Baby Footprint Party Favors!

Who doesn’t love a baby’s cute pudgy little fingers and toes!? Sometimes I just want to freeze frame this moment in time so I can ogle over those beautiful parts forever. That’s why I thought I would make some baby foot prints! They would work well as decorations for my daughter's 1st birthday party (how custom is that!), and when everyone left, they could take one as a party favor. Of course, I am going to have to sequester one away for us. This is a fun and cute way to commemorate this “tiny” time in her life.

Items you will need:

1.            Paper

2.            Scissors

3.            Hole punch

4.            Non-Toxic finger paint

5.            Ribbon

6.            Paint brush

7.            Bowl

And of course, most importantly… your child!

First thing first, don’t try to be brave and attempt to do it when your little one isn’t in the happiest of moods. I did mine right after a nap, and she was all smiles. Whew! Another important tip is to make sure your little one isn’t wearing long sleeves or pants (depending on what body part you are painting). You want the paint on their hands or feet, hopefully not on their clothes.

Once your supplies and little one are ready, move to a nice stable surface, such as your kitchen table to make the imprints. Squeeze out a decent amount of paint into your bowl and use a brush to apply the paint to your child’s foot. Try not to load the paint onto their foot, only because when you make the imprint it will spread out further than their actual size and look clumpy. A nice, thin, evenly applied coat works well. Then press your child’s foot onto the paper and after you are done, lift their foot straight up so the print doesn’t smear.

After you repeat the process for the desired number of prints, it’s time to wash the paint off. The paint I purchased is non-toxic, kid-friendly washable paint, and it came off beautifully. If you are wondering if the paint ended up in more places than the bottom of her foot and the piece of paper… your answer is yes! I am not Super Mom… although I don’t think Super Mom could even stop a little extra paint from getting here or there. Some ended up being on her clothes when she decided to move her legs like a cricket (always cracks me up!) and some did get on the kitchen table. It came off the table with ease and the paint bottle assures me it will come out of her clothes. These things happen, don’t stress over it. It’s all part of creating memories and having fun!

Once my sweet pea was all nice and dry, I went to work cutting out her footprints. I didn’t use a stencil because each print was slightly different and they were close together on the paper. Plus, I like that they all weren’t completely uniform in style.

Next, I punched a hole at the top of each footprint and cut ribbon to hang the foot print from. The last step is to tie the ribbon in a cute bow and voila! You are done!

You can use this not only for party favors, but holiday gifts, or to mark any special occasion. These pieces make for a cute (and inexpensive) way to freeze that special moment in time.