Just because your baby is too young to celebrate, doesn’t mean your first Father’s Day together as parents can’t be meaningful. In fact, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day should not just about your parents, it can also be about you and your partner, as parents.

Those early months of parenthood are totally unique. It may even take you a while to adjust to the idea of yourselves as full-blown parents, in charge of raising and shaping your little bundle of joy. That’s why it’s so important to recognise and celebrate your first Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, and mark the occasion with something special.

The only hitch is that your new baby, not yet a year old, is unlikely to be organise anything to show their appreciation; those early celebrations are more about you and your partner recognising one another. So how do you show your partner how much you appreciate and cherish them as a co-parent when the first Father’s Day of parenthood rolls around? There are a lot of different ways you can mark the occasion that incorporates both you and your baby. Here are some ideas to get you started.

 

Make Something

One way to show you care is to make something yourself. A homemade touch really shows it comes from the heart. If you’re not naturally artistic or crafty, don’t worry. There are lots of easy Father’s Day gifts you can make yourself, the simplest of which can involve your baby’s footprints and handprints. Just framing them is great, or you can get a little more creative: Make a print of your baby’s hand on a football to play with when they’re older. Or put footprints alongside your partner’s shoe prints to symbolise how you hope that your child will follow in his footsteps.

 

Plan a Day Off

There’s a good chance your partner has had a hectic start to parenthood. So sometimes there’s no better way to mark Father’s day than giving them the day off. But rather than just giving them take a break from parenting duties, take care of all the details. Many people underestimate how much a dad can love a little pampering, so book them in for a massage or a spa day. If that’s not their thing, organise a trip to the movies on their own, dinner with their friends, or just a place to nap—whatever you think they’ll need most.

 

Arrange Something With Their Dad

One way to really recognise the significance of their first Father’s Day is to combine the celebration with one for your partner’s dad or both of your dads. One of the amazing things about your first Father’s Day is recognising that you’ve helped create the next generation. Hosting a party that brings those different generations together can feel incredibly special.

 

Plan a Get-Away

If life has been really overwhelming during the early months of parenthood—which it almost always is—it might be that the best thing you can do is go away. Take Father’s Day as a chance for an overnight trip, just the three of you, and have some space to really recognise how far you’ve come and what your family means to you.

 

Make Handprint Molds/Tshirt

If you want to spend the day doing an activity as a family, making handprint molds can be a great way to mark the occasion. or plant his fingerprints ob a Tshirt and present to him on that special day.

 

Write Letters to Your Child

Your partner may want to focus this day on your child and your role as parents, but your child isn’t old enough to appreciate that now. So. instead, write letters together for your child to open when they’re 13 or 16 or 18—any point you choose in the future. Talk about what these first months have meant to both of you and all you’re looking forward to. It will be something so special for them to look at years later.

Your first Mother’s Day and Father’s Day can feel like such a huge event, so it’s important to commemorate it. But you also want to have fun. Keep the focus on family, memories, and giving Dad a little bit of a treat. If it’s about the three of you and how much you mean to each other, you can’t go wrong.