Looking for ideas for baby’s first Thanksgiving to make it extra special? Celebrating your infant’s first holidays is so exciting for parents and there are plenty of fun ways to include baby in the festivities.
Since it isn’t as flashy as it’s neighboring holidays, it’s easy for Thanksgiving to get overlooked. BUT that doesn’t mean you can’t do something special to make sure baby’s first Thanksgiving is a blast.
This is a perfect time to start some family holiday traditions too. I focus here on things that are specific to infants, but if you have other children too, be sure to check out these fun ways to get kids excited for Thanksgiving.
Like pretty much all holidays, I love Thanksgiving and really try to make the day stand out for my little ones. Even though they won’t remember their first holidays, I definitely will, so I want to make them memorable!
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So here are the best ideas for baby’s first Thanksgiving to make the day extra special:
Baby’s First Thanksgiving Outfits
Dress your baby up for Thanksgiving! There are tons of adorable Thanksgiving outfits for babies!
Here are a couple of our favorites:
Another fun way to “dress up” your baby is in costume. Dressing baby as a turkey or little pumpkin is sure to be a hit!
Baby’s First Thanksgiving Bib
You’ll definitely want to protect whichever adorable outfit you choose from spit up and food messes with an equally cute bib.
We love this sweet Thanksgiving bib:
Baby’s First Thanksgiving Activities
Thanksgiving has some fun opportunities for sensory play. This can be as simple as letting them feel and play with different kitchen items as you prepare the meal.
Try making edible pumpkin play dough to give your little one a fun way to explore new smells and textures. I like this recipe from Conservamom since it is super easy. Be careful with more elaborate recipes that may contain things you wouldn’t want your baby to eat like honey (a big no-no for infants) or extra sugar.
You can make an easy sensory bin with mini pumpkins and gourds to let your baby touch and play. Look for a variety of textures like bumpy and smooth and colors for them to experience.
As always with babies, be sure to closely supervise their sensory activities and avoid including any choking hazards.
Make A Thanksgiving Craft
Make a memento for baby’s first Thanksgiving with a cute craft!
Since your baby is probably not a huge “crafter” just yet you will have to do the heavy lifting.
There is no shortage of adorable handprint and footprint ideas for holidays. These make cute reminders of how small your little one was for this Thanksgiving.
We love these adorable handprint and footprint turkeys from A Little Pinch of Perfect.
This footprint turkey from Crafty Morning is also super simple and perfect for baby feet!
Baby’s First Thanksgiving Books
I might be a bit overboard on the holiday books, but I can’t help it. I just love books, so we have them for literally every holiday. Thanksgiving doesn’t have quite the depth of options as other holidays, but here are the best books for babies:
Baby’s First Thanksgiving
This cute book is bright and colorful and perfect for babies! It introduces the sights of the holiday with few words, ideal for infants.
Where is Baby’s Turkey?
By Karen Katz
Help baby find the turkey with this adorable lift-the-flap book. With vibrant colors and fun flaps this is great for curious babies. If you like this one, Karen Katz has many more books of this style too that are just as fun!
Five Silly Turkeys
By Salina Yoon
While babies may not fully appreciate the rhyming of this cute counting book, they absolutely love the crinkly tail feathers! These feathers catch baby’s attention and make it easy for tiny, chunky hands to turn the pages.
Ideas For Baby’s First Thanksgiving Photos
Make sure to take plenty of photos to remember your baby’s first Thanksgiving. You’ll want to capture shots of baby during the day, whether they’re watching the parade, the family football game, or the turkey prep.
You could also set up a photo shoot to make sure you get the pictures that you want. That way you know you’ll get a photo of their cute outfit before they destroy it.
Also consider using fun props like pumpkins, gourds, or a cornucopia to get some festive photos. You could also get funny Thanksgiving photo props like these.
These photo props for all of your baby’s first holidays are another awesome way to help remember each day!
Enjoy Thanksgiving Dinner
Let your baby join in the main event of the holiday by being part of the festivities at the dinner table!
I understand that this isn’t always convenient or easy when you’re dealing with coordinating multiple schedules, guests, travel, and your infant’s moods, feedings, and nap times, but a baby brings so much joy to the table.
If your baby is old enough to eat solid foods Thanksgiving dinner is full of great baby-friendly options to try.
There are so many great soft and mushy foods, like mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and even pumpkin pie. Plus, there’s plenty of different textures and flavors for babies eating finger foods.
Even younger babies can take part in the Thanksgiving dinner simply by enjoying the social aspects of the dinner table. Being around family and friends coo-ing and smiling is great entertainment for infants.
Baby may get passed around the table just like the turkey. This can be a wonderful time for baby to meet family that you don’t see frequently.
So now that you’ve read our top ideas for baby’s first Thanksgiving, we hope you are ready to celebrate the holidays with your little one!
Christmas is right around the corner, so you may want to check out our tips for baby’s first Christmas too! I also have fun ways to celebrate baby’s first Halloween and even Baby’s First Easter as well. In case you can’t tell, I’m sort of into holidays.
So how did you celebrate baby’s first Thanksgiving? Did you start a new family tradition or make it extra special? Share your ideas in the comments!
