How to make a time capsule for a new baby

A time capsule is a one of a kind baby shower gift that takes the recipient on a trip to the past and its treasured memories.

A time capsule gathers common objects from the present and sends them to the future in a container with instructions for opening at a specific date.

• The grown-up recipient gets to find out about when they were born by seeing, hearing, feeling and smelling items that may no longer be around.

Only your imagination limits what you preserve in the capsule. Whatever you put in has to survive the coming years.

• Leave out edibles and other natural products which may rot or develop mould. Stick with synthetic items.
• Focus on items that will probably not exist in the future: current menus of mom and dad's favourite restaurants, books and magazines or plastic soda bottles and food packaging that have been emptied.
• Avoid putting in digital media because nothing may be able to read it in the future.
• Stick with printed materials such as printed photos of the baby's family and pet, the home, where mom and dad work and even the local shopping areas.
• Print out hard copies on acid-free archival paper.
• Include a hand-written letter explaining who you are and the times surrounding the baby's birth.
• Add a picture of yourself as well.

A time capsule can be any sturdy container, like a nicely-decorated cardboard box that is big enough to contain what you want to put in and can be easily sealed with tape or something similar.

• Clearly mark the date and circumstance under which the time capsule should be opened.

Schedule the opening during some important occasion in the child's life, preferably when they are old enough to appreciate the contents.

• A common suggestion is the child's 21st birthday, as it's not so far in the future that you won't be around to enjoy the opening.

If you want to include something that's specific to the child's actual birth date, such as a newspaper, bring the unsealed time capsule to the shower so you can show it off.

• Tell the parents that you'll actually give them the sealed version after the child is born.
• You can then insert the newspaper or other date-specific items into the capsule.

Don't over-think the time capsule. This should be a fun way to show your child what the world was like when they were born and how they've grown since. Like many kind gestures, it's really the thought that counts.