How to Choose a First Photobook and Links To Go for Baby
By Shop Manhattan Toy Company | High-Quality Baby & Toddler | Published: 2026-11-04
Category: How-to Guides
A practical two-part process for picking a baby photo book and on-the-go links, from photo prep to stroller setup, with checkpoints to avoid common mistakes.
Quick answer
Start with My First Photobook for face and family recognition at home, then add Links To Go as the stroller and diaper-bag connector. Choose the photobook first because its six-photo limit and wipe-clean pages shape how you use it; add the links once you know which carriers and bags you actually take out.
Why these two items work as a pair, not a pile
A first photobook is a sit-and-look toy: squishy, high-contrast pages reward a baby who is lying on a mat or sitting in a lap. Links To Go is a tether and connector, not a stand-alone plaything. Buying them together makes sense only if you plan one calm at-home routine and one out-of-home setup.
The trade-off is that neither item does the other's job. The photobook's shaped handle can act as a teether or link to a bag, but it will not secure a rattle to a stroller handle the way the S-hook and bear loops do. Treat the photobook as the anchor and the links as the hardware.
When a photobook is the wrong first buy
If you want a single toy that clips to everything and survives being chewed, dropped, and wiped, Links To Go covers more of that ground for less. If you want a keepsake that grows into a family-photo routine, the photobook is the better anchor. Skip the photobook if you cannot supply six clear 4x6-inch photos you are comfortable having chewed near; the pages are designed to hold photos, and an empty book loses its point.
Step-by-step: choose and set up both items
- Pick the six photos before you buy: Choose up to six 4x6-inch photos: one of each parent, one of the baby, and two or three familiar faces or pets. Common mistake: buying the book first and then hunting for photos that fit, which leaves the book unused. Check that every chosen photo is clear at arm's length; high-contrast pages work best with simple, uncluttered images.
- Match the photobook handle to your routine: Decide whether the shaped handle will be a teether at home or a link to the diaper bag or stroller. Common mistake: assuming the handle replaces a proper tether for heavier toys. If you need to secure a rattle or cup, plan on Links To Go rather than the photobook handle.
- Test the S-hook on your actual stroller and car seat: Before relying on Links To Go, attach the S-hook to the stroller handle, car seat, and table chair you use most. Common mistake: buying links without checking whether the hook fits the bar shape. The S-hook is designed for a variety of handles, but fit varies by stroller; test at home before an outing.
- Set up one at-home and one on-the-go station: Keep the photobook in a play mat or diaper bag pocket and dedicate two bear loops to the stroller and one to the diaper bag. Common mistake: looping every toy at once, which tangles and shortens the reach. Leave at least three bear loops spare so you can swap toys without unclipping the whole set.
- Clean and rotate weekly: Wipe the photobook's vinyl pages and check the links for wear, then rotate which photos and toys are attached. Common mistake: leaving the same six photos in place until the baby loses interest. Set a weekly reminder to swap one photo and one linked toy.
Product facts that shape the decision
- My First Photobook: Pages are squishy, high-contrast, and wipe-clean vinyl, and the book holds up to six 4x6-inch photos. The six-photo limit means you should choose faces deliberately, and the wipe-clean surface suits a toy that will be mouthed and dropped.
My First Photobook - Links To Go: The set includes one plastic S-hook connector and seven colorful bear-shaped loops. The S-hook fits stroller handles and car seats while the bear loops attach rattles and small toys, so one set can serve several carriers.
Links To Go
