Personalized Baby Books: Photo-Story Keepsakes for Ages 0 to 2

Two kinds of personalized baby books

When parents search for personalized baby books, they usually want one of two things: a keepsake that records the baby and the people around them, or a first story the baby can grow into. Custom Picture Books makes both, and they are separate products.

• The baby photo-story book. A dedicated line for babies 0 to 2, in a large A4 format, printed as softcover, hardcover or lay-flat. Family and gift-giver photos can be part of the story. It is ordered as a printed book.
• The 0 to 2 picture book. The same personalized picture book older children get, written for the youngest age group: 12 pages with 4 to 12 words a page, starting as an eBook with an optional hardcover.

Neither is better in general. The right one depends on whether you want a family keepsake or a story to read every night.

The baby photo-story book: a keepsake from the first years

The baby book line is built around the people in a baby's life as much as the baby. The photos of family members, or of the person giving the book, can be woven into the story, so a grandmother who gives it at a christening or a first birthday can appear on the pages herself.

Two details make it easy to buy with confidence:

• The cover is drawn first. You see the illustrated cover before you buy, so you know how your baby and family will look.
• You choose the binding. Softcover is light and simple. Hardcover is sturdier for the shelf. Lay-flat pages open fully flat across the spread, which suits big pictures and a baby on your lap.

Because it is A4, it is big enough for a baby to see clearly while you hold them, and big enough to feel like a proper album when they are older.

The 0 to 2 picture book: a first story with your baby as the hero

If you would rather give a story, the regular picture book for ages 0 to 2 is a good fit. Your baby is the hero, drawn from one clear photo, with a short line or two on each page that you can read in a sing-song voice. Subjects that suit this age include first words, learning to count, a new pet, gentle adventures with dinosaurs or in space, and holidays like Christmas.

The pictures are illustrated with the help of AI from your photo, in one of ten styles such as watercolor, gouache, pencil and crayon or 3D animation. You can add up to five characters in total, each with their own photo: parents, grandparents, an older sibling or the family dog.

It starts as an eBook for $7.99, ready in about 15 minutes. You can rewrite any page and ask for any picture to be redrawn, then order the hardcover for $44.99 plus shipping, with the eBook payment deducted. As your baby grows into a toddler, our guide to personalized books for toddlers picks up where this one leaves off.

Which personalized infant book should you choose?

Choose the baby photo-story book if

• You want family members, or yourself as the giver, to appear in the book.
• You care most about a keepsake for the shelf and later years.
• You want to see the cover before you buy.
• You would like a lay-flat or softcover option.

Choose the 0 to 2 picture book if

• You want a story your baby can grow into, with simple repeated words.
• You would like to pick a story subject, a lesson and an illustration style.
• You want something to read the same day, as an eBook, before a printed copy.

Plenty of families end up with both: the photo-story book as the keepsake, and a picture book for bedtime once the baby starts pointing at pages.

Why baby books become keepsakes

Babies change fast, and the people around them change too. Grandparents age, pets come and go, older siblings stop being little. A book that captures who was there in the first two years tends to be pulled off the shelf long after the baby has outgrown it.

A few small things help a baby book last as a keepsake:

• Choose a photo that looks like your baby right now, not a newborn shot if they are already one.
• Include the people who matter: a grandparent, an aunt, the dog.
• If you are giving it, write a short note inside the cover with the date and the occasion.

Personalized baby books as gifts

Baby showers

Before the birth there is no baby photo yet. A thoughtful option is to give a card at the shower promising the book, then make it together with the new parents once the baby has arrived and you have a clear photo.

First Christmas

A baby book given at the first Christmas becomes part of the season every year after. Our personalized Christmas book guide has more ideas.

First birthday

A first birthday is a natural moment to look back on the year, with family in the pictures. See our personalized birthday book guide for birthday stories as the child grows.

When an older sibling meets the baby

If the baby has a big brother or sister, a book for them about the new arrival can be a lovely companion gift. Our new sibling book guide explains how. For more gift ideas by age, see the personalized book gift guide.