( denim clothing ) Sand – tan lovesac cover) Towel ( placemat from Target) Swimwear (Janie and Jack ) Golden Swan (floating drink holder – homegoods)
Lifes A Picnic. // This 3-month photo fell in July, so inspired by 4th of July BBQs this scene came to life.
Details: Outfit – Amazon, Food – made with Cricut, ‘blanket’ – dishtowel, ants, + basket – Target, Bow – Little Poppy Co, Mustard + Ketchup – Melissa & Doug.
We All Scream 4 Ice Cream. // Not only did I overindulge in ice cream during my pregnancies but this little cutie is SWEET as can be.
Details – Paper props made with Cricut, Outfit – Amazon, Cones – Target Dollar Spot, Topped with Christmas ornaments.
There she is, Miss America! // I competed in the Miss America Organization for several years, and have served as the Executive Director for a local preliminary competition. Traditionally the Miss America Pageant is held in September and in honor of this Future Miss America I just couldn’t help myself. haha. This one just cracks me up
Details: Hair – Halo extensions. Gown – a table runner from our wedding. Banner – Made on with Cricut. Crown – My Miss Phoenix crown. Red carpet – Wildbird ring sling.
BASICally Perfect. // With her pup and purse in one hand and her Pumpkin Spiced Latte in the other this cutie is channeling all my mom vibes. Tate’s 6 month photo had a similar theme and with these PSL pants from Bitty B & Co I couldnt pass up a remake of the PSL shot.
Heaven Sent. // ( I can’t help of think of 7th heaven when I think of the #7) Seriously though Kennedy Jean is/was an angel baby! Month 7 was also the month she started sleeping through the night, #Heavenly.
Details: Wings – Amazon, Gold “streets” * beams vinyl roll, Clouds & arrow – Hobby Lobby.
Elf On The Shelf – I was giddy with excitement to recreate this with baby girl. If you want to recreate this scene check out my blog post about turning your baby into The Elf on The Shelf.
Sugar Spice & Equal Rights. // Our girl is tiny but mighty! In honor of her Mimi’s 60th birthday in January we did a baking theme because no one bakes like Dixie Ford.
Details: Hat, Apron, Donuts, Measuring spoons + whisks – Target Dollar Section. Rolling pin + Oven Mit – Melissa & Doug, Cookies + Recipe card made on Cricut.
A Perfect 10. // As she glides along the often icy paths of life she does so gracefully! Maybe it was watching the movie I, Tonya that got me all jazzed for this scene. Perhaps its because I’ve always loved watching the Ice Skating competitions, or that this Velvet leo was just screaming to be used!
Details: Leo – This Tribe of Three, Iceskates – Amazon + some creative foil work 😉 Crowded arena made with a big roll of black paper + circle stickers, Flag + score signs made with Cricut.
11:11 Make a wish – Cinderella is my favorite Disney princess so I just had to find and excuse to work this in her monthly photos! A dream is a WISH your heart makes!
Details: Dress – Amazon, Paper props – made with Cricut, Carriage wheels – from our popcorn machine, Carriage – Hula hoop draped in fabric
#KENNEDYCAN – With a name like Kennedy Ford we couldn’t pass up the POTUS vibes. Her first birthday party was a campaign party (check it out here .) Plus these props and outfits were too cute to just use once!
Details: Whitehouse – Dino Rentals. Yard Sign – Designed by me ( Let me know if you have graphic design needs!) I can’t remember for the life of me where I ordered these buttons! ( I just googled custom buttons.) Carboard 1 prop – hobby lobby. Blazer – Walmart.com I voted sign – made on Cricut.
Weekly – Milestone Baby Photo Ideas
And here are a few of the weekly photos I mentioned above!
Did you capture monthly or weekly milestone baby photos? Share them with me I would love to see your milestone baby photo ideas!! If you found this post fun and useful please share it with your friends, & pin it to Pinterest!
Questions about creative monthly milestone baby photo ideas? Drop a comment below!
