How to make a baby keepsakes box

Parenting - the days may be long, but somehow, the years go by so quickly. Before you know it, they'll be all grown-up and nappies, dummies and baby blankets will seem like a distant memory.

There's nothing more life-changing than the moment your pregnancy test confirms that you're pregnant. It might feel a bit yukky keeping something you know has been peed on, but many mums listed this as a memento that marked the beginning of their journey into parenthood.

Another magical moment as parents 'see' their unborn baby for the first time. Many parents keep ultrasound scan pictures or 3D video footage as a keepsake.

Whether it's the first sleepsuit your baby wore on the way home from hospital, the first hand-knitted cardigan from a doting Granny-to-be or the outfit they wore on their christening/naming day, tiny baby clothes are a lovely keepsake to keep in your memory box.

Whether hand-made, bought from a shop or handed down through family generations, tiny snuggly baby blankets often hold so many memories and make a lovely baby keepsake that can be passed on or kept.

It's often quite emotional when your baby has to have their first hair cut or trim and keeping a first curl or lock of hair is a lovely reminder (especially if their hair colour changes as they grow up).

Babies grow so quickly and it's hard to believe they were once so tiny. Parents often take hand and footprints of their newborn or tiny baby using ink, paint or even making clay impressions to sit on the mantelpiece.

There is nothing sweeter than your baby's first pair of proper shoes. Many parents keep at least one tiny pair as a keepsake. Some mount them in boxed frames and display on the wall, others keep in memory boxes - all depends how scuffed and battered they are, of course.

If you used a dummy, chances are that it was a permanent or at least daily fixture in your baby's life during at least the first year if not longer. This is why many mums and dads keep their baby's dummy as a memento. So that's where the 'dummy fairy' whisked it away to ...

Savvy parents buy and keep a copy of a newspaper from the day their baby was born. This makes a brilliant keepsake that your child will enjoy reading one day when he or she is older.

It would almost be criminal to throw away your baby's first teddy or soft toy. Chances are they will keep and cherish them for life, but if they ever fall out of favour, many parents keep them safe ready to unleash (and embarrass) when their little ones come home with a boy/girlfriend!

Umbilical cord clips are a feature in many memory boxes, a reminder of those early days struggling with first nappy changes and tiny wriggly legs.

Special congratulations cards from family or friends are often treasured, particularly those from doting grandparents, proud relatives or thoughtful friends from all over the world.

The name band placed round your baby's wrist or ankle in hospital are a lovely keepsake to hang onto. If anything, you'll marvel at how tiny their wrists once were.

It used to be tradition to keep a slice of christening cake but nowadays many prefer to keep the candle from their child's first birthday cake.

It's a momentous occasion when your child finally loses his or her first milk tooth. Mums and dads often 'save' them from the tooth fairy's clutches and keep in a pouch in their memory box instead.

Add a catalogue from the year they were born into the baby memory box. Wouldn't it be great to see one from the time we were born? To look back on all the old toys and fashions of the time? Great idea.

You really CAN keep it - some mums choose to get tiny drops of breastmilk made into jewellery!

Not to everyone's taste but some mums tell us they keep the bit of umblilcal stump that falls off!

Oh the teeny tiny nappies. So small. Many mums add (a clean) one to the box, just to remind them of those middle-of-the-night nappy changes.

That VERY first photo - one you'll treasure forever!

Yes - really! There is a growing trend to keep the placenta. Some turn it into nutrient-rich pills while others choose to plant it in the garden - or even add it into smoothies.

You almost can't believe how tiny their little tootsies were. A pair of newborn socks is surely a must-keep?

The song that was number one when your baby was born, the song you heard so many times on the radio in pregnancy, the song that was playing while you were in labour ... memories to keep and hold on to.