Gifts From Baby to Dad for His First Christmas
Gifts from baby to dad for his first Christmas as a father: footprint keepsakes made with the baby, matching pajamas, books he can read to the baby and photo gifts, plus how to make it really from the baby.
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Our quick picks
- Best keepsakePearhead Babyprints Photo OrnamentCheck price
The baby's footprint and photo, on the tree every year.
- Best for Christmas morningBurt's Bees Baby matching pajamasCheck price
Dad and baby in the same print for the photo.
- Best book to read togetherGuess How Much I Love YouCheck price
The father-and-child classic, in a board book.
In this guide
- How we picked these gifts from baby to dad
- How to make it actually from the baby
- Keepsakes made with the baby
- Matching pajamas for Christmas morning
- Books he can read to the baby
- Photo gifts from the first months
- Things he’ll use with the baby every day
- Ornament and wrapping safety with a baby in the house
- What to skip
- FAQ
- Sources
His first Christmas as a dad deserves a gift that couldn’t come from anyone else. The best gifts from baby to dad are made with the baby, shared with the baby or full of the baby: a footprint on an ornament, pajamas that match, a book he reads at bedtime. A mug that says “World’s Best Dad” can come from anyone.
This list is for the person actually doing the shopping, which is usually mom or a grandparent, on the baby’s behalf. If the baby hasn’t arrived yet, see our gifts for dad-to-be instead.
How we picked these gifts from baby to dad
Every gift here does at least one of three things: it’s made with the baby, it’s something dad and baby share, or it keeps the first months. We checked each one against its maker’s own page and looked for recalls. We have not tested these ourselves, and prices change, so check the current price before you buy.
How to make it actually from the baby
A newborn can’t pick a gift, but they can sign it. A few tips make that easier:
- Do prints when the baby is calm. A sleepy or just-fed baby keeps a hand or foot still far better than an awake one. Two people help: one holds the baby, one holds the card.
- Use a clean-touch pad. The ink sits under a film, so it never touches the baby’s skin. Pearhead’s pads allow two tries at most, so practice the motion on a scrap of paper first.
- Press the whole foot flat, heel first, then roll the toes down. A foot is easier to hold flat than a curled newborn fist.
- Write the card in the baby’s voice. “Dear Dad, thanks for the 3 a.m. walks. Love, your favorite person” will be read again in twenty years.
- Order personalized gifts early. Anything printed or engraved needs production time on top of December shipping.
Keepsakes made with the baby
The gift he’ll keep longest is the one with the baby’s own print on it.
Pearhead Babyprints Photo Ornament
A wooden Christmas ornament with room for the baby's footprint or handprint and a 3 x 4 inch photo. The kit includes a clean-touch ink pad, two print cards and a ribbon. Pearhead says the ink is non-toxic and the pad is for newborns only, with two tries at most.
Pros
- The baby's own footprint
- Room for a photo
- Goes on the tree every year
Cons
- Two tries with the ink pad
- Sized for newborn hands and feet
For a print on a card, a frame or the inside cover of a book, a separate ink pad does the job. It is the cheapest way to make any gift “signed” by the baby.
Pearhead Clean-Touch Ink Pad
A small ink pad for a newborn's handprint or footprint, with two imprint cards. The ink sits under a film, and Pearhead says the baby's foot never touches the ink. Use the prints for a card, a frame or the inside cover of a book.
Pros
- No ink on the baby's skin
- Turns any card into one signed by the baby
- Small and cheap
Cons
- Two uses at most
- Pearhead sells a near-identical pet version: check the listing
A note on ink and paint: the AAP’s advice for art supplies is to look for a label saying the product conforms to ASTM D4236, and for an Approved Product seal from the Art and Creative Materials Institute. Pearhead’s pages say “non-toxic” but don’t name either one. With a clean-touch pad, the ink doesn’t touch the baby’s skin at all, which is why we picked it over kits that put paint directly on a baby’s hand.
Matching pajamas for Christmas morning
Matching pajamas give him the Christmas morning photo he will keep on his phone for years. Burt’s Bees Baby makes the same prints from newborn to men’s XXL, so dad and baby can match exactly.
Burt's Bees Baby Family Matching Christmas Pajamas
Matching organic cotton Christmas pajamas in sizes from newborn through men's XXL. The baby's sleep-and-play suit has a two-way zipper for diaper changes, and Burt's Bees says the pajamas are GOTS certified.
Pros
- Dad and baby match on Christmas morning
- Two-way zipper for night changes
- Organic cotton
Cons
- Two purchases: his set and the baby's
- Popular prints sell out by size before Christmas
Check the print in both sizes before you order. Popular prints sell out in baby sizes first, and you need two pieces, his and the baby’s.
Books he can read to the baby
Reading to a newborn is less about the story and more about the voice. A short board book gives dad a bedtime job that’s his.
Guess How Much I Love You (board book)
Sam McBratney's story of Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare trying to out-love each other, in a sturdy board-book edition. The author has said the big hare is the father, even though the book never calls him that.
