Most baby keepsake lists start at birth. By then, some of the best pregnancy keepsakes to save are already fading on the fridge, buried in an old phone, or thrown out with the paperwork. This list covers what to keep from pregnancy, starting with what disappears fastest. It also gives ultrasound photo keepsake ideas that protect the original, and a checklist that runs from the first test to the first birthday.

Save these first: the keepsakes that fade or get deleted

These four don't last long. Deal with each one within a few days of it happening, even if everything else waits.

1. Ultrasound printouts

Most ultrasound pictures are printed on thermal paper, the same kind used for many store receipts. Light, heat and time all fade it. The print stuck to your fridge won't stay sharp.

Make a digital copy of each print within a few days of the scan. A phone scanning app works well. Lay the print flat in even light, turn off the flash, and hold the phone straight above it so you don't catch glare. Then ask your clinic whether it can email the images or post them to your patient portal. Some clinics can, which saves you the scanning step.

If your pregnancy followed fertility treatment, give any transfer-day or early-scan printouts the same care.

One note: the FDA discourages ultrasounds done only to make keepsake images. The best ultrasound keepsakes come from the scans your provider already orders.

2. The positive pregnancy test

Photograph the test the day you take it, in daylight, with the result window in focus. The lines on a strip test can change as it dries. Many digital tests also clear their screen after a set time, so check the leaflet. Often the photo ends up being the better keepsake.

If you want to keep the test itself, recap it, let it air dry for a day or two, and seal it in a zip-top bag. Digital tests hold a small button battery. Store them in a closed box up high, never in a bin a toddler could open later.

3. A recording of the heartbeat

Ask at a prenatal appointment if you can record the heartbeat on your phone. Policies vary by office, so ask before you press record. The FDA also advises against using fetal heartbeat monitors at home without a provider, which is one more reason to record it at a visit.

Rename the file right away with the date and week, such as "YYYY-MM-DD heartbeat 16 weeks." Otherwise it gets lost among grocery-list voice memos.

4. How you shared the news, and what people said

Think of the text thread where your sister replied in all caps, the voicemail from a grandparent, or the video of the moment you told your parents. These live on your phone, and phones get lost, broken and replaced.

Screenshot the best replies, save voicemails as audio files, and move it all into one album now. Keep a copy of the announcement too, whether it was a card, a post or just the words you used.

Ultrasound photo keepsake ideas that protect the original

The rule is simple: put a copy on display and store the original. Once a print is scanned, you can use it anywhere without worrying about fading.

Two things to avoid with the originals. Don't laminate them, because the heat can darken thermal paper. Skip vinyl (PVC) sleeves and sticky-page albums too, since the chemicals can fade the image. Use sleeves labeled archival or photo-safe (polypropylene or polyester), or an acid-free envelope. Label the sleeve rather than the print, because thermal paper marks easily.

Keepsakes from the middle months you'll be glad you kept

These don't fade. They slip away because nobody thinks to write them down.

5. The name list, crossed-off names included

Kids tend to love hearing the names they almost had. Save the whole list, along with who suggested what and the date you decided. If the list lives in a shared note or text thread, screenshot it before someone tidies it up.

6. Bump photos from the same spot

Pick one wall, one time of day and a side view, and repeat every two to four weeks. Put a strip of tape on the floor where you stand so the distance stays the same. You don't need a good camera or a special outfit. Keeping the setup the same is what makes the series work. Keep every photo in the album and print three or four later: early, middle and the week before birth.

7. A few lines each trimester

You don't need a journal habit. One short note per trimester is enough, and partners can write their own. Pick any of these prompts:

• "I found out about you on ___, and the first thing I did was ___."
• "The first person we told was ___. They said ___."
• "Right now I can't stop eating ___, and I can't stand the smell of ___."
• "Your name was almost ___."
• "Here's what a normal day looks like while we wait for you: ___."
• "The thing I'm most looking forward to is ___."

Handwritten notes are lovely because the handwriting becomes part of the keepsake. If typing on your phone is what gets it done, do that and print it later.

8. The first thing you bought for the baby

It might be a onesie, a board book or a tiny pair of socks. Keep the item if it's small, or at least the tag and a dated photo. A year from now, it's hard to remember which purchase came first.

9. A video of the baby moving

Later in pregnancy, movement can show on the outside of the belly. When you notice a lot of it, film a minute. Also write down the date you first felt movement and the date someone else first felt it. Both are easy to forget, and many baby books have a line for them.

From nesting to the hospital bag

The last stretch is busy, and that's when small things get thrown out.

10. The paint chip or fabric swatch

Tape the nursery paint chip, or a scrap of curtain fabric, into the baby book. It's a small, flat record of the room. It also saves the paint name and code for touch-ups.

11. A photo of the finished nursery

Once the nursery is set up, before anyone sleeps in it, take a few wide shots. Shoot from the doorway and from a corner so you can see the whole space later. Rooms change fast once a baby moves in.

