Why a miniature baby hand or foot charm Is The Ideal Gift For New Parents while a hand engraved fingerprint charm is perfect for Older Children and Adults.

Becoming a new parent can certainly be challenging, with the sleepless nights to contend with, labour to recover from, and the feeling of never being totally sure what you’re doing.

That is why it is important friends and family spoil the first-time mum and dad with a lovely gift. It can be tempting to buy chocolates and flowers, but what they really need is probably something you can’t purchase - sleep, a bath, and someone to clean the house!

A gift they will truly cherish though is a miniature charm of their newest arrival’s cute little hand or foot, as a pendant or bracelet – and not forgetting dad, miniature charms are prefect as cufflinks for that unique touch to a suit: They would certainly be a talking point!

Parents love this, as it means they can have part of their new baby close to them at all times.

Image Casting’s miniature charms are available in sterling silver, yellow, rose and white gold.

But what about older children and the very special adults in our lives? While we can shrink down most life-casts into miniature jewellery, there is something truly beautiful about a hand engraved fingerprint, and as everyone’s fingerprint is unique, giving this gift will mean they have a totally distinctive and incredibly special piece of jewellery.

There is even the option to have both the fingerprint and the miniature charm engraved with an initial, keeping the memory alive forever.

While these gifts aren’t practical like the sleep aids, thermometers, baby carriers, bouncers or even digital instant cameras included in Mother & Baby’s list of best gift ideas for new parents, miniature charm jewellery is something parents will be able to keep forever to remind them of their adventure when they first became a mummy and daddy.

And if you can also offer to go round to sterilise bottles, make dinner, or take the baby for a walk so the new parents can catch up on sleep, all the better!