Monthly Baby Photo Ideas: 38 Easy Shots to Take at Home

The best monthly baby photo ideas keep one thing the same every month (the spot, the blanket, the stuffed animal, the angle) so your baby's growth does all the talking. Pick a setup you can repeat in five minutes with a phone and a window. Then write one line under each photo about what your baby did that month, because in a year you'll want the story as much as the picture.

Below you'll find 38 ideas, a month-by-month list of 12 themes, phone camera tips, prop safety notes, and what to do with all those photos once you have them.

How to start monthly baby photos

Choose a date, a spot and one thing that never changes. That's the whole system.

• The date. Many families use the birth date each month (the 14th, say). Set a repeating reminder on your phone the night before.
• The spot. Find a patch of floor or a bed near a window with soft daylight. You'll come back here 12 times.
• The constant. Pick one prop, blanket or pose and keep it for the whole year.
• The basket. Keep the blanket, the stuffed animal and the letter board together in one basket so setup takes two minutes.

Miss a month? Take it a week late. Your baby won't know, and the collage will still work.

38 monthly baby photo ideas

Mix and match. Try one idea from "keep one thing the same" and add a seasonal touch when it fits.

Keep one thing the same

1. Same spot, same blanket, same time of day, every month.
2. Same outfit in a bigger size each month (a plain white onesie works).
3. Same parent holding them in the same pose, shot from the same distance.
4. Same chair, with your baby on a parent's lap and the chair as the size reference.
5. Same angle from straight above, so all 12 photos line up perfectly in a grid.
6. Same book read together, with the book open in the frame.
7. Same song playing while you shoot. (It won't show in the photo, but it might get you a smile.)

Show growth with a size reference

8. A stuffed animal sitting beside them. By month 12 the bear looks tiny.
9. A parent's T-shirt laid flat under them. Month 1 they're lost in it. Month 12 they fill it.
10. A parent's shoe or rain boot next to their feet.
11. A big sibling lying next to them, head to head.
12. A paper growth strip taped to the floor beside them, with inch marks drawn on.
13. Their hand next to a parent's hand, same pose each month.
14. Their feet in a parent's palm.
15. A favorite blanket from the hospital, folded the same way each time.

Letter boards, signs and numbers

16. A letter board with the month and one fact ("4 months. Laughs at the ceiling fan.").
17. A chalkboard with their current nicknames.
18. Milestone cards with the month number.
19. Wooden number blocks lined up beside them.
20. Felt numbers on the blanket.
21. A handwritten note from a parent each month, held in the frame.
22. A big sibling holding a sign ("I've been a big sister for 4 months").

Seasonal props

23. A few small pumpkins in fall, set around the edge of the blanket.
24. A pile of dry leaves around the blanket (out of reach of grabbing hands).
25. A winter hat and mittens for the first cold month.
26. A small bunch of spring flowers near their feet.
27. A beach towel and sun hat for a summer month.
28. A holiday sweater or pajamas for December.
29. A paper heart on the blanket for February.
30. A big sibling's backpack on their first day of school.

Faces, details and people

31. Close-up of their toes, same angle each month.
32. Back of their head, so you can track the hair situation.
33. Face to face with a parent, both in profile.
34. A grandparent's hands holding theirs.
35. A mirror shot with the parent taking the photo.

Newborn photo ideas at home

36. Their going-home outfit next to the hospital bracelet.
37. Their name spelled out in letters on the floor beside them.
38. Asleep in an empty crib, shot from above, with nothing added to the crib.

A month-by-month list of 12 themes

Want a different idea each month? Use this list and keep the spot and the angle the same so the photos still match. Each theme comes with a caption starter.

1. Month 1: Welcome home. Going-home outfit and hospital bracelet. Caption: "Came home on a Tuesday. Slept through the whole car ride."
2. Month 2: Parent's shirt. Lay them on a folded T-shirt from a parent. Caption: "Dad's college shirt. Room to grow."
3. Month 3: Bookworm. Their favorite board book propped beside them. Caption: "Stares at the cow page every single time."
4. Month 4: Hands and feet. Close-ups of their hands and feet in yours.
5. Month 5: One color. Outfit, blanket and one prop all in the same color.
6. Month 6: Half birthday. A paper "½" sign on the blanket. Caption: "Half a year of you."
7. Month 7: Family hands. Everyone in the house puts a hand in the frame, pets included if they cooperate.
8. Month 8: Laundry basket. Seated in a laundry basket on the floor with a grown-up within arm's reach.
9. Month 9: Favorite things. Their three current favorite objects laid out around them (no small parts).
10. Month 10: Grown-up job. A parent's work hat, apron or scarf.
11. Month 11: Outside. A blanket on the grass at a park or in the yard.
12. Month 12: Full circle. Recreate the month 1 photo exactly, same blanket, same spot, same bear.

