Just a note, this spread ideas post is addressed to “mommies” meaning (in this case) mothers of younger children. I will likely create another one for mothers of older school-aged children later on (ya know, when I get there). There are a few fun spreads included that are not necessarily just for parents or caregivers though, most of these can be tweaked to use for your own reference too.
SPREAD TO TRACK BABY’S GROWTH
First up, is the measurements tracker. I am not one to track percentiles and things of that nature because I think that could get obsessive, but I do track a few things from every doctor’s appointment or checkup. When the doctor tells me baby weighs X amount I want to know how much has changed since the last time, so this is my way of doing that.
I keep mine pretty simple: height, weight, and maybe head circumference. The head circumference is just optional for me. I wrote down the first one because I was curious about what women’s bodies are actually capable of. Most checkups we aren’t told this number and I don’t ask.
SPREAD TO TRACK BABY’S FIRSTS
I also decided to start tracking her firsts in by bullet journal, so that they wouldn’t go missing. I sometimes add one or two of these when I have an empty space in her baby book (post coming soon), but I already can’t remember when she did certain things for the first time, so I’m glad I wrote them down. It works best to have it all in one place because sticky notes were getting super lost.
IMMUNIZATIONS TRACKER (& EXPLANATIONS) SPREAD
I found it useful to have Isla’s shot records written down in my old bullet journal this past few months, so I migrated that information into this one.
Please note: Just as every family is different, so is every baby, and of course every doctor. My lists/schedule are built around the recommendations I received. Consult your own provider.
The immunizations spread has been super helpful. Our pediatrician charts all of our shots online but it’s hard to decipher, and I also just don’t like to rely solely on technology. On the adjacent page, I decided to break down the latest immunization recommendations and map out when we would go in for which shots.
Related: Isla’s Home Birth
This is especially helpful when discussing upcoming appointments over the phone because the nurses usually just rattle off the acronyms or nicknames for each. I find it also helps me with scheduling because some of the immunizations are combined into one shot. It’s been the only reason I’m not confused anymore.
SLEEP TRACKING SPREAD
Sleep trackers are pretty widely used in the bullet journal community, but I’ve never used one for myself. I did at one point begin to track my daughters’ sleep because I was having trouble setting up a routine for her, and it was making her (and of course me) cranky. Being able to look at how much sleep she got helped me decide if she needed a nap, or something else, before she was able to sign to me.
NUTRITION SPREAD
This nutrients suggestion spread was used waaaaay more than I had anticipated in my old bujo. Everything we adults are eating pretty much also goes to my baby so I wanted to make sure to provide a well rounded menu for her. I couldn’t tell you what foods provide Vitamin K if you paid me, so I did my research and broke it down in my bullet journal. I could then choose an example from each box to offer to her throughout the day and know that I had provided a well rounded assortment.
HOROSCOPES AND ZODIAC SIGNS SPREAD
A Chinese zodiac and astrological breakdown spread was kind of just a fun one I wanted to do to see how well it matched up (someday). I also liked that I had a reference to figure out what her birth month’s color or flower or jewel was. It comes in really handy when family wants to get her little gifts.
MORE MOMMY SPREAD IDEAS:
- Cute things your little one says with dates (and/or photos)
- Handwritten notes from long distance/older relatives
- Monthly updates on the changes they go through (likes, dislikes, new skills, etc.)
