I love to journal. I’ve been doing it in some form or another for pretty much my entire life, and when I fall out of the habit I always desperately miss it and end up going right back to journaling. Lately, I’ve really been wanting a more guided journal to keep track of all of the fun and special memories that come along with being a parent. There are so many little moments that I’m sure I’ll forget, and I wish I had something to help me remember to write them down!
I rounded up a few of my favorite options for guided journaling – I’m hoping to pick up one of these in the next couple of months to get started on…there are so many great options out there, it’s hard to choose just one!
1. Letters to My Baby: Write Now. Read Later. Treasure Forever. (by Lea Redmond) I’ve seen this a few times at various bookstores and I’m always drawn to it. I’m big on the whole “writing letters to open in the future” thing, so this is right up my alley! I’ve already got a few letters for Jackson tucked away in his memory box – I love that this on gives some guidance on what topics to write on!
2. I’m a Parent? (by Knock Knock) I love that this journal is all about channeling and embracing the uncertainty of being a parent. It includes prompts, questions, and quotes and seems to be a great way to journal through those first few incredibly stressful and overwhelming months of being a parent.
4. First 1,000 Days: A Baby Journal and Next 1,000 Days: A Journal of Ages Two to Six (by Nikki McClure) I love this as an alternative for a traditional baby book, and I love that there’s a second edition to keep journaling past the first few years.
5. Q&A a Day for Moms: A Five-Year Journal (by Potter Style) I added this one to my wish list because I want to start doing it soon! I think this is perfect for what I want right now – it’s quick to jot something down every day, and it’s totally prompted so I don’t have to worry about feeling stumped on what I should write about one day.
6. Mom’s Five-Second Memory Journal (by Potter Style) I absolutely love the unique, quirky prompts in this journal and how quick it would be to fill out each day. It’s beautifully made and records some memories and thoughts that I would never have thought to write down (but I know I would have loved to read something like this from my mom!).
7. The Mommy Journal: Letters to Your Child (by Tracy Broy) This one is very cute and I love how low-pressure it each. Each day has just a space for the date and one line for you to record a memory about that day. It would take seconds to write out a sentence about the day or something small to remember, and this would be so sweet to pass on to your child someday.
8. Bookworm Journal: A Reading Log for Kids (and Their Parents) (by Potter Style) I have a friend who would love this and I may just buy it and send it to her! This is an adorable way to keep track of all the books you read with your child, along with what you both think of each one. How awesome would this be to have as your kid gets older?
9. My Quotable Kid (by Chronicle Books) I have a little journal that I keep on my nightstand that I plan to use to keep track of the cute things Jackson says as he gets older (right now I use it to record his first words and phrases). I think this one is so cute, though, and would be a great way to remember all of those adorable things your kid says.
10. For My Children: A Mother’s Journal of Memories, Wishes, and Wisdom (by Dionna Ford) Each page of this journal has a prompt and then a ton of blank space to write your thoughts, doodles, etc. I love that they leave a full page of space so that you could come back and update your answer in the future if you want to, and I love the open-endedness of the prompts.
11. Mom’s One Line a Day (by Chronicle Books) I adore these “one line a day” journals – my current favorite morning routine is checking my TimeHop to see what I was up to on this day years ago, and this is basically a journaling version of that!
12. 940 Saturdays (by Harley A. Rotbart) I so wish someone would have given this to me before I had Jackson, but now I feel like it’s too late to start! This is about the idea that you have 940 Saturdays between the time your child is born and the day they turn 18, and this beautiful journal is for you to preserve what you did on each of these precious weekends. I love this journal so much and will be buying it for any friends I have who are expecting and who like to journal!
Do you like to journal? What are your favorite ways to get it done?
pomelo / 5084 posts
This is a fantastic round-up! Thank you SO much! I will be buying at least two of these (one for me and one for DW). Love the idea!
guest
I have the one line a day journal and LOVE it! I’ve been an avid journaler since junior high, but was too exhausted at night after having my daughter to write my usual long entires. This gives me the perfect amount of space to jot down the most precious part of the day!
nectarine / 2784 posts
I really like my one line a day book. My mom kept something similar when I was a baby and I like having it now.
guest
I love this post! I’m into journaling and this list gave me so many more great options! Thank you!
hostess / cantaloupe / 6486 posts
I have the 5 year diary (similar to a one line a day) and I LOVE it. I’ve only been keeping it for about a month and a half but I’m so terrible at writing info in baby books that it’s the easiest way to document or current life with 2 under 2 and still keep track of the cute things they did that day! I really like the bookworm one… I may have to purchase that!
kiwi / 511 posts
I like the idea of journals but I rarely do them regularly and my BFF often will give me an empty journal to do as I wish with it. One of them I had started to detail our adoption journey via memory, hehe that was a struggle because I was in a fog a new mom sleep deprived fog. But it gave me something to do while I was pumping. I have continued to write in it periodically it mostly focuses on the boys but is a general family journal and reflections on fun things and struggles etc. A story of our life from my perspective.
At the dollar store I found these super hero chunky spiral bound notebooks and I bought one for each boy since they LOVE superheros. I use those to record funny, sweet and occasionally very profound things.
pear / 1770 posts
This is a great list, thanks! I’m just disheartened that so many of these journals are branded as “mom/mommy/mother,” because my DH is a great writer and I’d love for him to keep a baby journal. (Not that he still can’t, but I think more fathers should be encouraged to!)
nectarine / 2210 posts
I’m really intrigued by the bookworm journal! Although I’m not sure I’d actually remember to write in it each night.
guest
I have a five year journal that I keep for my son as a baby book alternative. We are on year three and it is so fun to read the entries from the last two years now. I’m pregnant with #2 so I want to get one of these for the new baby so it’ll be something a little different but still special (don’t want the second child to feel left out!)