Baby Book Ideas for Two Mums & Two Dads: What to Write, Keep and Treasure

Most baby books were written with one kind of family in mind. If you're two mums or two dads, you've probably already flicked through one in a shop and seen it: "Mummy's pregnancy", "Daddy's first cuddle", a family tree with one box for each. You end up crossing things out, or leaving pages blank. Your baby's story deserves better than Tipp-Ex.

Here are the pages, prompts and little traditions we think are most worth keeping, whether you're filling in a book, a journal or the notes app at 3am.

1. Write down what they'll call you (and why)

One of the first lovely decisions two-mum and two-dad families make is what each parent will be called. Some families choose before the baby arrives, some let it happen naturally, and some change their minds when the baby starts talking and invents something better. Whatever you choose, write it down, along with why. One day your child will want to know.

Some families use a word from a grandparent's language, a nickname from their own childhood, or simply first names. There's no wrong answer. The only rule is that it's yours.

2. Tell the "how you came to be" story, your way

Every family has an arrival story. For two-mum and two-dad families it often involves a little more planning, waiting and hoping than most, and that makes it a story worth telling. Whether your journey involved a clinic, a donor, a surrogate, adoption, fostering, a blended family or something else entirely, your baby book is the place to write it down while the details are still fresh.

You decide how much to share. This is your family's story, so you can write a lot, a little, or keep some parts for when your child is older and asks. Many parents find it helps to have the story written in simple, warm words from the start, so it's never a big reveal, just something your child has always known.

3. Make room for everyone who helped

Lots of families want to thank the people who played a part: a donor, a surrogate, birth family, a foster carer, a clinic team, the friend who drove you to every appointment. A page for "the people who helped bring you to us" can hold a photo, a short note or just a name. Include whoever feels right for your family, and leave out anyone who doesn't.

4. Two first cuddles, two first memories

This is the one we love most. In a traditional baby book, there's often one "first time I held you" page. In your family there are two first cuddles, and they're rarely the same story. One of you may have been exhausted and teary; the other may have been terrified of dropping them. Give each parent their own page, written separately, without peeking.

Read them together on their first birthday. Bring tissues.

5. A family tree that fits your family

The classic family tree has two neat branches: Mum's side and Dad's side. Yours has two mums' sides or two dads' sides, and possibly a few extra branches besides: step-grandparents, godparents, the auntie who isn't technically an auntie. Draw the tree that's true for your child, chosen family included. Children feel most secure when they can see all the people who love them in one place.

6. Ask the grandparents to write a letter

Grandparents are often the most excited people in the room, and they have stories your child will one day want to hear. Ask each one to write a short letter to your baby: what they felt when they heard the news, what the world was like when they were small, and what they hope for this new little person. Handwriting matters here. A letter in Nan's own writing becomes treasure. (If you need ideas, our list of 75 questions to ask your grandparents works just as well for the letters.)

7. Let your visitors fill in a page

The first few weeks are a blur of visitors, cups of tea and people wanting a hold. Instead of trying to remember who came and what they brought, leave a guest page by the kettle. Ask each visitor to sign, write a wish for the baby and make a prediction: Who will they look like? What will their first word be? Mama or Papa first? It's fun now and hilarious in ten years.

8. Capture the world they arrived in

The price of a pint of milk, the number one song, what was on the telly, what everyone was talking about. It feels ordinary now, but it's the page your child will laugh at most when they're a teenager. Fill it in during those first sleepy weeks, while it's still the news.

9. Write a letter to open on their 18th

Finally, the page that matters most in the long run: a sealed letter from both of you, to be opened when they turn 18. Tell them what you hoped for them, what you were scared of, what made you laugh in their first year, and how much they were wanted. Seal it, date it, and try not to read it again for eighteen years.

A baby book written for your family

We made Welcome, Little One because we couldn't find a baby book that truly fitted every family. It comes in four editions, and the Two Mums and Two Dads editions are worded for your family throughout. These aren't just a different cover on a Mum & Dad book. Each parent has their own panel, including a "You'll call me" line. There's an "Our Story Before You" page for how your family began, told in your own words, plus the family you've joined, letters from grandparents, visitors' pages, a month-by-month first year and a letter sealed until 18.

Best of all, it's the baby book everyone fills in. You only do a few short pages, mostly tick boxes, and grandparents and visitors fill in the rest. It's an instant download that you can print at home or fill in on screen.

Buying for friends who are expecting? It makes a thoughtful baby shower gift, because it's the one present that shows you thought about their family, not just a family.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a baby book for two mums?

Yes. Our Welcome, Little One baby book has a dedicated Two Mums edition, worded for two mums throughout, with a panel for each mum, a page for your family's story before baby arrived, the family they've joined and letters from grandparents.

Is there a baby book for two dads?

Yes. The Two Dads edition of Welcome, Little One is written for two dads from start to finish, with a panel for each dad, an "Our Story Before You" page for how your baby came to you, and pages for grandparents and visitors to fill in.

What should two mums or two dads write in a baby book?

Start with what your child will call each of you, the story of how your family began (in as much or as little detail as you like), each parent's first memories, a family tree that includes your chosen family, letters from grandparents and a letter to open on their 18th birthday.

How do I explain donor conception, surrogacy or adoption in a baby book?

Many parents keep it simple, warm and honest from the start, so it becomes part of the story your child has always known. Write it in your own words and share as much as feels right. If you'd like specialist guidance, organisations that support donor-conceived, surrogacy and adoptive families have helpful resources.

What's a good baby shower gift for two mums or two dads?

Something that reflects their family. A baby book written for two mums or two dads, like the matching edition of Welcome, Little One, shows you've thought about them, and the guest pages mean everyone at the shower can add a message.

Every family begins with a hello. Make sure yours is written down. The Memory Store Co