When I was young, in my mother’s china cabinet, were our engraved baby cups, napkin rings and rattles.  They were cherished items and proudly displayed as family heirlooms! To this day, my siblings and I still have these mementos of our earliest days and they are still displayed with pride in our own homes.

When my children were born, I was given lots of great gifts.  Blankets, and cute little outfits, books and toys, high chair, you name it.  But I don’t have those things anymore.  What I do still have is the rattle with my daughter’s initials, a pretty little jewel box, again engraved, with a piece of my grandmothers jewelry in it.  These are the gifts that will always have meaning and will never be forgotten.

Gifts for babies are traditionally given at the time of birth, the christening or for the first birthday.   A personalized gift, with engraved or embroidered names and dates,  commemorates these important milestones.  There is a great number of beautiful silver or pewter baby gifts available to suit every baby and please every parent.   For generations, the most popular of these everlasting gifts is the baby cup engraved with the baby’s name and date of birth or date of baptism.  A rattle, with a teething ring attached, is also a sweet gift for a newborn and comes in handy when the baby is teething.  One of my favorite baby gifts is a special box or container for the child’s first lost tooth or a lock of hair from their first haircut

I like to think that when a child is born, that it is the most important occasion for a family.  As we traditionally celebrate the birth of our grandchildren, nieces and nephews or a friends baby, a personalized baby gift, like my baby cup, is always  appreciated by the parents.  And then, later on, by the child.