What to write in a baby journal

Some days the words come easily. Most days you sit down, thumb hovering over the page, and think: what is there even to say? She napped. She ate. She cried at the ceiling fan again.

Here is the thing we have learned from keeping JoJo Days: the "nothing happened" days are the ones you will want back the most. You will not remember the way she gripped your finger, or the face he made at his first spoon of daal, unless you catch it in a line or two. You do not need to be a writer. You need a prompt and thirty seconds.

So here are the prompts. Keep this list somewhere close and pick whichever one fits the day.

The everyday tiny things

• What did they do today that made you laugh?
• A sound they made that you want to remember.
• The face they pulled at something new.
• What were they wearing? (The duck onesie deserves a mention.)
• Something ordinary you did together: a walk, a bath, a song on repeat.

The firsts (star these)

• First smile, first laugh, first roll, first tooth.
• The first time they slept through the night, and how you reacted.
• First food, and the face that came with it.
• First word, or the babble that sounded almost like one.
• The first time they reached for you.

How you are feeling

• What surprised you about today.
• The hardest part, honestly. You will be glad you were kind to yourself later.
• One thing you do not want to forget about this age.
• A hope you have for them.
• What you would tell them about today if they could understand.

For the people around them

• Who visited, who they smiled at, who they cried at.
• A thing a grandparent said.
• How the other parent is with them right now.

If you are still expecting

• The first kick, the cravings, the scan day.
• What you are imagining about meeting them.
• A little note to the one who is still on the way.

When you truly have ten seconds

Write one line. Just one. "Grabbed my finger and would not let go." That single line, months from now, will bring the whole day back.

The point was never to fill a page. It was to keep the little days before they blur together. Pick a prompt, write your line, and let the book do the remembering for you.

JoJo Days turns each day into a tappable card: jot a line, add a photo or a voice memo, and star the firsts. Start yours free.