A private baby journal app, for the moments you'll want to keep

By Zara Turner-Major, co-founder of Dear Moment. Updated 5 October 2026.

Why a baby journal app instead of a paper baby book

A paper baby book is lovely on the shelf. But filling it in needs a pen, a quiet half hour and the book itself, and with a newborn you rarely have all three at once. Many parents start with good intentions, then find the pages blank a few months later.

Your phone is already in your hand during the night feed, on the walk to the park, and when your baby does something you want to remember. A baby journal app lets you keep the moment then and there, in a few seconds. And nothing is lost if the book gets wet, damaged or left behind in a move.

What you can keep

• Photos and videos. Up to 10 in one moment, and videos up to 3 minutes each.
• Written notes. A moment can be text only, with no photo: the first word, a funny face, how the night went.
• Voice notes. Recorded in your own voice and transcribed for you.

Everything goes on one private timeline, sorted by date, so you can scroll back through your baby's first days, weeks and years. You can give any moment an earlier date, so the photos from those first blurry weeks can go in later, at the right point.

Say it instead of writing it

Most baby journals ask you to write. At 3am, with a baby asleep on your chest, writing is the last thing you'll do. Talking takes no effort. Record a voice note, and Dear Moment writes out a transcript, so the memory can be read as well as played. Years from now, your child can also hear how you sounded when they were small.

A voice note can be 30 seconds. Some ideas to start with:

• What made them laugh today?
• What does their hand feel like, holding your finger?
• What were you doing the moment before they were born?
• Who do people say they look like?
• What song calms them down, and how do you sing it?
• What do you want to tell them about this week, when they are grown up?

Share each moment with the right people

Not every moment is for everyone. The grandparents might want every photo, close friends only the big days, and some things are just for you: a hard night you want to remember honestly, a letter to read them when they're older, or the bath-time photo they'd never forgive you for sharing. In Dear Moment you save each moment once and choose who sees it. Each person sees only the moments you shared with them.

Each person you share with gets a private link that opens in a browser. There is nothing to install and no account to create, which suits grandparents who don't want another app. They can also get an email digest of new moments weekly, every two weeks or monthly, so they never miss anything.

Private by default

Your baby's first years don't belong on a public feed. In Dear Moment:

• Nothing is public. Only the people you invite can see anything, and nobody can find you who you haven't invited.
• There are no ads. Dear Moment makes money from subscriptions only.
• Your memories are never sold and never used to train AI.
• Your data is stored in the EU (Frankfurt) and encrypted in transit and at rest.
• You can ask us to export everything at any time, on any plan.

To be clear about the limits: Dear Moment is not end-to-end encrypted, and share links need no password, so anyone who has a link can see what it shows. You can revoke a link at any time.

It doesn't stop at the baby years

Most baby books end at the first birthday. Your timeline doesn't. The same journal carries on through the toddler years, the first day of school, family holidays and everything after. Dear Moment is a diary for the whole family, so it grows with your child instead of going on a shelf.

Is it a baby tracker?

No. Dear Moment is for memories, not for logging feeds, nappies and naps. If you need to track those, use a baby tracker app alongside it. Keep the numbers there, and keep the moments you want to remember in Dear Moment.

How it compares

Choosing between baby journal and family photo apps? See how Dear Moment compares with Tinybeans, FamilyAlbum and TinyNest on price, ads, voice notes and who can see each moment.

Questions

Is there a free baby journal app?

Some baby journal apps have a free plan, often with ads or a monthly upload limit. Dear Moment has no free plan and no ads. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial of every feature, then costs $5.99/month or $39.99/year. The people you share with never pay.

Can I print my baby journal as a book?

Not yet. Photo books are coming soon to Dear Moment. Until then, everything stays safe on your timeline, and you can ask us to export all of it at any time.

Can grandparents see the baby journal without the app?

Yes. Each person you share with gets a private link that opens in a browser, with no app and no account. They see only the moments you shared with them, and they can get an email digest of new moments weekly, every two weeks or monthly.

Can I start a baby journal during pregnancy?

Yes. A moment can be anything you want to keep: a scan photo, a note about the first kick, or a voice note to your baby. Everything goes on the same timeline, which carries on after the birth.

Can I add photos from before I started using the app?

Yes. When you save a moment, you can choose any past date for it, and it appears at that point on your timeline. So you can add the first weeks with your newborn later, when you have a moment to sit down.

Where is my baby's data stored?

In the EU, in Frankfurt, encrypted in transit and at rest. Your moments are visible only to the people you invite, are never sold, and are never used to train AI.

What happens to my baby journal if Dear Moment closes?

You would get at least 30 days' notice and a way to export everything. You can also ask for an export at any time by emailing hello@dearmoment.app, on any plan.