I love my parents. I really do. They’re the best. But I’ll admit, their track record with gifts has been… let’s just say “mixed.” (One memorable year, they gave me a popcorn maker shaped like R2-D2.)
So this year, when I opened the envelope on my birthday, I braced myself for another oddball surprise. Instead, I found a Tinybeans gift card. And I swear I almost cried.
Here’s the thing: Being a new parent is basically juggling on no sleep while people shout “smile for the camera!” from all directions. Between diaper blowouts, late-night searches (“is a baby hiccupping for 20 minutes normal??”), and trying to remember the last time I washed my hair, I was also fielding constant photo requests from family and friends. Everyone wanted updates—grandparents, cousins, best friends—and I was drowning in text threads and half-sent emails. It was chaos.
Enter Tinybeans. Suddenly, I had a modern-day baby book that wasn’t just sitting on a shelf collecting dust. It had every photo, every silly face, every “first”, all in one place. But the kicker is that it’s not just for me. With a couple of taps, I could share everything with my baby’s biggest fans in one go. No more texting the same picture eight times. No more “wait, did I already send this to my brother?” Tinybeans became the central hub for our baby updates.
Now my parents can log in, scroll to their hearts’ content, and comment on their grandchild’s latest antics without blowing up my phone. Just pure, unlimited access to the good stuff: baby giggles, drooly smiles, and the occasional witching hour (hey, this is real life!). And the privacy piece? Huge. I love that I don’t have to plaster my baby all over social media to keep people in the loop.
I didn’t realize how much mental space I was wasting trying to keep everyone updated until Tinybeans streamlined it. Honestly, it’s the gift I didn’t know I needed. And it comes with a huge bonus. Someday, when the blur of these early years has passed, we’ll actually have a record. Not just random photos lost in my camera roll, but a timeline of our baby’s story.
So yeah, my parents absolutely nailed it this year. Forget kitchen gadgets or novelty calendars; this was the first gift in ages that made me feel seen. Practical, thoughtful, and genuinely makes my life easier.
Because trust me, the best present you can give a sleep-deprived new mom who’s running on cold coffee and dry shampoo is a little more peace of mind. And maybe a baby book that writes itself.