The Short Years Baby Book v9.10
Unbound ApplicationsAbout this app
The Short Years Baby Book solves the problem of creating a beautiful and personalized baby book by providing a simple and guided approach, benefiting new parents who want to cherish memories of their child's early years. Compared to alternatives in the Parenting category, this app stands out for its ease of use and minimal time commitment required. However, it falls short in terms of customization options and lacks a more comprehensive feature set. The app's excellent user rating and top-tier status suggest a well-designed and user-friendly experience.
Pros
- The app's free version with optional in-app purchases provides a flexible and accessible way for parents to create a baby book, with a low upfront cost and the ability to add premium features as needed.
- With over 50,000 downloads and an excellent user rating of 4.7/5, the app has demonstrated strong social proof and a high level of user satisfaction, indicating a well-designed and effective product.
- The developer's reputation and website presence suggest a commitment to supporting and updating the app, which is essential for a product that will be used over an extended period.
- The app's offline capability and lack of required permissions ensure that users can create and access their baby book without relying on internet connectivity or compromising their device's security.
- The app's simple and guided approach makes it accessible to parents of all technical skill levels, allowing them to focus on capturing memories rather than navigating complex software.
Cons
- The app's monetization model, which includes ads and in-app purchases, may be a drawback for some users who prefer an ad-free experience or are hesitant to make additional purchases.
- The limited customization options and feature set may not meet the needs of more experienced or demanding users who want greater control over the design and content of their baby book.
- The app's lack of transparency regarding data collection and usage may be a concern for parents who are sensitive about sharing personal information, particularly when it comes to their child's photos and memories.
- The app's compatibility with certain devices or Android versions may be limited, which could result in a suboptimal user experience or errors for some users.
Best for: The ideal user for this app is a new parent, likely a mother, who is looking for a simple and convenient way to create a beautiful and personalized baby book, with a moderate level of technical skill and a willingness to invest a few minutes each week in capturing memories of their child's early years.
Developer Description
Create a beautiful baby book using our free app in just five minutes per week.
Once a week, The Short Years App will remind you to upload a photo and answer a couple of questions about your baby’s milestones and special moments. Many parents tell us they do this while feeding their baby or watching a show on Netflix.
We’ll turn your text, photos, and even video into beautiful baby book pages!
Once you’ve purchased your book, we will start printing and shipping your pages to you every time you complete three chapters in the app. Just pop them in your book!
And, if you want to capture all of the sweet memories until your baby turns five, simply add on “The Toddler Years” at checkout. Doing so will allow you to access The Toddler Years chapters in your app and to receive these extra chapters in print to add to your baby book.
The Short Years Baby Book has a premium fabric cover, handcrafted to stand up to a lifetime of enjoyment and measuring 11.5” x 9.25”. It is bound with three matte black rings, making adding pages to it a breeze.
The book includes:
*19 chapter covers (+ an additional 5 if you upgrade to The Toddler Years) for easily organizing your book’s pages as they are shipped to you.
*Hands and feet prints pages to take with you to the hospital or birth center.
*Six lined journaling pages for jotting down extra notes
*Personalized name card for cover
*Free printing and shipping of all 119 of your baby book pages documenting baby’s first year.
Discover the easiest way to document and cherish your sweet one’s first year!
Privacy
Given the app's lack of required permissions, it appears that the developer has taken a minimalist approach to data collection, which is a positive sign for user privacy. However, parents should still be cautious when sharing photos and information about their child, and consider using a secure and private storage solution to backup their baby book. To minimize potential risks, users should review the app's terms and conditions carefully before creating an account or making purchases.
Tips
To get the most out of this app, parents should start by setting aside a dedicated time each week to update their baby book, using the app's guided prompts and reminders to stay on track. Additionally, users can optimize performance by closing other resource-intensive apps and ensuring their device has sufficient storage space. For a more comprehensive and personalized experience, users can explore the app's in-app purchases and premium features, which offer additional customization options and content.
What's New
In-app purchases
$7.99 per item
Version Information
- Version
- 9.10
- Downloads
- 50K+
- Updated on
- Nov 18, 2025
- Released
- Jul 16, 2018
- Requires
- Android 6.0
Statistics
Google Play Rating History
Rating Distribution
Downloads Over Time
The Short Years Baby Book has been downloaded times. Over the past 30 days, it averaged downloads per day.
Shaded area shows 30-day prediction based on historical trends
Historical data collection started recently. More data points will be available over time.
The Short Years Baby Book users say on Google Play
I used this with my first and I'm back to use it with my second. This is not the typical softcover that I've grown to expect when documenting digital memories (hay, Google photo books, get prettier). Comparable options on the market aren't as cute. They also typically charge monthly/annual fees, which Short Years doesn't. My only gripe: Please ask different questions! I'd love to see some more creative ones. But I hear that's a common issue with all of these services, not just Short Years.
I love this app. I love that there are questions to answer and you can change the questions if you want. One of my favorite features is that it sorts uploaded pics automatically into the months. The only thing that confuses me is the month numbering. Is month 1 baby's first month or when baby was 1 month already? Idk. I think another thing I like is a funny things they say section for older kids. But I really love the app as a whole.
I've been using it for over a year and I love the book but the app is rough. The latest updates in July / August 2025 have so many bugs and it's almost unusable. I'm settling for pictures I don't actually want because I'm fed up with wrestling with it. Super unfortunate.
the app is super glitchy - won't upload photos, or gives error messages when trying to save (losing all your progress). there are work around, but it makes it that much harder and not very convenient. sometimes the photos will upload but won't show up?
frequently looses data! doesn't support synchronizing answers from multiple devices. even after a fresh install of the app on my phone, it doesn't have the answers I entered from my computer!