As a busy parent, you have probably already spent at least a few moments being critical of yourself for not being more disciplined with recording your growing family’s special moments and milestones. Whether it’s noting the date of a lost first tooth, documenting the first overnight with grandma and grandpa, uploading photos of a birthday party, or simply keeping tabs on their overall health data, it’s easy to be overwhelmed and normal to be unsure of the most efficient way to keep things organized and efficiently resourceful. We’re here to help! We’ve rounded up the best journaling platforms for you to review and choose the best one to fit you and your family’s needs.
1. TellaBee
Price:
Where to Buy: TellaBee
TellaBee is the perfect way to capture all your precious memories! Each week, you will receive a unique, interesting question about your little one. Your answers are recorded both in a digital book and sent out to any family and loved ones you choose. At the end of the year, you can print a physical copy of the book of stories and give it as a gift to invite others to cherish all of your child’s (or children’s) most important milestones and memories for years to come. Never miss a moment with a subscription to TellaBee.
2. Day One
Price: $2.92 per month
Where to Buy: Click Here to Download the Day One App
Day One makes the day-to-day details of family life easy to capture with the breadth of their platform reach. Data and functionality are available on all your devices, including your smartwatch, and allow a “hand-off” feature where you can start an entry on one device and finish it off on another. Of course photos and typed journal entries can be uploaded to the platform, but you can also add handwritten / hand-drawn entries, as well as voice-dictated or audio entries, to mix things up. Sync with your smart phone’s calendar to set reminders to journal– you’ll never use the excuse “I forgot” ever again. Use the “If This Then That” applet to sync data from any other apps you choose and automatically copy it to your journal entries, such as weight, step count, and Facebook/instagram posts. Plus, keep different journals for each child, or other areas of your life you want to keep documented. The possibilities are endless with Day One!
3. BackThen
Price: $4.99 per month
Where to Buy: Click Here to Download the BackThen App
Want a more intimate way to share your family’s special memories? Try BackThen! Their photo journaling app allows you to upload photos & videos and record stories about your pregnancy journey, little one’s milestones, and much more. Share those moments with only who you choose, if keeping your growing family’s updates off social media is your thing. Everyone you share access with can react and respond to anything you share, just like on social media (but without all the unwanted interference from those high school friends you’ll never talk to again peering in on your private moments). Keep your family update circle small with BackThen.
4.Tinybeans
Price: Free, or Upgrade to Premium for Additional Features for $8/Month, $50/Year, or $250 Lifetime
Where to Buy: Click Here to Download the Tinybeans App
Another safe and secure way to share your family’s memories is the Tinybeans app! With the ability to upload and share with only who you choose, use Tinybeans to get unlimited storage, automatic organization of all your uploads (even allowing you to search for specific memories using the calendar within the app), and track all of your little ones’ milestones, development, and growth. Best of all, it’s free to use until you’re ready to create and print photo books.
5. FirstYear
Price: Free for the first 100 records, upgrade for $3 – $5 for full or unlimited versions
Where to Buy: FirstYear
Looking for a way to keep your baby’s growth, milestones, nutrition, and other important details of her health organized in one place? FirstYear does double-duty for record keeping, as well as memory sharing! Allow family members and caregivers access to the important information they may need at a glance such as sleep schedule and feedings, while you can track and monitor the more intimate details such as nursing/pumping, and recording any important questions that may come up before your next doctor visit. Quick to input and easy to share, FirstYear is a great way to track the joys of your new baby while maintaining a handy, digital health reference tool as well.
6. Chatbooks
Price: Free to join, then $10+ per volume, depending on number of volumes/size of books
Where to Buy: Chatbooks
Whether you want to memorialize several important months, events, or periods of time, use Chatbooks to organize and turn the most special moments you’ve already shared to your social media accounts into a variety of printed photo products! Better yet, no need to brainstorm for a creative caption from that brilliant post 4 years ago– Chatbooks will automatically add the caption you used at the time of upload (which can be added as you wish). Print and gift, or keep for yourself, photo books, wall tiles, postcards, and more, all using the power of social media.
7. Moment Garden
Price: Free, plus the cost of photo books
Where to Buy: Moment Garden
Moment Garden is ready to bring your family closer together through another safe and secure private memory sharing platform! With access to the app (or just email) from any smart device, it’s easy to share photos, videos, and audio moments immediately with those you care about. Anyone with email access, from anywhere, can upload and share to your Moment Garden account, and they don’t even need the app! Get reminders of past memories, too. Stay organized and keep important people close to your family’s story with Moment Garden.
8. Qeepsake
Price: Free app, then $20 minimum for a softcover photobook, $40 for hardcover, plus additional costs to add extra pages
Where to Buy: Qeepsake
As originally seen on Shark Tank! The founders of Qeepsake, with five children of their own, recognized their need to find a convenient and effective way to record their family’s memories using the technology constantly at their fingertips. They came up with Qeepsake– a memory saving and sharing platform designed for the family on the go. The platform regularly sends text messages with a question prompt regarding your children or pregnancy, but you can also upload all the spontaneous memories you create through their smartphone app. Memories are always safe on the Qeepsake server, but you can print photo books to preserve those memories in physical form for years to come, and to give as gifts.
9. Blurb
Price: Photo books start $11.20 USD
Where to Buy: Blurb
For the more artistic types who can tell their story without words, Blurb allows its users to create beautifully bound, full-color photo albums. Because the company specializes in professional book publishing, the presentation of these memory books is flawless. The platform shows off several examples from past customers, so you won’t be short on ideas and creativity for the perfect coffee table book for your home or to share with family and friends.
10. My Social Book
Price: Varies, dependent upon selected project
Where to Buy: My Social Book
You’ve already been making memories online for years. Now you can instantly create and preview your best memories from social media with My Social Book! Using your Facebook and Instagram, this platform’s algorithm automatically selects the most attractive layout — all you have to do is choose the memories you want to include and voila! A decade or more of your favorite moments are assembled in a beautiful, creatively-crafted photo book. From sharing their first dance recital to your first plane ride across the country, turn into print all the photos and captions you shared with the world in one beautifully done project. Celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or graduation with their thoughtfully made books and artwork. My Social Book also offers the ability to turn photos into a gorgeous mosaic for mounting in your home and celebrating the life you’ve shared over the years.