8 Adorable Mother’s Day Gifts Using Baby Handprints

Baby handprint keepsakes turn up on Mother’s Day gift lists every single year, and there’s a good reason for that. Kids grow out of everything, including their own hands, and a print taken at three months looks impossibly tiny once that same hand is grabbing a spoon or holding a crayon a year later. For a mum, a handprint isn’t really about the craft. It’s a physical record of exactly how small that grip once was, back when it was wrapped around her finger.

Below are eight handprint gift ideas we think hold up well, plus some practical notes on how to actually take a good, safe print at home before you commit to any of them.

Getting a good handprint in the first place

Before you pick a project, it helps to get the print itself right, because a smudged or half-formed handprint is hard to fix once it’s dried onto canvas, clay or metal.

• Use paint or ink made for skin. Look for products labelled non-toxic and specifically designed for handprint or footprint kits. Regular craft paint isn’t designed to go on skin, even if it says non-toxic on the label, so it’s worth spending a little more on a proper kit.
• Do a patch test first, especially if your baby has eczema or sensitive skin. Dab a small amount on the inside of the wrist or forearm and wait a while before doing the full print.
• Pick a calm moment. Straight after a feed, once baby is content but not overtired, tends to work best. A hungry or overstimulated baby will curl their fist and you’ll get a blob rather than a print.
• Have a second pair of hands if you can. One adult holding the wrist gently and opening the fingers, the other applying paint and pressing the print, makes this much easier than trying to do it solo.
• Keep it away from the mouth. Babies put everything in their mouths, hands included, so clean paint or clay off promptly with a warm, damp cloth once the print is done.
• Have wipes and a backup surface ready. Expect at least one messy attempt. Newspaper or an old towel under everything saves a lot of stress.

If you’re at all unsure about a specific product touching your baby’s skin, particularly for very young babies or if there’s any history of skin sensitivity, it’s worth checking with your health visitor or GP first.

8 Mother’s Day gifts using baby handprints

1. A yearly handprint growth canvas

This idea from mamapapabubba.com is one of the more clever ones we’ve come across. You start a canvas as early as you like and add a small handprint tile low down, then add another slightly higher once baby starts crawling, then walking, and so on as the years go by. Over time it doubles as a growth chart as well as a keepsake.

The one thing worth thinking through properly is placement. If the lower tiles sit within a toddler’s reach, make sure the canvas is fixed securely to the wall and can’t be pulled down, and ideally hang it somewhere your child doesn’t have unsupervised access to, at least until they’re old enough not to try climbing on furniture to reach it.

2. A handprint family tree

The handprint family tree is a lovely way to bring the whole family into one piece, not just the baby. You can buy a ready-made print with a frame, like the ones on notonthehighstreet.com, or paint your own tree outline on paper or canvas and add handprints as “leaves” for each family member. It’s also a nice pattern to reuse on holiday cards as the family grows, so you’re not limited to a single use.

3. Handprint jewellery

Jewellery is always a safe bet, and handprint versions have become far more refined than the novelty pieces you might remember from a decade ago. Prints can be engraved, stamped or cast onto necklaces, bracelet charms or rings in various metals. These tend to sit at a higher price point than most of the other ideas here, so it’s worth comparing a few jewellers before committing, and checking reviews if you’re ordering from somewhere you haven’t used before.

4. A framed clay handprint kit

Kits like the babyprints wall frame from Land of Nod combine a bit of hands-on fun with a finished, framed result. You mould baby’s hand into non-toxic, air-drying clay, and it sets into a permanent 3D impression inside the frame. It’s a nice one to do together rather than just for mum, since it takes a bit of patience and a few minutes of play.

A couple of practical notes: air-drying clay can take a day or more to fully harden, so keep it somewhere out of reach while it dries, and always check the clay is labelled non-toxic given how likely it is to end up near a baby’s mouth.

5. A gold gilt keepsake frame

If you want something a bit more polished and less “craft table,” a gold gilt frame designed specifically for hand and footprints, like the one from Pottery Barn Kids, gives a more decorative, heirloom feel. These are usually sold as a kit with an ink pad included, so you don’t need to source paint separately, which makes the process a bit tidier.

6. A solid oak handprint keepsake

The solid oak baby handprint keepsake from notonthehighstreet.com is carved rather than printed, which gives it a more permanent, tactile finish than anything painted or inked. It arrives nicely wrapped, and being wood, it’s genuinely durable, so it’s a good option if you want something that will survive years on a shelf without fading.

7. A handprint keepsake box

A keepsake box with a handprint on the lid, also from notonthehighstreet.com, is one of the more practical choices on this list because it doubles as storage for other small keepsakes, first curls, a hospital bracelet, tiny socks and so on. It’s also one you could reasonably attempt yourself with a plain wooden box, some paint and a coat of varnish, though it won’t have quite the same factory finish. What we like about it is that it stays useful for years rather than just sitting on display.

8. A handprint plaque

This handprint plaque style, similar to the one from shopittybittybella.com, has a bit more character than a standard frame. It’s rustic-looking, easy to personalise with a name or date, and simple enough that you could recreate the idea yourself with a wooden block, sandpaper and some paint if you’d rather make it than buy it.

A few things worth checking before you buy or make one

Most of these gifts are safe and straightforward, but a couple of small checks are worth making, particularly with a baby or young toddler in the house:

• Make sure any wall-mounted piece is properly fixed, especially if it’s hung at a height a curious toddler could reach or pull on.
• If a kit includes small clay pieces, magnets or detachable frame parts, keep those away from babies and young toddlers who are still at the stage of putting things in their mouths.
• Check paint, ink and clay are labelled non-toxic and suitable for skin contact, and if your baby has known allergies or sensitive skin, patch test first or ask your health visitor.

None of that should put you off. Whatever you choose, whether it’s a bought kit or something you put together yourself with paint and a bit of patience, the handprint itself is what makes it worth keeping. The frame, the wood or the clay is just the setting for it.

If you enjoyed this article, take a look at some of our others:

• 10 Mother’s Day Outfits for Baby We Love
• 6 Ideas for the First Mother’s Day Card from Baby
• 5 Things to Do on Mother’s Day with a Baby
• Interesting First Mother’s Day Ideas from Baby
• Baby’s First Valentine’s Day Outfits for Your Little Sweetheart
• How to Celebrate Your First Valentine’s Day with Baby
• Valentine’s Day Baby Names
• Valentine’s Day Baby Photo Ideas
• 5 Fun Ideas for Baby’s First Easter Activities
• 8 Fun and Easy Baby Easter Craft Ideas