Gifts for a New Baby: Keepsakes to Treasure

A new baby brings a flood of practical gifts – onesies, blankets, diapers. A keepsake is different: it is the gift the family will still have when that baby is grown. Here are our favorite gifts for a new baby, from silver cups to porcelain baby shoes, for a baby shower, a christening or simply to say welcome.

Silver Keepsakes

Silver is the traditional baby gift, and for good reason: a silver cup or spoon is used in the first years and then kept for life.

Christofle Beebee Silver-Plated Baby Cup

Christofle's Beebee children's collection is decorated with honeycombs and playful bumblebees – a nod to nature and to the maison's insignia. The cup makes a baby shower or christening gift, and later a holder for colored pencils or flowers.

Christofle Beebee Baby Cereal Bowl & Spoon Set

A porcelain cereal bowl with a silver-plated spoon, both adorned with bee motifs – a gift for a baptism, a baby shower or a first birthday.

Christofle Talisman Baby Spoon, Ivory

A silver-plated and ivory lacquer spoon from Christofle's Talisman collection, presented in its own birth box.

Silver cups and spoons were traditionally given at a christening. Today they are just as welcome at a baby shower or a first visit, and many families display them on a nursery shelf rather than use them every day.

Pewter Keepsakes

Pewter has a softer, warmer look than silver and needs no polishing to look its best, which makes it a relaxed choice for a busy new family.

Match Pewter Baby Frame

Pewter handmade by artisan families in northern Italy, available plain or engraved – for the first photo home from the hospital.

Match Pewter Baby Bowl Porringer, Large

A food-safe pewter porringer, cast and finished by hand in Italy; it develops a soft, warm patina with use.

Porcelain Keepsakes from Herend

Hand-painted Herend baby keepsakes are made in Herend, Hungary, and finished with 24k gold accents. See more in the Herend children collection.

Herend Baby Shoe

A 4.5 in hand-painted porcelain baby shoe, in blue or raspberry fishnet and other designs – a keepsake for the nursery shelf.

Herend Baby Rattle Figurine

A porcelain rattle to display rather than shake, 4 in long, in a range of fishnet colors including blue, raspberry, sapphire and green.

Because each Herend piece is painted by hand, two baby shoes in the same color are never exactly alike – which feels right for a gift that celebrates one particular child.

Crystal and Jeweled Keepsakes

For the nursery shelf, a piece of colored crystal catches the morning light, and an annual ornament starts a holiday tradition the child can continue for years.

Daum Baby Elephant Sculpture

A crystal baby elephant from Daum, the French crystal manufactory founded in Nancy in 1878 – in pink or turquoise crystal.

Jay Strongwater 2026 Annual Baby Ornament

A jeweled ornament dated for the year of birth, from the American atelier Jay Strongwater – a tradition worth starting with the very first Christmas.

Choosing a Baby Gift

Baby shower or christening? Silver and porcelain keepsakes suit both; a dated ornament is ideal for a winter baby.
Think long term. The keepsake will outlast every practical gift on the registry, so choose something the child will want at twenty-one.