12. Shower cards, advice cards and the gift list

Keep cards with a handwritten note, the advice cards, the guest book and one copy of the invitation. Save the gift list too. You need it for thank-you notes, and later it's a record of who showed up for you.

13. One maternity piece

Keep one piece, not the whole wardrobe. It could be the top you wore to share the news, the dress from the shower, or the leggings you lived in. Wash it, fold it with acid-free tissue and box it with the rest.

14. Hospital bracelets and the bassinet card

The tiny ID band, the parent bands and the bassinet card with the time, weight and length are easy to leave behind in the rush to go home. Pack an empty envelope in your hospital bag and fill it before discharge. If the hospital makes a footprint sheet, ask whether you can take it home or get a copy.

Pre-birth to first birthday: the keepsake timeline checklist

Use this as a running checklist. You don't need to do every item. Check off what fits your family and skip the rest. Week ranges are approximate.

First trimester (about weeks 1–13)

• ☐  Photograph the positive test the day you take it.
• ☐  Start one phone album for the pregnancy and one envelope for paper items.
• ☐  Scan each ultrasound print within a few days of the appointment.
• ☐  Ask the clinic whether it can send scan images digitally.
• ☐  Screenshot the replies from the first people you tell.
• ☐  Start the name list in a note you can share.

Second trimester (about weeks 14–27)

• ☐  Record the heartbeat at an appointment if you haven't yet (ask first).
• ☐  Take the first bump photo, then repeat every two to four weeks.
• ☐  Scan the mid-pregnancy ultrasound prints.
• ☐  Write your first short letter.
• ☐  Note the date you first felt movement.
• ☐  Keep a copy of the announcement card or post.

Third trimester (about week 28 to birth)

• ☐  Save shower cards, advice cards, the guest book and the gift list.
• ☐  Tape the paint chip or fabric swatch into the baby book.
• ☐  Photograph the finished nursery.
• ☐  Film a minute of the baby moving.
• ☐  Set aside one maternity piece.
• ☐  Write a second letter.
• ☐  Pack an empty envelope in the hospital bag.

Birth and the hospital stay

• ☐  Put the bracelets, bassinet card and any footprint sheet in the envelope.
• ☐  Save the first photo and the messages you sent announcing the birth.
• ☐  Jot down a few details from the day while you still remember them.

The first three months

• ☐  Back up the pregnancy album in a second place.
• ☐  Move everything from the envelope into one keepsake box.
• ☐  Make a first handprint or footprint. Our comparison of handprint and footprint methods covers mess, cost and the best age for each.
• ☐  Write a short letter about the first weeks.

Three to twelve months

• ☐  Take a photo in the same spot each month.
• ☐  If a first haircut happens before the birthday, save a small lock. Here's how to cut, dry and store a first-haircut lock.
• ☐  Keep dated cards from holidays and visits, and recycle the rest.

The first birthday

• ☐  Make a first height mark. A door frame works if you plan to stay put, while a canvas growth chart comes with you if you move.
• ☐  Write a birthday letter, then reread the pregnancy ones.
• ☐  Sort the box: keep what matters, label it, and trim what no longer means much.

If your pregnancy is complicated or ended in loss

Saving things can feel different after infertility, during a high-risk pregnancy, or while you prepare for a NICU stay. It's okay to put digital copies in a folder you don't open yet and decide later what to keep.

If your pregnancy ended in loss, there's no right amount to save and no deadline to decide. Making copies of ultrasound prints still matters, because the originals will fade. Many hospitals can help with mementos such as footprints, photos or a lock of hair. You can ask a nurse what's available, even if you aren't sure yet. A trusted friend can also gather items into a box and hold it until you're ready.

October 15 is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Our list of gentle ways to mark October 15 has quiet, no-pressure ideas if you want them.

How to store pregnancy keepsakes (and what to skip)

One lidded box about the size of a shoebox holds most of it, from the first test through the hospital stay.

• Keep paper flat in an acid-free folder or envelope, with ultrasound originals in photo-safe sleeves.
• Store the box in your living space, such as a closet shelf. Attics, garages and basements get too hot or too damp.
• Label each envelope with what's inside and the dates it covers.
• Back up the phone album in two places, such as a cloud service and an external drive.
• Keep any digital pregnancy test up high, since it holds a button battery.

After the baby arrives, the pregnancy box can go inside a bigger memory box. Our keep-or-skip list for a baby memory box covers what to add from there.

What you can skip

• Every print from every scan. Keep the clearest one or two originals, and let the digital copies cover the rest.
• Extra tests. One is plenty, and a photo can stand in for it.
• Store-bought cards with only a signature. Photograph them, then recycle them.
• The whole maternity wardrobe. One piece tells the story.
• Medical records and lab results. Keep them in your health files, not the keepsake box.
• Packaging and gift receipts, unless someone wrote a note on them.

If you do one thing this week, do this: make the album, scan the ultrasound prints you already have, and put an empty envelope somewhere you'll see it. The rest of the list can wait until each moment arrives. Most of it takes only a minute when it does.

Frequently asked questions