Make Your Baby's First Thanksgiving Extra Special With These 5 Ideas

The first Thanksgiving with your new baby is an extraordinary event. Even if your little one is too young to eat turkey or pie, you can still enjoy the holiday with plenty of love and laughter as you make new memories with your family. 

From gorgeous outfits and photoshoots to creative crafts and keepsakes, your pint-sized pumpkin will have lots of memories to cherish from their first Thanksgiving. The holiday is also the perfect time to start meaningful family traditions that will last for years.

Here are some suggestions to make your baby's first Thanksgiving a day to remember.

1. Pick an adorable baby's first Thanksgiving outfit.

Make your baby’s first Thanksgiving memorable with a special Thanksgiving-themed ensemble. Dress your tiny tot in a one-piece turkey jumpsuit or a two-piece hoodie and leggings set that will keep them comfortable all day long. And don’t forget the accessories—little booties and knitted beanies add the finishing touches to any turkey day attire.

You can also put on matching Thanksgiving outfits for the entire family. Then after the Thanksgiving feast, dress your little one in cozy baby Thanksgiving pajamas for a good night’s sleep.

2. Capture memories with a Thanksgiving baby photoshoot.

Whether you decide to hire a professional photographer or take a lot of pictures at home, you’ll want to record your baby’s Thanksgiving firsts. Here are some Thanksgiving baby photoshoot ideas to get you started.

Autumn Leaves 

Fall provides the ideal setting for some stunning holiday photos. Place your baby on a blanket on top of some leaves in your yard. Gather a pile of red, orange, yellow, and purple leaves, and toss them in the air around your little one. Snap pictures while your baby follows the motion of the leaves and looks on in wonder. You can also set up Lalo’s The Play Tent to add more flair to the photoshoot.

Pumpkin Pie Smash

Similar to a messy yet fun cake smash, you can celebrate your baby's first Thanksgiving with a seasonal twist. Place your little one in their sturdy and easy-to-clean high chair, and offer them a pumpkin pie with lots of whipped cream. Capture the sticky sweetness as your baby dives right in.

3. Give your baby a taste of the Thanksgiving feast.

Before placing a large slice of turkey in front of your baby, make sure they are ready to start solids. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends introducing solids when your baby can sit up with minimal support and good head control, typically at six months. Then, check your feeding options—will you spoon-feed your baby pureed pumpkin or encourage independence with baby-led weaning?

Once ready, pull up a high chair or set up a booster chair at the dining table, and prepare for potential messes with a bib, a splat mat, and a change of clothes. And you’re all set! Let your baby enjoy a special feast of sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, cranberries, pumpkin pie, and bite-sized pieces of skinless turkey. 

4. Create colorful Thanksgiving crafts for babies.

Any Thanksgiving project you make with your child will be delightful, but adding their little hands and feet to the artwork will remind you of how small they once were. If you have older kids, there are many fun DIY projects they can help with or create on their own.

Lalo’s The Play Kit is the perfect space to entertain your young artist with giant coloring sheets and all sorts of art projects. Create beautiful crafts to decorate your home or add to a baby book. Here are some Thanksgiving activities to get your family into the holiday spirit.

Turkey Handprints

There is something nostalgic about handprint crafts. A turkey made of handprints is a simple yet charming keepsake you can use and store for years. All you need are some construction paper, googly eyes, and different paint colors.

Start by painting your baby's palm and thumb brown. Then using the remaining colors, paint the other fingers to form turkey feathers. Next, press your baby's hand on the paper, letting them spread their fingers as far as they can. Once dry, paint an orange beak and red wattle and then glue on the eyes.

Thankful Tree

A thankful tree, also known as a gratitude tree, is a simple craft that will add a festive element to any fall party. Not only does it make a lovely Thanksgiving decoration, but it is also a fantastic way to inspire family members to be grateful.

Find a tree branch, and prepare some colored paper, scissors, a hole puncher, string, and a vase to hold the tree. Cut the paper into autumn leaf shapes, then ask your kids or dinner guests to write something they are grateful for on the leaves. Hang the leaves on the branch to make a colorful Thanksgiving display.

Corn Painting

Corn crafts are excellent hands-on activities that offer your child an experience in texture painting. For this particular project, you will need some ears of corn, corn holders, different colors of paint, a paintbrush, and white construction paper.

Start by removing the corn husk and then attach corn holders to prevent getting too much paint on your little one’s hands. Paint different colors on the corn and roll it around on white paper to make different patterns. Let your child have fun repeating the process with different colored ears of corn.

5. Start a meaningful Thanksgiving family tradition.

You can easily introduce your child to holiday family traditions when celebrating Thanksgiving with relatives. Even if you don't have any Thanksgiving traditions from your childhood that you want to pass on to your children, now is a terrific time to start some.

Giving back to people in need is one of the best ways to demonstrate your gratitude this time of year. A donation in your child's name is a wonderful gesture during your baby's first years. As your baby grows, use Thanksgiving as an opportunity to volunteer together at a soup kitchen, prepare care packages, or run a turkey trot to raise money for local charities. 

Final Thoughts

Thanksgiving can be filled with so much excitement, enthusiasm, and expectations. No matter how you choose to celebrate Thanksgiving, and even if things don't go as planned, be sure to savor every moment of your baby's first Thanksgiving.