Christmas Crafts for Babies

Christmas crafts are one of those lovely low-cost ways to fill the dark, cosy weeks before the big day, and they give you something to actually do with a baby or toddler who’s stuck indoors and bored of the same old toys. You don’t need a Pinterest-worthy setup or expensive supplies. A roll of felt, some card, a bit of glue and an hour on a wet afternoon is genuinely enough.

The other lovely thing about doing crafts with a baby is that most of the “craft” is really you doing it while they watch, chew on something safe, or help for thirty seconds before losing interest, and that’s absolutely fine. The value is in the time together and the keepsake at the end, not in how neat it looks.

A quick word on safety before you start

Babies and toddlers explore with their mouths, so it’s worth thinking about a few things before you get the craft box out:

• Small parts like googly eyes, buttons, sequins, pom poms and beads are a choking hazard for children under three. If your baby or toddler still puts things in their mouth, either leave these off, swap them for something safe (a drawn-on face, a fabric patch), or make that part of the craft yourself while your little one is out of reach.
• Any craft with string, ribbon, wire or fishing line needs to stay well away from cots, cribs and anywhere your baby sleeps or is left unsupervised, because of the risk of entanglement.
• Use children’s washable paint and non-toxic glue (PVA is fine), and keep hot glue guns strictly for the adult’s hands.
• If your baby has any known allergies, check ingredients carefully before letting them near “edible” crafts.

None of this is meant to put you off. It’s just worth five minutes of thought before you start, and if you’re ever unsure whether something’s safe for your baby’s age, it’s always worth checking with your health visitor or GP.

10 Christmas crafts to try with your baby or toddler

1. Gingerbread man ornaments

These are quick, cheap and look genuinely sweet hanging on the tree. Cut a gingerbread man shape out of brown felt or parchment paper (you can freehand it or find a template online). Decorate with fabric paint, a bit of red rickrack for “icing”, or a face drawn on with a marker.

If your baby is still at the mouthing stage, skip the googly eyes and small buttons and draw the face on instead, or glue the details on yourself once your little one has finished helping. A nice variation for a baby who’s too small to help is to trace their footprint onto brown felt for the gingerbread man’s body, so you end up with a genuine keepsake rather than just a decoration.

2. Christmas tree cards

Fold a piece of card in half and let your baby press a handprint or footprint onto it in green washable paint, then add a star sticker at the top once it’s dry to turn it into a little Christmas tree. Older toddlers can help stick on paper baubles or draw with chunky crayons.

Write the date and something short inside, how old they are, what they’re into right now, what Christmas is like this year. It sounds like a small thing, but a stack of these cards is a lovely thing to look back on in years to come.

3. Christmas photo tree

Find a sturdy branch (a garden trim works well), pop it in a jar or vase weighted with pebbles or florist’s foam, and hang printed photos from it with mini wooden pegs and string or thin ribbon. An instant camera is a nice touch if you have one, but printing snaps at home or at a chemist works just as well and costs a lot less.

If you’ve got fairy lights woven through, go for battery-operated LED lights rather than anything that gets warm, and keep the whole thing somewhere your baby can’t grab and pull it over.

4. Make a Christmas wreath

An embroidery hoop makes a really easy base for a homemade wreath. Wrap it in wool or ribbon, then hot glue on faux leaves, small pinecones or fabric off-cuts (adult job, this bit, keep the glue gun well away from little hands). Finish with a red ribbon bow at the top for hanging.

Once it’s made, hang it somewhere out of your baby’s reach, on the front door rather than at toddler height indoors, since wreaths often have small decorative bits that could come loose.

5. DIY edible Christmas slime

Sensory play like this can be a great way for babies and toddlers to explore texture, and a simple taste-safe version is easy to make at home: mix cornflour with a little bit of hair conditioner (or, for a genuinely edible version, mix melted marshmallow with cornflour and a drop of food colouring) until you get a stretchy, mouldable texture.

A couple of things worth knowing. “Edible” doesn’t mean it’s meant to be eaten in any real quantity, it just means the ingredients are safe if a small amount goes in the mouth, which matters a lot with babies who are still exploring everything that way. Always supervise closely, check for any food allergies first, and this is really better suited to toddlers past the heaviest mouthing stage (roughly 18 months and up) rather than younger babies.

6. Gingerbread Christmas gift bags from paper

Brown paper bags (the plain lunch bag type works well) make lovely rustic gift bags once decorated. Fold the top over a couple of times, punch two holes and thread through some string or ribbon for a handle, then glue on a felt or paper gingerbread man cut-out to the front.

This one’s a good task for a toddler to help with using chunky glue sticks and stickers, while a baby can happily watch or scribble on a spare bag with crayons.

7. Christmas flower vase or jar

For a jar version, layer red, gold and green decorations (ribbon offcuts, tinsel strands, small baubles) inside a clean glass jar and tuck in a battery LED light string for a warm glow. For a vase, wrap jute or twine around an old Pringles tube, weight the bottom with pebbles, and use it to hold a simple bunch of red and white flowers or even faux greenery.

Keep any glass version well out of reach once it’s finished, and again, LED lights rather than mains-powered ones are the safer choice around small children.

8. Christmas pom poms

Yarn or crepe paper pom poms in red, white and green look lovely scattered on a sofa or strung into a garland, and they’re satisfying to make with older toddlers who can wind wool around a fork or pom-pom maker.

The one caveat: pom poms are a genuine choking hazard for babies and younger toddlers who still put things in their mouths. If your child is under three, or you’re not sure they’ve grown out of that stage, make these ones purely as decorations that go up high, not as a toy to hand over and play with, and always supervise if they’re out during craft time.

9. Felt winter shapes for a hanging display

Cutting mittens, stockings, a gingerbread man and a Santa hat out of felt or card, then hanging them from an embroidery hoop with string, makes a really pretty seasonal hanging display. It looks a lot like a baby mobile, which is exactly why it needs a bit of care.

Please don’t hang this over a cot or crib, or anywhere your baby sleeps or lies unsupervised. Hanging items with string or wire are a strangulation risk near a sleeping baby, and current safe sleep guidance is that cots should be kept clear of hanging toys, especially once a baby can push up, roll or reach for things (usually from around 4 to 5 months). Hang this one over a play mat instead, only bring it out while you’re in the room, and take it down once your baby starts pulling themselves up or reaching for overhead objects. If you’re ever unsure about what’s safe near your baby’s sleep space, your midwife or health visitor can talk you through current guidance.

10. Christmas stocking fillers

Filling a stocking for a baby or young toddler is more fun when you keep the size and safety of the fillers in mind. Good options include board books, soft fabric toys without small attached parts, silicone teethers, a new pair of soft-soled shoes, or a small cup or spoon for older babies starting on solids.

Steer clear of anything with buttons, bells, small beads or detachable eyes for babies under three, and always check the packaging for an age recommendation before you buy. It’s an easy thing to overlook when everything in the shop looks so festive and tempting.

You don’t need to do all ten of these, and you certainly don’t need to do them all in one weekend. Pick two or three that suit your baby’s age and your own patience levels, keep the small-parts rule in mind, and let the rest of the season be about being together rather than ticking off a craft list.