In this guide
Write these down while you still can
New parents assume they will never forget these numbers. Then a second baby comes, or ten years pass. Many of them are in the hospital paperwork, so copy them somewhere safe:
- Full name, and how you chose it
- Birth date and time
- Weight and length
- The city and hospital
- Who came to visit first
- What the first Christmas actually looked like, including who fell asleep where
Small traditions to start now
- Take the same photo each December, in the same chair or by the same tree. Children enjoy this series more every year.
- Write the baby a short letter each Christmas, and seal it to give them at 18.
- Press a hand or foot print onto a card with baby-safe ink, and add the date. Keep it flat in a book.
- Save one thing from the first Christmas, such as the card from a great-grandparent.
An ornament that holds the details
Our Baby’s First Christmas ornament has the name and year on the front. Choose front and back, and the birth date, weight and length go on the back with a little teddy bear, inside a thin gold ring. That back is the part new parents will be glad of in twenty years.
Lines you can add on the back
- Our little blessing
- Our little love
- Hello, little one
- Our greatest gift
- Our brand new joy
- The name goes up to 14 characters, in script. Long names print a little smaller, and Christopherson fits.
- Any of the three color styles works for a boy or a girl.
- Twins? Add an ornament for each baby.
- Ceramic is fragile. Hang it high, because a baby’s first Christmas is followed quickly by a toddler’s second.
For the tree
Baby’s First Christmas Ornament
The baby’s name and the year on the front, and the birth date, weight and length on the back.
from $23.95See it on Etsy
Choosing between the two sides? Front only is the simpler gift, with the baby’s name and the year. Front and back costs a little more, and it is the version that holds the birth details.
A print that outlasts the nursery
Our birth star map shows the real sky and moon on the night the baby arrived, with the name in big gold letters and the birth details underneath. It works in a nursery and it still works in a teenager’s room, since it doesn’t have ducks on it.
You will need the name, birth date, weight and length, and the city and state where the baby was born. The city sets the sky and doesn’t print. If you don’t know the birth time, leave it blank: we use 9:00 PM for the sky, leave the time off and send you a free preview.
For the wall
Birth Star Map, The Night You Arrived
The sky and moon the night your baby arrived, with the name, date, weight, length and time.
from $45See it on Etsy
If you are a grandparent, aunt or friend
Check the spelling before you do anything else. Baby names now come in many spellings, and the parents will notice. A birth announcement or the parents’ text is a safer source than your memory. Ask the parents for the weight and length if you want them on the back, or simply leave those off and let the ornament be a surprise.
If the baby is due close to Christmas, you may want to wait until the name is certain. The ornament will still mean the same thing a few weeks late, and you can order with the right year.
Questions people ask
What should go on a baby’s first Christmas ornament?
The baby’s name and the year on the front. On the back, add the birth date, weight and length if you have them, since those are the details people forget.
Is a baby’s first Christmas ornament safe near the baby?
Ours is ceramic and fragile, so hang it out of reach of small children and treat it as a keepsake rather than a toy.
What if the baby was born in December?
It is still their first Christmas. If the order won’t arrive in time, the ornament can come a little later and still carry the right year.
What if I don’t know the birth time for the star map?
Leave it blank. We use 9:00 PM for the sky, leave the time off the print and send you a free preview.
Orders go through Etsy. Each See it on Etsy button opens our shop, The Kind Porch, where you personalize, pay and message us.