Ask a grandparent what they'd like and the answer is nearly always "nothing, love, just bring the baby round". Which is lovely, and no help at all when it comes to Christmas or their birthday.
The gifts that really land are the ones that bring a bit of the baby home with them. Here are our favourites, from the keepsakes we make to a few that cost very little at all.
Why a print of baby's hand means so much
Grandparents have done the newborn days before, so they know how quickly they go. They also don't see the baby every day, so every visit they notice how much bigger those hands have got. A print of their grandchild's hand or foot, exactly life size, keeps that moment for good.
Ours are made in real metallic foil, fused into the card with our Foil Fusion Technology™, so they won't fade the way ink does. That matters when it's going up in a sunny front room for the next twenty years.
1. A copy of baby's prints for their home
The classic, and for good reason. Take your baby's prints with our baby hand and footprint kit, then order extra copies for each set of grandparents, with or without a frame. You choose gold, silver or rose gold foil on black or white card, and frames come in ash, white, black, walnut or oak to suit their home.
Add their grandchild's name and date of birth, or a few words just for them.
Hand or foot?
If your baby is a newborn, footprints are usually the easier place to start, because those tiny hands love to stay curled in a fist. From a few months old, handprints get much easier. Our kit gives you two wipes and four sheets, so there's room to try both, and a print can show one hand and one foot together. There's more on this in our guide to handprints or footprints for newborns.
2. A smaller print for the mantelpiece
Not every grandparent has a spare wall. An A5 framed print sits happily on a shelf or a bedside table, and there's an A3 framed print if they'd like something bigger to hang. Whatever the size, the print itself stays exactly life size.
3. A keyring carrying baby's own print
For the grandad who'd never hang anything on a wall but checks for his keys fifty times a day. Our keyrings carry your baby's own hand or footprint, so the baby goes everywhere he does.
4. One for every grandchild
If there are already cousins in the family, a matching set is a lovely way to bring them together: the same card, foil and frame for each grandchild's prints, hung in a row. Our prints can also show two handprints side by side, which works beautifully for brothers and sisters.
5. A Memory Catcher session they can come along to
Some grandparents would love to be there when the prints are taken. Our Memory Catchers™ take prints in person at baby classes, events and home visits, so you could book a session with the grandparents there to watch. Find a Memory Catcher near you.
6. Little extras that mean a lot
- A letter from the baby. Write it in the baby's voice: what they've been up to, and what they love about Grandma's singing. It will be read many, many times.
- A voice note or a video. The first giggle, the first babble. Send it with a little card, so it feels like a present.
- A photo book of the first year. Most phone photo apps will make one for you, and grandparents will show it to anyone who stands still long enough.
- Time. A regular afternoon that's theirs with the baby is the one gift no grandparent ever turns down.
When to give them
Christmas is the big one, but a print makes a lovely gift for any first: the first time they meet the baby, their first Grandparents' Day, Mother's Day or Father's Day from the baby, or a birthday.
How it works
- Order your kit. We post it the next working day.
- Take the prints in about five minutes, with nothing left on your baby's skin. Our guide to taking handprints neatly has all our tips.
- Photograph and upload them, and choose your colours and wording.
- Add extra copies and keyrings for the grandparents, as soon as we've confirmed your upload or when you approve your proof.
- We send you a free digital proof within one working day.
- Once you approve it, we foil your keepsakes and post them back to you free within five working days.
