Recording those precious memories

I've always been a sentimental old fool, keeping everything from cinema stubs to corks, postcards, napkins, shot glasses, champagne bottles... you name it, I've got it stashed away somewhere. I've got a lot better in the past couple of years, particularly when Ethan was on his way, as we just don't have the space to store it all.

I do have a good collection of photo albums and have always been quite good at printing photos regularly and mounting these so the memories don't get jumbled or lost. Now we have Ethan in our lives, recording all the big and little moments is even more important to me. We've taken hundreds of photos, though I still fear there aren't enough, to remember how tiny he was and all the stages he goes through.

That's why, when I was approached by Precious Mementoes to see if I'd like to try their palm print kit, I jumped at the chance. When I was small, my parents made a sloppy paint handprint of mine which they framed alongside a poem and gave to my grandparents, and there it hung for the rest of their lives. I loved looking at how small my hand once was and couldn't wait to make an impression of Ethan's little hands to cherish.

The palm print kit contains an A4 sheet of quality 180GSM parchment paper, with a traditional nursery printed graphics, space for the hand or foot print and a sweet little poem in either blue or pink text, a wooden frame and two non-toxic paint wipes, also available in blue or pink. There are two different page designs available and I was kindly sent both so we could decide which one we preferred.

Nursery graphic design

Toy graphic design

Precious Mementoes say their revolutionary Magic Wipes are the simplest way to get a palm print as you can even do the print whilst your baby or child is asleep, and I have to say, they were easy to use. The only trouble we had was our little monkey! We had managed to get footprints when he was a couple of weeks old, having bought some non-toxic paint, but it was quite a messy way of doing it and we were really pleased by the professional look of the palm print kit. The wipes were a much easier way to apply paint but Ethan wasn't so keen at keeping his hands still, so even after a test run on a plain piece of sketchbook paper, when it came to making the perfect print, Ethan smudged it! You have to laugh really! We got quite a good impression of his palm on the page, but no fingers as he smeared the paint as we lifted his hand off. I think my advice would be to wait to use the kit when they're a little older, perhaps six months or so, really thoroughly cover their palm and make sure they are completely asleep, so you have the best chance of making the best impression.

I liked the palm print kit and even though the end result is smudged, it'll certainly make me smile every time I look at it. Precious Mementoes can even personalise the printed sheet for you with the name and birth date of your baby, which makes it even more special. Everything is ready for you to get started, the paint wipes are safe and quick to use and dry quickly and the frame is good quality and provides a nice finish to this classic looking kit.

This kit makes a great keepsake gift, particularly if you are more traditional in your tastes or if you want to make a special memento for your own parents to keep.

The Precious Mementoes Palm Print Kit is £19.99 and is available to buy online here. There's lots of different gift ideas on here so it's worth checking out if you're buying for a friend or if you want to give your own parents or child's godparents something special.

* Note: I was sent a palm print kit free of charge for the purposes of this review, but all opinions are my own.