How do you personalise a new baby gift? Name, date, motif: the guide

A personalised new baby gift often starts with two details: a name and a date. The choice of material, motif and layout then turns it into a keepsake that suits the family. Here is how to prepare your design, avoid typing mistakes and choose a decorative gift that finds its place in the home.

Choose the gift with its purpose in mind

First ask yourself what you want to give. An embroidered textile is for everyday use; a poster makes a wall decoration; an engraved object holds a message in its material. No single option suits every family. The parents’ taste, the space available and the intention behind the gift will guide you to the right choice.

A personalised decorative tile is one way to keep a child’s first memories in a small format. At MyTomette, our customisable terracotta pieces use blanks traditionally made in Salernes, then laser-engraved in the Var. To decorate the nursery, plan a stable spot on a shelf, out of the baby’s reach: the tile is a decorative object.

From an illustrated name to a birth announcement

The Girafe design puts the name and the date in the foreground. Empreinte offers a birth-announcement layout to record the details of the birth. Use only the details confirmed by the family, then check the preview before ordering.

Start with the name, then add what matters

A simple layout is often easier to read. You can start with the name alone, pair it with the date of birth or add a short message. Any extra detail needs its own place in the design: putting everything into the same field may shrink the text and change the balance of the illustration.

• Name only: “Léonie”.
• Name and date: “Léonie · 12 septembre 2026”.
• Name and message: “Bienvenue Léonie” (welcome, Léonie).
• Family keepsake: a short phrase chosen with the parents, or the siblings’ names.
• A message from a godparent: “Ta marraine qui t’aime” (from your loving godmother), or the date of the christening.

These examples are wording ideas: the fields available depend on the product you choose. Browse the personalised new baby gifts, then open a design whose layout suits your text. That way, you avoid starting from a very busy composition for a message that fits in a few words.

Match the motif to the family’s style

An animal, a botanical motif or a typographic design can evoke the child without imposing a décor entirely devoted to babies. Look at the colours and objects already in the parents’ home. A gentle motif can suit a nursery; a simple inscription can also be displayed in another room.

The Girafe name design, for example, offers a starting point for pairing a name with a date. The right choice is still the one that keeps the details legible and whose illustration the recipients will like. If you are hesitating between several designs, compare them with the same name rather than with their different examples.

Check the details before engraving

Copy the name from a message sent by the parents and check the accents, hyphens and spaces. You cannot work out “Maël”, “Maëlle” or a compound name by ear. For the date, choose a clear format and check the day, the month and the year separately. Writing the month out in full can prevent a mix-up if the design leaves enough room.

Then check the preview in the selected format. Is the text easy to read? Is a line too long? Does the motif keep its place? Having someone else read it through is useful, especially when you have changed the same inscription several times. Finally, check the format and the options before adding it to your basket.

What if the baby has not been born yet?

You can choose the design and prepare your message in advance, then order once the details are confirmed. If the name is to stay secret, wait for the parents’ announcement rather than engraving a guess. A decoration with a message but no date can also work, if the design allows that layout.

To keep the pleasure of the surprise, prepare the little note that will go with the gift in advance. You can use it to explain why you chose that motif or that message. If a detail needs correcting after you have ordered, contact the workshop quickly to check what is still possible, depending on how far the preparation has progressed.

Plan for delivery and how you present the gift

The stated preparation time for a MyTomette creation is 3 working days, plus delivery, which takes 2 to 4 working days in France. Check the delivery information when you order and leave some margin before your visit to the family. A hexagonal tomette costs €18.90 and a square tile €24.90, personalisation included.

For the presentation, a card in the colours of the motif creates a lovely link with the piece. Keep the engraving for the essential words and save longer wishes for your message. The gift can then evoke the birth at a single glance, while the card keeps what you wanted to tell the parents.

Frequently asked questions

What should you engrave on a new baby gift?

The name and the date of birth. Add, at most, a loving message, the place of birth or the siblings’ names, depending on the fields in the design.

How can you avoid a mistake in the name?

Copy it from a written message from the parents or from the birth announcement, then check the accents, diaereses and hyphens in the preview before confirming.

Can you personalise a gift before the birth?

Choose the design and prepare the message, but wait until the name and the date are confirmed before having it engraved.

To create your keepsake, choose a design from the personalised new baby gift collection, personalise the fields provided and read everything through one last time. Still unsure about the gift itself? Read our 10 original new baby gift ideas.