Baby

20+ of the Cutest Monthly Baby Photo Ideas

written by KATHY SISSON

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monthly baby photo ideas"
monthly baby photo ideas
Photos by: @alainakaz Graphics by: Kirra Wallace
Photos by: @alainakaz Graphics by: Kirra Wallace

It’s no secret babies change a lot in their first year. They start as tiny nuggets who love snuggling, then grow into wiggly, smiling creatures who eventually begin rolling, crawling, and some even walking before their first birthday. And many parents want to capture the amazing changes in their little ones by taking monthly baby photos.

Whether you want to share your monthly baby photos on social media, capture them for a baby book, or print them out for gifts or wall art, there are so many easy and creative ways to showcase your baby’s growth. Here, we’re sharing over 20 monthly baby photo ideas, with a few props to shop to add to your baby registry or grab after your baby’s born. Read on for these monthly baby photo ideas we love.

Easy Monthly Baby Photo Ideas

1. With a Pennant

Give your monthly baby photos a vintage feel with numbered pennants. Plus, you can use each one as a birthday prop as your little one grows.

baby monthly photos
Source: Etsy | Poppin Pennants Co
Monthly baby photos
Etsy | Poppin Pennants Co
Baby Monthly Pennants

colors can be customized

Shop now
monthly baby photo ideas pennant
Etsy | Eventide Pennant Co.
Monthly Milestone Pennant

colors can be customized

Shop now

2. In the Same Chair

For one of the easiest baby photo ideas, plop your little one in the same seat month after month and see how they grow and change—and whether they’ll stay still enough for a photo once they’re on the move!

monthly baby photo ideas
Source: @fulchersunfiltered

3. With a Milestone Card

Monthly baby photo signs and cards are fun items to add to your baby registry, especially now that they’re available from most retailers, including tons of cute options on Etsy—from simple discs to fun shapes like this hot air balloon

Monthly baby photos
Source: @catkeuin via #sharetheeverymom
monthly baby photo ideas
Etsy | The Olive Branch Miami
Arched Milestone Cards
Shop now
monthly baby photo ideas props
Etsy | The Short Years
Circle Monthly Milestone Cards
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4. With a Chalkboard Sign

Add milestone details to a customizable chalkboard in each month’s photo.

monthly baby photo ideas
Source: Amazon | Pearhead Baby
monthly baby photo chalkboard
Etsy | Peach Magnolias
Baby Milestone Chalkboard

This option can be used beyond one year!

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monthly baby photo chalkboard
Amazon | Olive and Emma
Baby Milestone Chalkboard
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5. With Monthly Baby Blocks

Whether you use numbers from your existing set of traditional baby blocks or purchase personalized blocks, these monthly baby photo props double as toys.

monthly baby photo ideas
Source: Etsy | Birchmark Designs
monthly baby photo blocks
Etsy | Birchmark Designs
Monthly Milestone Blocks
Shop now
monthly baby photo ideas blocks
Etsy | Kamako Kids
Soft Monthly Milestone Blocks
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6. With a Letterboard Sign

Add a letterboard sign to your baby registry, and you’ll be able to use it from birth through those first day of school pictures.

monthly baby photo ideas
Source: @alainakaz
letterboard
Amazon | Pearhead
Letterboard
Shop now
letterboard
Amazon
Letterboard
Shop now

7. With the Same Toy or Stuffed Animal

Placing a toy or stuffed animal next to your baby will help you see how much they’ve grown each month. And makes the photo that much cuter!

baby photo monthly
Source: @mrscofieldandco

8. With a Laser Cut Sign

Using a wooden laser-cut photo prop sign is the perfect minimalist monthly baby photo option.

monthly baby photo ideas
Source: Etsy | Homestead Engraving
Etsy | Homestead Engraving
Monthly Milestone Signs
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baby photo signs
Etsy | Studio Noel Designs
Monthly Milestone Signs
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9. With a Monthly Blanket

Grab a monthly blanket photo prop that doubles as a play mat.

