Choose your format. While some people like to make their own scrapbook with supplies found at an arts and crafts store, others might find it easier to make their photo book online at sites like Snapfish.com and Shutterfly.com. These sites will even lay out your photos for you, or you can choose to do so on your own.
Take it one month at a time. It might be a bit overwhelming to go through all your photos and mementos at once — that's a full year of memories to organize! Instead, try to do a couple of pages each month to stay ahead of the game.
Record major milestones. Make sure you snap plenty of photos of major milestones, such as baby's first tooth, steps, vacation, trip to the beach, taste of real food, etc.
Only use the best. It might be tempting to include every photo of your little one — after all, he sure is cute! But unless you want a book the size of War and Peace, it's wise to choose the best photos that represent your child's milestones and important happenings for each month.
Create colorful backgrounds. Have each page represent the month, season or holiday that is being showcased to make the book as fun and colorful as possible. For example, baby's first 4th of July can include a red, white, and blue theme, while Halloween can include an orange and black background with ghosts, goblins, and the like.
Try different layouts. Make each page stand out by using different photo designs and a different number of photos on each page.
Use other mementos. Anything that can be easily pasted or scanned can be included in the book, such as baby's birth announcement and the invite to his first birthday party. You can also include ticket stubs, meaningful greeting card messages, and your first family holiday card.
Include family and friends. While it's easy to just want to showcase your baby on every page, be sure to also include photos of special family members and friends. Your child will want to look at this book years down the line, and it will mean a lot to have some photos of him with great-grandma, as well as his first playdate pal.