Pros
- A father-and-child classic
- Short enough for bedtime
- Board pages survive the chewing stage
Cons
- Several editions exist: make sure it says board book
Daddy Hugs
Karen Katz's hug-and-read board book, where Daddy and Baby count hugs together. The publisher lists it for ages 1 to 4, so for a newborn it's a book Dad reads aloud now and the baby joins in on later.
Pros
- Made for a dad and a baby
- Counting game for later
- Very short
Cons
- Publisher age range starts at 1
Write a short note from the baby inside the front cover, or add a footprint with the ink pad above. In a few years, the inscription becomes the best page in the book.
A personalized book, written as if from the baby: Wonderbly makes a “First Christmas for Daddy and Me” book that you personalize with names and a photo. Wonderbly describes it as “written as if from baby to Daddy.” It’s sold only at Wonderbly, not on Amazon. Wonderbly says it is printed and dispatched in 2 to 4 working days, before shipping, so order well ahead of Christmas.
Photo gifts from the first months
New parents take hundreds of photos and print almost none. A book of the first months, “from the baby,” gets them off the phone and onto the coffee table.
Artifact Uprising Hardcover Photo Book
A linen-covered hardcover photo book, handcrafted in the USA, in six sizes from 6x8 to 10x10. The base price includes 40 pages, and you can add up to 210.
Pros
- Gets the first-weeks photos off your phones
- Looks good on a shelf
- Six sizes
Cons
- Takes an evening to put together
- Extra pages cost more
Things he’ll use with the baby every day
Not every gift from the baby has to be sentimental. A good carrier is the gift that hands him the baby, every day, with both hands free.
Ergobaby Omni Classic
Ergobaby's current four-position, newborn-ready carrier for babies from 7 to 45 pounds. Ergobaby sizes it from petite to 4XL and offers strap options for parents with narrower or wider shoulders; its waistbelt extender adds about 6 inches.
Pros
- Strap options for wide shoulders
- Newborn-ready, no infant insert
- Extender adds about 6 inches
Cons
- Ergobaby doesn't publish the waist range in inches
For gifts that are just for him, like a heated mug or earplugs for sleeping in shifts, see our best gifts for new dads. For small add-ons, see our stocking stuffers for dad.
Ornament and wrapping safety with a baby in the house
A newborn can’t reach the tree yet, but a baby on the move next Christmas will. The AAP advises keeping “trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children,” and clearing away wrapping paper, ribbons and bows after the gifts are opened, because they can be suffocation and choking hazards. Hang the keepsake ornaments high, and do the wrapping-paper sweep right after presents. For more on keeping the first Christmas safe, read Christmas with a newborn.
What to skip
- Slogan mugs and “#1 Dad” shirts. They’re fine, but anyone could have given them.
- Kits that put paint or ink directly on the baby’s skin.
- Personalized gifts ordered in mid-December. Production time plus holiday shipping is a gamble.
- Gifts that are really for the baby, like toys or baby clothes. That’s a gift for the family, not from the baby to dad.
FAQ
What do you get a dad from the baby for his first Christmas?
Something made with the baby or shared with the baby: a photo ornament with the baby’s footprint, matching dad-and-baby pajamas, a board book he can read at bedtime, or a photo book of the first months. Add a card written in the baby’s voice and signed with a footprint.
Is baby handprint ink safe?
Use a clean-touch ink pad, where the ink sits under a film and never touches the baby’s skin. Pearhead says its clean-touch pads work this way. For any ink or paint that does touch skin, the AAP suggests looking for an ASTM D4236 statement and the Art and Creative Materials Institute’s Approved Product seal on the label.
When is the best time to do a baby’s footprint?
When the baby is calm, often right after a feed or during a nap. Pearhead’s newborn ink pads allow two tries at most, so practice the motion on scrap paper first and have a second person hold the baby.
How do you sign a card from a newborn?
Write it in the baby’s voice, then add a footprint or handprint with a clean-touch ink pad as the signature. A line about something he does every day, like the night feeds or the bath, makes it personal.
What if the baby isn’t born yet by Christmas?
Then the gift is for a dad-to-be, not from the baby. See our gifts for dad-to-be for ideas that fit the wait.
Sources
- Babyprints Photo Ornament and Clean-Touch Ink Pad, Pearhead
- Gingerbread Houses Organic Cotton PJ Set, Burt’s Bees Baby
- Guess How Much I Love You, Sam McBratney, Candlewick Press
- Daddy Hugs, Karen Katz, Little Simon
- First Christmas for Daddy and Me, Wonderbly
- Hardcover photo books, Artifact Uprising
- Omni Classic baby carrier, Ergobaby
- Choosing Safe Arts and Craft Supplies and Holiday Decoration Safety, American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org)
Product photos: Pearhead, Burt’s Bees Baby, Candlewick Press, Simon & Schuster, Artifact Uprising and Ergobaby.
