Section: Gifts
Baby’s First Christmas: 13 Gifts and What to Skip
Keepsakes, first books and toys labeled from birth, plus the gifts the CPSC recall list says to leave out of a baby’s first Christmas.
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Our picks
A wooden ornament with the baby’s handprint and a photo, made once and hung every year after.
Handprint ornament, every year
Under $15at Amazon Check price of Babyprints Ornament at Amazon
Little Simon Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book
A lift-the-flap board book that babies grow into and toddlers still ask for.
A first book that lasts
Under $15at Amazon Check price of Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book at Amazon
A wooden play gym designed for ages 0 to 12 months, with no batteries.
Play gym for 0 to 12 months
$100 to $150at Amazon Check price of The Play Gym at Amazon
A baby will not remember their first Christmas, so the best gifts are the ones the parents keep and the ones the baby uses all year. Here are 13, each labeled by its maker for babies, and a short list of what to leave out.
Keepsakes for the parents
Pearhead Babyprints Ornament
Our pick. A photo on one side and the baby’s handprint on the other, so it goes on the tree every year after this one. Press the print while the baby is calm.
Skip if Your baby is a wiggler: a smudged print is hard to redo on one ornament
Lenox 2026 Baby's 1st Christmas Rocking Horse Ornament
A dated 2026 ornament, the kind grandparents like to give. Hang it high: it is porcelain.
Skip if It would hang low on the tree: porcelain belongs out of a crawler’s reach
Pearhead Clean Touch Baby Ink Pad Kit
Two handprint cards, one for each set of grandparents. The ink stays under a film, so nothing touches the baby’s skin. Our gifts for grandma has more ideas for that side of the family.
Skip if You want several tries: Walmart reviewers say the pad and cards run out fast
Burt's Bees Baby Cuddly Christmas Organic Cotton Sleep & Play
A footed sleep and play in a hand-painted Christmas print, for the first-Christmas photo. Older siblings can match it in two-piece pajamas from the same brand.
Skip if Your baby is past 9 months: this one-piece runs newborn to 9M
Toys labeled from birth
Wee Gallery High Contrast Cards for Baby, Original Animals
Newborns see strong black and white best, and these cards are drawn for that. Prop one up during tummy time.
Skip if The baby is near 1: these are made for the first months
Melissa & Doug K's Kids Soft Activity Book, What Should I Wear?
A cloth book with flaps and crinkle pages, labeled 0 to 12 months, soft enough to chew on.
Skip if You want a book that lasts into toddler years: board books hold up longer
Melissa & Doug First Play Wooden Animal Stacking Cars
Small wooden cars with animal drivers that stack on each other and roll, labeled 0 to 12 months.
Skip if You want one large toy: these are small pieces of a set
Lovevery The Play Gym
The big gift, if there is one. A wooden frame and mat with zones for each stage of the first year and nothing that needs batteries.
Skip if You are short on space: it takes room open and comes apart to store
Vulli Sophie la girafe
The squeaking rubber giraffe that has been a first gift for decades. It has no cord or string.
Skip if You want a teether that goes in the dishwasher: this is natural rubber, wiped clean
First books
Little Simon Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book
The zoo keeps sending the wrong pet, one flap at a time. Babies like the flaps long before they follow the story.
Skip if You want a book to chew: a cloth book suits the first months better
Henry Holt Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (board book)
The rhyme repeats on every page, which is exactly what a baby wants to hear. Check that the listing is the board book.
Skip if The family already owns it: it is one of the most given baby books
For a baby who sits up by Christmas
Fisher-Price Rock-a-Stack and Baby's First Blocks Gift Set
The rocking stacker and the shape-sorting bucket in one box, both labeled 6 months and up.
Skip if Your baby is under 6 months: the label starts at 6
Fisher-Price Mini Me Moments Reel Fun Fishing Gift Set
A soft fishing set, labeled 3 months and up, for the family that already plans a first fishing trip.
Skip if You want a toy with a long track record: this set is new
What to skip
- Teethers on a cord or a string. The CPSC recalled 12 teething toys from January 1 to November 5, 2026, and 8 of them were pull-string teething toys. Our toy recall data for 2026 has the count.
- Toys with button batteries that are not behind a screw. The CPSC warns that a swallowed button battery can cause serious injury in as little as two hours.
- Plush for the crib. The CPSC’s safe-sleep guidance is to keep soft objects, pillows and blankets out of a baby’s sleep area. A stuffed animal is fine for play, not for the crib.
- Anything labeled 3+. The label is about small parts, not about how smart the baby is.
If you are filling a stocking too, our baby stocking stuffers are sorted by age. How we choose is in how we pick.
FAQ
What do you get a baby for their first Christmas?
One keepsake for the parents, one book and one toy labeled for the baby's age. A handprint ornament, Dear Zoo and a soft activity book cover all three.
Do babies need Christmas presents?
A baby will not remember the gifts, which is why most of this list is either for the parents to keep or something the baby will use for a year: books, a play gym, a stacker.
What should you not give a baby for Christmas?
Teethers on a cord or string, toys with loose button batteries, and plush for the crib. The CPSC recalled 12 teething toys in 2026 through Nov. 5, and its safe-sleep guidance says to keep soft objects out of a baby's sleep area.
Is a play gym a good first Christmas gift?
For a baby under 6 months, yes: the Lovevery gym is designed for ages 0 to 12 months. For an older baby, a stacker labeled 6 months and up gets more use.
Why trust us
We researched this guide against manufacturer specs, recall databases and verified owner reviews; we say which products, if any, we tested hands-on. Nobody pays to be here. Read how we pick
Who made this guide
Researched and written by the One Mom's Moxie editorial team and edited by Olivia. Hands-on testing for this guide: none. How we pick · About us
- CPSC, Recalls (teething toy recalls, Jan. 1 to Nov. 5, 2026)
- CPSC, Safe Sleep (bare is best)
- CPSC, Button batteries
- Lovevery, The Play Gym
- Pearhead, Babyprints Photo Ornament
- Wee Gallery, Art Cards for Baby
- Melissa & Doug, product pages (soft activity book, animal stacking cars)
- Fisher-Price, Rock-a-Stack and Baby's First Blocks set
First published Nov 13, 2026
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