Scanning your own pictures obviously requires an investment in a scanner, and there are many to choose from. If you shoot only print film, then virtually any flatbed scanner on the market will probably satisfy your needs, although the higher-end scanners usually have better resolution and scan quality. If, on the other hand, you shoot a mixture of slides and print, then you would be much better off buying a dedicated film scanner. Olympus, Canon and HP are the ones most frequently used, with HP currently leading the pack. The drawback is that they will not allow you to scan our child's drawing or anything else other than slides and negatives.
Some flatbed scanners offer an alternative, with a so-called transparency adapter.
This is essentially a replacement lid for the scanner, incorporating a light source which is synchronized with the light source traveling in the scanner itself. The idea is that since slides require light coming from both sides before they can be scanned, this nifty accessory allows you to use your flatbed for this purpose, too. The quality is poor, the scans usually way too dark, unless you are only after thumbnails. If you are going to put a nail in a wall, get a hammer. My preference is to get someone else to scan my slides for me.