My first child has a lovely baby book, full of anecdotes, photos and locks of hair. Second child has an empty baby book…totally empty. Not a thing.

Fortunately ChickPea is a resilient second child and come on, look at the photos she has thanks to my dear friend Simone Carter, who snapped these before ChickPea turned into the reflux baby from hell (I am still recovering). Whilst ChickPea may not mind her lack of baby book at the moment..her brand new, never been opened baby book has been traumatising me for years and every so often I stumble upon it while looking for something else and write myself a note to ‘do baby book’. Never do it. But I write the notes and feel the guilt.

Enter ‘The Day You Came Into the World’ by Frances Lalor and Erin Beachy. I stumbled upon this book through a Facebook friend and oh my wordy I owe the creators a debt of thanks as my baby book guilt issues are now no longer. I’ve just this week popped the original, never-used baby book in the Vinnies bin – and I’m sure some other mother is going to love it sick and make it gorgeous. While they make the other one gorgeous, I’m all smug with my copy of ‘The Day You Came Into the World’.

Lalor and Beachy have created the most gorgeous and gentle picture book, and it finishes with a page of details which a parent can fill in with their own story of the day their baby came into the world. One page?! Even I can do that. This is a story that can be read for a lifetime – as a reminder of the very special day that a child came into the world. It will inspire memories, laughter and possibly some tears. I’m so very, very pleased to be able to give ChickPea a beautiful book with a