Mommy Monday- Baby Paperwork Organization File Tutorial

For my first "Mommy Monday" post, I want to share a little secret with you... 
I am obsessed with organization. Like, I really have a problem. 

Between preparing for Jameson's arrival, then giving birth to him, and then 48 hours taking him home (which was so totally terrifying exciting), I was given what felt like one thousand pieces of paperwork. Where the heck was I supposed to put all of it because every piece of it was apparently "important."

I am going to be completely honest with you. My pile of baby paperwork sat on a shelf stacked tall, collecting dust, until recently. I had to find a solution because I was completely overwhelmed with where to start and I knew as Jameson grew, so would the paperwork.

I started to search around and found this gem on amazon, the  Baby Briefcase Paperwork Organizer.

 

I thought the idea was great but who in their right mind would spend $35 on this? 

Well, there are 136 customer reviews at this time so I guess more people than I thought.

But, If you are like me you want to make your own version for a fraction of the cost. And I did. Check out this sweet baby paperwork organization file. Wow, that was a mouth full.

If you don't have a solution for all of your paperwork, make this now! I have created a step by step tutorial and seriously, this is easy peasy. Those papers really are important and need a "home" somewhere. I am making a few so that I can have them ready for baby shower gifts. 

You have a few choices when purchasing supplies. You can go the inexpensive route and get everything from the dollar store (literally every item is $1, how freaking awesome is that?) Or you can get the cutesy, printed stuff from Target, Walmart, or any office supplies store. (All of my supplies are from Walmart and I spent less than $10.) 

Also, you can purchase printable labels if you want them to be perfect, but I just wrote mine out because I'm lazy frugal. Maybe I should just say my handwriting makes it more personal. HA. Here you go:

You will need:

• 13 file folders
• 13 labels to fit the file folders
• 1 accordian file with 13 pockets 

Ok, first step: Decide what you want to label each folder. The possibilities are endless. Perhaps you want to have an entire file for before the baby gets here and one for after. Or maybe you are just like me and just need the "right" labels for your baby that is already here. 
The categories that I use for Jameson's personal file are:

1. Birth Certificate & Social Security Card
2. Pediatrician Visits
3. Immunization & Vaccination Records
4. Other Health Records
5. Insurance Paperwork
6. Receipts/Warranties
7. Manuals 
8. 529 Account (College savings account) 
9. Savings Bonds
10. Keepsakes

Additionally, I have 3 blank labels just in case a category presents itself a little later down the road. I am throwing a few blank labels into the back just in case our category situation changes.

This is made to be customized specific to your needs or the needs of the person receiving this as a gift. A few other ideas for categories are:

• Milestones
• Nursing & Feeding Info
• Parenting Articles & Pamphlets
• Thank You Note Tracker & Gift Registry
• Ob/Gyn Paperwork
• Birth Announcements
• Milestone Photography
• NICU
• Bank Account Info

Your second step:
Print or write your new labels, slap them on the folders, put your folders into the accordian file, and then fill the individual files with all of your paperwork. That's it. Now hopefully finding what your need will go a little bit faster each time you need it. 

Just an extra word of advice: 
For baby showers gifts I send a bunch of idea labels, along with some blank labels and let them pick which ones fit them the best. I enclose them all in a cute card to go on top of the specific gift. Then when they read what the gift actually is, they can see all of the labels already made up. 
Here are a few pictures of one that I am prepping for a baby shower now:

I would love to see your finished product and the categories that you chose for your files. Leave me a comment and let me know how it went. 

 xo Kelly