Baby's First Christmas: Holiday Safety Tips and Gift Ideas (2026)

A first Christmas is the first time a crawling or grabbing baby shares a room with a tree, string lights and a table of party food. This page covers the home first, room by room, then gifts matched to the baby's age.

The safety tips are the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC).

How we chose: most gifts come from our gifts for babies under 1 guide, where each listing covers the first year, plus a holiday book and two keepsakes for the parents. We did not test them.

The gifts and their listed ages

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Buy for the age on the listing, not the age the baby will be next year. Our toy safety guide by age explains why a "3+" label usually means small parts.

The tree, lights and candles

The AAP's holiday decoration safety tips and the CPSC's holiday safety page cover the same ground:

• A live tree: the AAP says to check it for freshness (the needles should be hard to pull off), trim the trunk and keep the stand filled with water. The CPSC says to water live Christmas trees.
• An artificial tree: both say to look for a "fire resistant" label.
• Placement: the AAP says to place the tree away from fireplaces, radiators or portable heaters.
• Lights: the AAP says to check all lights before hanging them for burned-out bulbs, frayed wires, broken sockets and loose connections, and that outdoor lights should be certified for outdoor use. The CPSC says never to string together more than three sets of incandescent lights, and never to overload outlets.
• Candles: the CPSC says never to leave candles unattended, to keep them away from flammable items, put them out before leaving the room, and use flameless candles whenever possible.
• After the gifts: the AAP says to remove all wrapping paper, bags, ribbons and bows from the tree and fireplace areas once gifts are opened.

Pro tip: once a baby crawls or cruises, they can pull on the tree itself. Putting it in a room you can close off with a gate is the simplest answer; our baby gates guide compares hardware-mounted and pressure gates for doorways.

Ornaments, tinsel and button batteries

Anything on a low branch goes into a baby's mouth. The AAP says that in homes with small children, you should avoid decorations that are sharp or breakable and keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children. It also says to choose tinsel or artificial icicles of plastic or nonleaded materials.

The same AAP page says to keep children away from button batteries and lithium coin batteries. Secure the battery compartments on electronic toys, string lights, flameless candles, light-up necklaces, and musical ornaments and books, and wrap used batteries before you throw them away.

What we would do for a first Christmas: leave the bottom third of the tree bare. An ornament sold as unbreakable can still be small enough to fit in a baby's mouth. The Pearhead handprint ornament here is a keepsake for the parents and goes on a high branch.

Holiday plants and party food

The AAP says to place potentially poisonous holiday plant decorations out of reach, and to call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 if you think a child has eaten something harmful. Save the number in your phone before guests arrive.

Gatherings also put nuts, hard candy and small foods on low tables. The CDC's guide to choking hazards for young children lists whole or chopped nuts and seeds, and round or hard candy, among foods to avoid for young children. Keep bowls up high, and ask guests not to feed the baby.

Nothing in or over the crib

Plush gifts, stockings and garlands don't belong in or over a crib. The AAP's safe sleep guide for parents says there should be no blankets, pillows, stuffed toys or bumper pads in a baby's bed. Hang the stocking elsewhere, and keep the holiday blanket for the adults. Travelling to family? Our play yards guide covers a sleep space away from home.

Gifts by age

Check the baby's age before choosing between these two groups.

Under 6 months. The Sassy Tummy Time Floor Mirror is listed for 0+ months and stands on the floor for tummy time. The Bright Starts Oball Easy-Grasp Rattle is listed for newborns and up and is shaped for small hands to grip. For a stocking, Indestructibles: Jingle Baby is a holiday book its listing calls chew-proof, rip-proof and washable.

6 to 12 months. The Lamaze Peek-A-Boo Forest Soft Book and the B. toys Soft Blocks are both listed for 6 months and up and are soft enough to throw and chew.

The Fisher-Price Rock-a-Stack & Blocks is a stacking and sorting pair. For a bigger gift, the Hape Baby Drum plays when tapped or rolled; its listing doesn't name the battery type, so check that the compartment is screwed shut.

Related: gifts for babies under 1, gifts for 1-year-olds for a baby who turns one over the holidays, and our budget baby and toddler gifts.

Two keepsakes for the parents

The baby won't remember this Christmas; the adults will. The Pearhead Hello Baby First 5 Years Memory Book has prompted pages for milestones and yearly highlights from birth to age 5, per the listing. The Pearhead Babyprints Ornament Kit makes a handprint or footprint ornament about 5 in across, with clay, a shaping ring and a ribbon. The clay takes 24 to 48 hours to dry, so make it early.

Pearhead recalled a different product in 2025: the CPSC's recall of Pearhead infant learning toy sets covered a wooden egg-shaped rattle that could lodge in a child's throat. Neither Pearhead item here is a toy for the baby. Search any baby toy on our baby and toy recalls page before you buy.

Planning bigger purchases for the holidays? Our Black Friday baby gear guide covers timing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I baby-proof a Christmas tree?

Keep sharp, breakable and small-part decorations out of reach and use plastic or nonleaded tinsel, as the AAP says. Leave the bottom of the tree bare, secure battery compartments on lights and musical ornaments, and consider gating the room.

Are button batteries in holiday decorations dangerous?

Yes. The AAP says to keep children away from button and lithium coin batteries, secure the compartments on string lights, flameless candles and musical ornaments and books, and wrap batteries before disposal.

Can I put a Christmas stocking or blanket in my baby's crib?

No. The AAP says there should be no blankets, pillows, stuffed toys or bumper pads in a baby's bed, so keep stockings, garlands and plush gifts away from the crib. If you stay with family, the AAP also counts a play yard that meets CPSC standards as a safe place to sleep, bare in the same way.