I gave birth to my son in a very posh London hospital and they foot-printed my baby, for security and identification purposes. This might be common in the US but it was definitely not common in London in 2005 and it is still unheard of in Italy in 2009. It is done with an ink-less wipe that will print on special paper, so you do not really stain the baby’s feet–and it’s safe.
I thought it was a great idea — that piece of paper with those sweet tiny feet on it was one of my most treasured possessions. After a couple of months I cut out the footprints and framed it in a very simple Ram frame from Ikea. I thought it was sweet, without being too cheesy.
So when my daughter’s birth was imminent I searched the web for an ink-less wipe that would allow me to footprint her too. They can be found, together with more sophisticated (sometimes over the top) kits on many websites (like this and this) but I bought just the wipes and the magic paper on ebay, saving some money and keeping the freedom of choosing the frame.
-Michela
Comments (4)
I love this idea. Does anybody know where I can get the wipes and paper in the US??
I did this in France for our 2-month-old using finger paints: they easily wash off and there are fun colours too. They are readily accessible in creative arts stores. i also found that using a clip board to hold the paper (thick weght) and then pressing our son’s feet against the paper worked really well. And he seemed to have fun too!
I am in the US, and do not know where to get the wipes, but I know several websites sell kits to do this. Search on google for footprint kits and you should find several options. Hope this helps.
i cannot claim i gave birth in a super-posh clinic, but both my babies were foot-printed in italian public hospitals when they were born in 2007 and 2009 and their father keeps the prints in his wallet as a really precious memory!so sweet!