Short answer: share them in a private place you control instead of a public feed: an album only invited people can see, or a private space where you decide per person who may look. Agree two simple rules with family and friends, no reposting and no public posts with the child's name, and keep the originals in two places.
Last updated: 3 November 2026. The facts about Google Photos and iCloud, and the advice on copies, were checked on that day on the official pages; the sources are at the bottom.
A new baby means hundreds of photos in the first weeks, and a family that wants to see every one. Posting them on a public profile is easy, but more and more parents prefer not to: the child cannot yet say what they want, and a photo that is public is hard to take back. The good news is that private sharing is just as easy, if you pick the right place at the start.
What you probably want
- The right people see everything: grandparents, godparents, close friends.
- Nobody else does. No strangers, no search engines, no surprises in ten years.
- Little effort. You are tired. Sharing has to take seconds.
- More than photos. The first laugh, the first word, a grandparent's voice singing a lullaby.
The options at a glance
| Option | Who can see it | Good for | Not the best choice when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public social media post | Depends on the profile; often far more people than you think | Sharing one announcement with a wide circle | You want the child's photos to stay within family and friends |
| Small group chat | The members of the chat | Sharing in the moment | You want to find a photo again later, or keep the year in order |
| Google Photos shared album | Anyone with the link can view and add | Quick sharing with family on any phone | You need certainty about who has the link |
| iCloud Shared Albums | The people you invite | Families where everyone uses Apple devices | Grandparents or friends use Android |
| The Memory Palace | Only the people you invite, per person view only or also add | Keeping the first years with photos, voices and short stories, shared with family | You want an automatic backup of every phone photo, or a public profile |
Agree two rules with family and friends
Most relatives mean well and simply do not think about it. One kind message to everyone at once is enough:
- No reposting. Please do not post our photos publicly or forward them outside the family.
- No name and place in public. If you do share something yourselves, leave out the child's full name and where you live.
Giving people a private place to look makes these rules easy to follow. If they can see every photo there, they feel less need to save and send them on.
Keep the originals safe
A sharing album is not a backup. Keep the original photos and videos in at least two places, for example a computer and a cloud backup, or an external drive kept somewhere else. The Library of Congress recommends at least two copies in different locations and a check once a year. Google Photos keeps your own backed-up photos private until you share them, which makes it a reasonable second copy; just remember that a shared album is a separate, more open place.
More than photos
In ten years the sounds will matter as much as the pictures: the first laugh, the babbling, a grandparent singing. Record short voice notes or videos along the way and keep them next to the photos of the same week. A line or two about what happened, written now, will be gold later. If you want ideas for what to keep beyond milestones, read our guide to documenting the first year.
The Memory Palace, honestly
The Memory Palace is your own 3D memory palace: you hang photos, voice recordings, videos and written stories in rooms you walk through. For a baby, you can make a wing for your child, with a room per month or per season. It is private by default. You invite people into that wing and choose per person whether they can view only or also add. Grandparents look along without changing anything; a partner or godparent adds their own photos and recordings.
- Voices next to the photos. The first laugh sits beside the photo of that afternoon.
- For grandparents on paper. The monthly letter for the eldest prints what was added that month in large print, with a QR code for each voice.
- You can leave with everything. A full ZIP export on every plan, including the free plan with 1 GB. Keeper costs €12 a year for 25 GB.
What it lacks: it does not back up every photo on your phone automatically, so keep your own backup. It is not a chat app. It is encrypted in transit and at rest, but not end-to-end. And it is made by a small team in Leuven, Belgium.
A simple way to start
Before you share the next photo, decide where the family will look. Send everyone the link or invitation together with the two rules. Then add one photo a day and one short voice note a week. If you later want to see which months are well covered and which are thin, the free photo timeline shows it.
If you want a private wing for your child that family can look into, you can start a palace and invite them.
Read on: documenting your child's first year, sharing family photos privately, compared, keeping your memories private, encryption compared, and all guides on your own memories.
Sources
- Google Photos Help, share albums (anyone with the link can view and add): support.google.com/photos/answer/6131416
- Google Photos Help, back up photos and videos (private and viewable only by you unless shared): support.google.com/photos/answer/6193313
- Apple Support, iCloud Shared Albums: support.apple.com/en-us/108314
- Library of Congress, Personal Digital Archiving, digital photos (at least two copies in different places; check them once a year; descriptive file names; tag people and subjects): digitalpreservation.gov/personalarchiving/photos.html