These ornaments are some of my absolute favorite. They show so much of my girls, my seven-year-old made the comment that one days she was going to take her ornaments and I don’t think I am EVER going to be ready for that. I love them so much.
1. Baby Hat Ornament
You have probably seen this idea floating around Pinterest and for good reason. It is a darling idea! The best part of this idea is that if you have kept these little items from your baby, you can make this ornament even years later. All you need is a extra large ornament, your baby’s hospital hat, a hospital ID bracelet and some other small piece of paraphernalia, in this case a bracelet.
Roll the hat up into a little tube and insert it into the ornament. Shake the ornament up once the hat is in there to get it to open up a little more, Add the ID badge, I found the best way to do this was to put it in long ways and slightly bend the edges until it was all inside. Add an ornament hanger and you have a true memento.
2. Ultrasound Ornament
What if you have lost your baby’s hat or if like me, you didn’t get one? My second baby was born at a warm time of year and I never got a hat for her. I came up with the idea of using one of her ultrasound pictures instead. I trimmed around the ultrasound until it could be mostly open in the ornament and then I rolled it loosely and fit it inside. I then added a hospital badge and the pair of socks the nursing staff gave me at the hospital after she was born, but if you don’t have those things, just an ultrasound image would be darling too!
3. Handprint and footprint ornament
These ornaments are really easy to make and hold such a dear place in my heart. I have found it is easiest to use the extra large ornaments for these ones too. For a little tiny baby, it is easiest to do while they are eating or asleep, for my older baby, I stuck her in the high chair with a treat and did her footprint while she was munching away. These ornaments are fun because you can do them with older children too. The hand print below is actually my 7-year-old’s. I have something similar of her when she was a baby, but I never got around to turning it into an ornament.
When you are making an ornament for a little baby, if you use the jumbo ornaments there is plenty of room to do a hand print on one side and a footprint on the other. Use a foam brush to brush paint onto their hand or foot and then hold it firmly and roll it onto the ornament. Allow to dry completely and add an ornament hanger!
4. First Pair of Shoes
One of my family’s traditions is to turn baby’s first pair of shoes into an ornament and hang them on the tree. If their pair is a soft shoe, using a large needle to poke a hole in the shoes, thread with ribbon and hang on the tree. If the first pair of shoes you are using are a hard sole lace shoe, simply tie the laces together and hang them on the tree. My first daughter was born in winter so her first shoes are teeny tiny. Since my other daughter was born in summer, hers are a lot bigger since apparently I don’t believe in putting shoes on them when it is hot outside. 😉
5. Mistletoes
Brush your little one’s toes with green paint and then press them onto a small canvas. Finish off the footprints with tiny red bows and the words Mistletoes.
6. Baby Feet Reindeer
Brush your baby’s foot with brown paint and press it onto a canvas. Allow to dry and then add a dab or red paint for a nose and use a brown marker to add antlers and eyes. I love this version because it is so easy to add older siblings.
7. Handprint Santa
I actually did this one with my older daughter because she was feeling left out of the Christmas painting fun. Brush their hand with red paint and press onto a canvas. After the red dries, paint over the fingers with white paint and outline the beard with a marker. You can add eyes and a nose too.
8. Christmas Tree Hands
Brush your little one’s hands in green paint and press onto a canvas. After the green dries completely add little ornaments with red dots of paint and a star with yellow paint. After the red and yellow paint dry use a black marker to draw between the ornaments to make it look like a garland. This is also a really easy one to include older siblings in. I love having a big tree and a little tree. If you used a bigger canvas you could have lots of trees.
9. Ornament photos
Lay a baby in a basket full of PLASTIC ornaments. You can do this with a sleeping newborn or a older child who is playing with them. It makes for such a darling and sweet photograph.
10. Christmas Lights and Santa Hats
These are some of my absolute favorite pictures to take. Take a strand of clear Christmas lights and plug them in, add a Santa hat and you have the makings of a seriously cute picture. I like to turn the lights on first and then put the Santa Hat on so the baby is distracted and leaves the hat on. It is best to have a plain and simple background. If You don’t have backdrops, think of doing it on your made bed or against a plain wall in your house. You want the focus to be on your little one!
I love creating these special Christmas memories with my little ones because I know one Christmas they aren’t going to be so little anymore.
Which one will you make with your baby this year?
I had pictures taken and made each one into an ornament. We hang them every year 🙂
I did my daughter's handprints in salt dough last year and we'll likely do that again this year. I want to start doing handprint themed projects every year.
That sweet baby and the lights!!!! I SO wish I had taken some pics like that with my little ones!!!! Precious!
I really wish I would have done one of these things for my boys. I love the ornaments with their hats and bracelets. 🙂
These are darling ideas! If only I could go back in time.
I have never seen a bunch of these. Love the mistletoe one.
You have shared so many great ideas! I love the ornament filled with memorabilia and well as the photo with the Christmas lights.
You have all these great ideas for DIY baby cards! love the gift ideas.
These are all awesome ideas. I wish I have done this when my kids were babies.
I love these ideas. Anything with hand or foot prints has me every time, always cute to see how small they were.
These are all such amazing ideas!
these are all great and unique ideas. I didn't do any of thee with my kiddos. I just completed baby books instead
I love those ideas. I have done a few but not for baby's first Christmas.
These are such adorable ideas. We're getting ready to celebrate our little one's first Christmas, and I will definitely be snagging your ultrasound ornament idea.
How cute, much better than a store bought ornament.
This is an amazing idea! I have seen these a few different places, which means I should be getting them for my kids to make this year. Growing up my mom always gave me a handmade ornament every year. They are all over my tree now and it is so fun to look back on them.
My one regret is that I was to worried about what was in the paint that I never made tiny prints of my babies hands and feet. I was also taking care of twins alone and not a moment for Pinterest to find inspiration. 🙂
I really like the hand print ornament and I wish I would have done one every year with my daughter to see how much they change – that would have been great to see!
SO ADORABLE! I love these 😉
These are all such cute ideas! If we have a little one, I will be sure to try them out.
Love these ideas!
OMGoodness…that Mistle-Toes print is incredibly adorable. I also think the Handprint Ornament is another special keepsake to make.
Such sweet ornaments!! Love these.
All of these are such adorable ideas!
These are all such cute ideas! Caleb was only a month old last Christmas so I was still in the newborn fog and don't feel like I did enough to commemorate it…
I love the ornaments with the handprints. A great way to preserve your baby's handprints.
Great ideas! thanks for sharing…
These are great. Your pictures are precious!
These are all precious ideas.
Thank You soooooo much for sharing these! I can’t wait to create some with our little angel 🙂
Petra
What type of paint did you use that is safe for little ones for these projects? Thanks!
Apple Barrel is a non-toxic, water based formula so it is perfect for crafting with kids!
So is Folk Art paint, not-toxic, Water soluble, easily washed off.
The photos with the lights and santa hat are my favorite but they’re all adorable!!!
Did you use plastic or glass for the big hand/footprint ornaments? And where did you get the jumbo ornaments ?