Source: Etsy | The Emerald Wren
monthly baby photo ideas
Amazon
Monthly Photo Blanket
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monthly baby photo blanket
Amazon
Organic Baby Monthly Milestone Blanket
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10. In Monthly Onesies

Buy or craft a cute monthly onesie for baby to wear in their photo each month. Make the photo even more interesting by including a few of their favorite things.

Source: Etsy | Swanky Swank
monthly baby photos
Etsy | Swanky Swank
Milestone Onesie Set

four color schemes available

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monthly baby photo onesie
Etsy | Gifts and Giggles AZ
Monthly Onesie Set
Shop now

11. Mirror Selfies With Mom

Capture how you’re both changing each month with cute mommy and me mirror selfie pics!

monthly baby photo ideas mirror selfie
Source: @thiswildheart

12. Held Up by Mom or Dad

Another super easy monthly baby photo idea: Hold your baby up against a blank or meaningful background—like a wall in their nursery or outside to see the seasons change.

baby photo ideas
Source: @thewilddecoelis

13. While They’re Asleep

No one wants to risk waking a sleeping baby, but photographing a sleeping baby can make monthly baby photos a lot easier whether choosing to shoot overhead in their crib or posing them on the floor. Adding props nearby like pillows, hats, or toys can add some interest. Just remember to remove them after the photoshoot to follow safe sleep guidelines.

monthly baby photo
Source: @raven.vasquez

14. In a Moses Basket

A Moses basket works as another fun prop for size comparisons each month.

monthly baby photos
Source: @tinygirlgang

15. With Seasonal Accents

A letterboard sign and a few seasonal accents make this monthly baby photo op clean and creative.

monthly baby photo ideas
Source: @alainakaz

16. With Nature Accents

Grab some inspiration from nature using flowers, leaves, holiday garland, or other natural accents to create the number in your baby’s monthly photo.

monthly baby photo ideas
Source: @sarmacdash

17. With Their Siblings

Capturing baby’s growth alongside their siblings is another sweet monthly photo idea you’ll love looking back on.

monthly baby photos
Source: @raven.vasquez

18. In the Same Outfit

It’s no secret babies grow quickly. Buy a cute personalized sweater or outfit in a larger size, and watch your little one fill it out and eventually outgrow it through their first year.

monthly baby photo ideas
Source: Etsy | The Short Years
monthly baby photo sweater
Etsy | Linen and Tots
Embroidered Sweater
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monthly baby photo ideas
Etsy | Love Cat and Coco
Embroidered Sweater
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19. On a Personalized Baby Blanket

Blankets create an easy background for monthly baby photos. Consider a pretty heirloom blanket or one with baby’s name or monogram for a special photo.

monthly baby photos
Source: Kathy Sisson
monthly baby photo blanket
Mark & Graham
Knit Name Blanket
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monthly baby photo blanket
Etsy | Linen and Tots
Embroidered Knit Blanket
Shop now

20. Using an App

No props needed! With baby photo apps like Baby Story, you can turn any photo into a monthly baby picture.

baby milestone photo app
Source: @babystory.app

21. Use a Pizza to Mark the Months

The pizza baby monthly photo idea from mom and family photographer Dani Leigh Giannandrea went viral a few years back—and we can see why. Who doesn’t love a pizza pie?

Tips for Taking Monthly Baby Photos

From personal experience, taking monthly baby photos works best when baby is fed and happy. If using props, set them up during nap time so you can smoothly transition baby for their photo op. Use natural light, like a nearby window, and consider using your phone’s Live Photo setting since they can wiggle quite a bit as they get older. And perhaps the most important tip of all: don’t stress if you miss taking the photo on the actual day each month. Your baby will never know the difference.

Kathy Sisson the everymom
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathy Sisson, Senior Editor

A mom of two, Kathy is passionately committed to sharing the honest, helpful—and often humorous—stories of motherhood, as she navigates her own everyday adventures of work, marriage, and parenting. She honed her creative and strategic skills at advertising agencies in Detroit and Chicago, before pivoting from marketing to editorial. Now instead of telling brand stories, she’s sharing her own, with articles published across popular parenting sites—including hundreds of stories on The Everymom.