Phone camera tips for baby monthly milestone photos

You need a phone and a window. Good light does more than any camera upgrade.

• Use window light. Turn off the overhead lights and set your baby beside a window, so the light falls across them from one side. Skip direct midday sun, or hang a sheer curtain to soften it.
• Shoot at eye level. Get down on the floor at your baby's height. For flat-lay shots, hold the phone straight above them and keep it parallel to the floor.
• Use burst mode. Babies move. Shoot a burst and pick the one frame where their eyes are open and nobody's hand is in the way. (Check your camera app's settings for how your phone does bursts.)
• Tap to focus on their eyes. Tap the screen on your baby's face before you shoot.
• Turn off the flash. Flash tends to flatten skin tones, and it can startle a baby.
• Mark your spot. Put a small piece of tape on the floor where the blanket goes and where you kneel. Next month, line up with the tape.
• Pick one orientation. Shoot all 12 vertical or all 12 horizontal so the collage lines up.
• Bring a helper. A second adult can jingle keys right above the phone to pull your baby's eyes toward the lens.
• Time it well. Shoot after a nap and a feed, when everyone has the most patience.
• Stop at five minutes. If your baby is done, you're done. Try again tomorrow.

Keep props safe

Shoot on a firm blanket on the floor, keep props away from your baby's face and mouth, and never leave your baby alone on a raised surface. Here's what the American Academy of Pediatrics says on HealthyChildren.org, and how it applies to a photo setup.

• Raised surfaces. The AAP says to "never leave a child unattended on a dressing table, even for a moment, even if he is strapped," because falls from high surfaces can be serious (Changing Table Safety). Treat a bed, sofa or table the same way during a shoot: keep a hand on your baby, or move the whole setup to the floor.
• Soft things and sleep. The AAP says soft objects and loose bedding, including pillows, blankets and stuffed toys, can raise a baby's risk of suffocation in their sleep space, and that babies should sleep on their backs (A Parent's Guide to Safe Sleep). Keep the stuffed animal and fluffy blankets for awake photos. If your baby dozes off mid-shoot, move them on their back to their own empty crib or bassinet.
• Small pieces, bags and strings. The AAP advises keeping small objects a baby could swallow out of reach, keeping plastic bags away from babies, and never placing a string or necklace around a baby's neck (Make Baby's Room Safe). Letter board letters, felt numbers and prop packaging count. Keep them at the edge of the frame and put them away after.

If you have questions about a specific prop or setup, talk to your pediatrician.

What to do with monthly baby photos

Turn them into a photobook, a side-by-side collage or a pair of framed prints, and caption each one with what your baby did that month. The captions turn twelve cute photos into a record of the year.

• Make a photobook. One page per month, with the monthly photo and a few lines of story. Our first year photo book guide walks through planning, layouts and print settings.
• Make a side-by-side collage. Lay out all 12 in a 3 by 4 grid for the first birthday party. Matching angles make the growth easy to see.
• Caption each photo. Write what they did that month, in plain words: "Month 7. Says 'ba' to every dog. Hates socks." For more prompts, see what to write in a baby book.
• Frame the bookends. Month 1 and month 12 side by side on a shelf.
• Share them with family. Grandparents will ask for every month. See how to share baby photos privately for options that keep them off public feeds.
• Keep them in a diary. Post each month's photo with its caption the same day. In Sprout Diary, each photo shows up as a polaroid with your caption under it, so the story stays attached to the picture.

Start with this month. One photo and one line counts.

What to do with monthly baby photos?

Print all 12 in a first year photo book, line them up in a side-by-side collage for the first birthday, or frame month 1 next to month 12. Caption each one with something your baby did that month.

What are some good photo prompts for baby month photos?

Try the same spot every month, a stuffed animal for size, a letter board with one fact about the month, or your baby lying on a parent's T-shirt. Keep one thing the same so the growth stands out.

How do you take monthly baby photos at home with a phone?

Set your baby beside a window with the overhead lights off, hold the phone at the same height each month, and use burst mode to catch the one frame where everyone's eyes are open.

When should you take monthly baby photos?

Take them on the same date each month, usually your baby's birth date, and set a repeating phone reminder. A day early or late works fine, and nobody will check.

Are baby photo props safe?

Keep props out of your baby's sleep space, keep small pieces and strings away from their mouth and neck, and keep a hand on your baby on any raised surface. The safest setup is a firm blanket on the floor.