You’ve got some darling holiday swag coming your way. (Pro tip:
Grandparents love to buy “baby’s first” gear, so let them.) Here’s how
to make the most of it.
Christmas cards
Nothing says, “EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT THIS YEAR” like another name and face on your Christmas card.
Put Baby’s sweet face front and centre. To get the adorable result you’re hoping for, check out these tips from Hallmark photographers—and pay special attention to the “10 tips for getting great baby Christmas pictures.”
Or simply use a cute snap from your phone that captures Baby’s
everyday adorableness. Either way, your card will showcase the new
“gift” in the family this year.
Stockings
It’s time to hang another stocking! Go matching or uniquely yours
(bonus points if parents have theirs from childhood). Add one for Baby,
even if it’s mostly filled with rash cream and teethers. Check out these
cute stocking-stuffers that Baby’s sure to love and/or chew on:
- Plush rattles
- Twirly Teacup Playful Penguins Musical Plush With Motion
- Better Together Plush
Sweet memory-makers
Start filling the scrapbooks and shoe boxes with keepsakes now. They
grow so fast, so be sure to capture their teeny-ness with hand-print art
(I’m a fan of the classic painted hand-print reindeer). For giftable
hand-prints, we recommend:
- Bless This Mess Tea Towel Hand-print Kit
- These Hands Hold My Heart Tea Towel Hand-print Kit
- Our Family Hand-print Picture Frame Kit
- Blessed Baby Hand-print and Footprint Picture Frame Kit
- Baby Hand-print Frame Kit
- And for the baseball fan, a Baseball Hand-print Kit
Snuggle-wear
Bundle up in matching pajamas, slippers and other cute props. Got
pets? Don’t leave them out. This is your time to set the bar for
adorable (or ridiculous!) for years to come. Bonus: Babies in cute
holiday gear (or families in matching holiday gear!) make for instant
photo ops. Here’s some cuteness to get you started:
- Demdaco Baby’s First Bundle with a reindeer headband
- Disney Baby Winnie the Pooh Rattle and Jumper Set
- Christmas-themed onesies or sleepers
Time for new traditions
Baby’s first Christmas is the perfect time to start family traditions
that last a lifetime! My kids read the same books every year (and we
only pull them out at Christmas, to keep them “special”), take turns
doing a Christmas countdown, set up the nativity and put out milk and
cookies for Santa. Here are a few things we love:
- Christmas kids books
- Advent calendars
- Anything Santa related
- Kids nativity sets