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Letters for later
A letter to my baby on their first birthday: examples to borrow
Example first birthday letters to a daughter and a son, from mom and from dad, with a short version and a simple structure for writing your own.
Their story,
in your words.
in your words.
Write it this week while the details are still sharp. Describe your baby as they are at twelve months, tell them one story from the year and say one thing you learned. It does not need to be long or polished.
A simple structure
Four paragraphs will carry the whole letter: who they are right now, a story from the year, what the year was like for you, and a wish. Start with “Today you are one” and keep going.
You will not remember this year. That is why I am writing it down.
Letter to my daughter on her first birthday
“Dear Nora, Today you are one. You have six teeth, a laugh that comes from your stomach and strong opinions about bananas. You crawl with one leg tucked under you, like a little boat with a broken oar.
The night you were born it snowed, and the nurse opened the blind so I could see. I think of that every time it snows now. This year you taught me that I can function on four hours of sleep and that I am braver than I thought.
I do not know who you will be when you read this. I know that at one, you reach for people. I hope you keep doing that. All my love, Mama.”
Letter to my son on his first birthday
“Dear Eli, Happy first birthday. You are standing at the coffee table as I write, banging a wooden spoon on it and looking very pleased. You say ‘dada’ to everyone, including the dog.
In March you had a fever and I sat up with you all night in the blue chair. Around four in the morning you put your hand on my face and fell asleep. I have never felt so needed or so sure of anything.
Whatever kind of boy and man you become, you do not have to be tough for me. You only have to be kind. I love you, Mom.”
A first birthday letter from dad
“Dear Hazel, I am not much of a letter writer, so this will be short. A year ago I was afraid to pick you up. Now you ride on my shoulders and steer with my ears.
I learned your cries. I learned the song that works in the car. I learned that I would rather be at home with you than anywhere else, which nobody who knew me before would believe. Thank you for making me a dad. Love, Dad.”
A short version
For a card, a caption or a baby book page: “You are one today. You love the bath, the cat and being upside down. This year was the hardest and best of my life. I would do every minute again.”
A letter to a second or third child
Later children sometimes get shorter baby books. A letter evens that out. Tell them what was different about their arrival.
“Dear Jude, You are our third, which means you have never had a quiet nap in your life. You were carried to school drop-off at five days old. Your brother reads to you and your sister dresses you like a doll. You came into a loud, full house, and you made it more itself. Love, Mom and Dad.”
Details worth including
These are the facts that fade quickest.
- Weight, height and number of teeth
- First word, or the sound they use for everything
- How they move: rolling, crawling, cruising, walking
- What makes them laugh every time
- The song, book or toy on repeat
- Who they light up for
- Where you live and what their room looks like
- What you call them when nobody else is listening
Make it a yearly letter
A first birthday letter is a good start to a tradition: one letter every birthday, opened together at eighteen. It takes twenty minutes a year.
If you would like the letters kept in one place with the photographs from each year, you can write them in Everlittle and set them to open on a date you choose. A dated note on your phone or a folder of paper letters works too, as long as someone else knows where to find it.
Keep one detail from today.
Start with a sentence, a photo or a familiar voice.