Heirloom Gifts for Baby

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For our daughter's first Christmas, my husband and I didn't have much money for gifts. We were glad our little daughter wouldn't notice the sparse stash under our sagging tree, but I wanted a meaningful gift for our family's first holiday together. So I pasted pictures of my daughter with her dad on colored matte paper, adding text about their favorite things to do together. The book became my daughter's favorite bedtime book—and her daddy loved to read it to her.

Looking for craft ideas to commemorate your baby's first holiday celebration? Look no further! Below you'll find simple ideas to spur your creativity and preserve a bit of your little one's childhood.

Handmade Books

Babies love to see pictures of themselves. Find several pictures of your baby's prized moments and affix one per page onto stock paper. There are limitless paper designs available—I chose a pretty star design for my bedtime book. Don't forget to add a story. The story can be simple, "Daddy loves to play the piano with (add your baby's name)." Have the book themed around activities that your child enjoys. Take the pages to an office supply store to have them laminated and bound.

You may want to start this as a family tradition—as we did—and publish a storybook based on your child's life for each Christmas.

Handprints

Framed
Babies hands are only tiny for so long. For an easy, classic way to record precious little handprints, buy a black inkpad and heavy white paper along with a simple black frame. Press your baby's hand on the inkpad and then onto the paper. Add the date and the child's name next to the print.

Getting your baby's handprint isn't always easy. Plan on making several prints before you have a perfect one. Try waiting until your baby is asleep and have several wet wipes on hand to wash off the ink.

Once you have the perfect print, keep using it! You can use this handprint in a double frame and put your baby's picture or a favorite poem on the other side. This makes a great gift for grandparents. Or scan the handprint onto the computer to create unique and personal holiday cards for friends and relatives.