Keepsake 1st Birthday Gifts

1. Birthstone Necklace

Girls love jewelry, and a birthstone pendant is the perfect way to commemorate her first birthday. Necklaces or pendants make an especially appropriate keepsake gift since they will fit the girl through all stages of her life, unlike rings or bracelets.

2. Personalized Jewelry Box

This is a great gift either alone or with a beautiful piece of keepsake jewelry inside (perhaps the pendant or necklace mentioned above? ). You can purchase a jewelry box plated with silver, covered in leather or exotic skin (stingray, ostrich, etc.), or a beautiful wooden box. Whatever type you choose, personalize it with the baby's initials, first name, or birth date. You can get it engraved or embossed on the outside of the box, or on the inside of the box along with a special wish or message for the baby.

Keepsake Gifts For Boys

1. Monogrammed Leather Watch Box

Boys too will eventually begin a collection of cufflinks, watches and money clips. This is a gift that he might not appreciate for a number of years, but it's also a lifelong gift he is likely to keep forever. As with the girl's jewelry box, a watch box should be monogrammed and can be filled with his first money clip.

Keepsake Gifts For Boys OR Girls

1. Bronzed Baby Shoes

This gift requires coordination with the parents before the birthday, but it's a classic gift that makes a lifelong keepsake. Ask the parents for an old pair of the baby's first shoes, find a reasonable bronzing company online, and send them in. If possible, ask the company to engrave the shoes with a special quote you've chosen, or the baby's name and birth date. Shoes can also be covered in porcelain, silver and gold as well as bronze.

2. Cashmere Baby Blanket

Purchase a super soft cashmere baby blanket, and take it to an embroidery store to have the baby's name and birth date embroidered in a corner of the blanket. Fine quality cashmere will last for decades, and can be kept for their first baby.

3. Silver Engraved Picture Frame

Purchase a pretty silver picture frame and have it engraved with the baby's birthday. You can also include a special message or inspirational quote on the back of the frame. Place a black and white picture of the baby inside the frame, or a print of the baby's handprints with the date the prints were taken.

To get a print of the baby's hands:

1. Dip his or her hands in water-soluble, kids-safe art paint and press the hands down on a white sheet of paper.

2. Enlist the help of a crafty family member or friend with a Gocco machine. The machine will allow them to recreate the prints on a archival piece of cardstock or fabric.

4. Keepsake Christening Cap

If the baby has yet to be christened, you can provide a beautiful christening cap. To make this gift a meaningful keepsake, choose a fabric that has been in the family and has a meaning. The best option for this is to use a piece of the mother's or grandmother's wedding gown, so this gift is best suited to give within families (otherwise, obtaining fabric from the gown would be very tricky).