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Tattoos for Your Children: Name, Date and Symbol Ideas
A tattoo for your kids is one tattoo you'll never regret. Their name, their birth date, their tiny footprint: these are the ideas parents ask for most, with tips for parents of one child and families still growing.
Name and date ideas
1. Their name in your handwriting
Or better, their own handwriting from the first time they wrote their name, wobbly letters and all.
2. Birth date in Roman numerals
Clean, timeless and easy to add to when another child arrives.
3. Birth time and weight
"07:42 ยท 7lb 3oz" is a detail only a parent would choose.
4. Initials in a heart or banner
Less to fit in than full names, and they look neat in a row. An initial can also sit inside a bigger design, like the dragonfly below.
5. Coordinates of where they were born
A quiet one for the inside of the arm.
Lettering tips and font examples are on our name tattoo page.
Symbol ideas
6. Footprints or handprints
Use the hospital footprint card, or press their hand in ink at home. Your artist will trace it to scale.
7. Their birth flowers
One flower for each child, gathered into a bouquet that you can add to later.
8. A heartbeat from a scan
Some parents trace the heartbeat line from a pregnancy scan printout.
9. Their drawing
Their first drawing of you, a stick figure family, or a scribbled heart. Kids love seeing it.
10. One star per child
Small stars in a line, or as a little constellation.
11. Their birthstone in colour
A tiny gem in the birth month colour: garnet red, amethyst purple, sapphire blue and so on.
12. Mother or father and child animals
An elephant and calf, a bear and cub, or a lion and cubs, in fine line or traditional style.
13. A matching tattoo with your grown-up child
Once they're 18, get one together. A fist bump split across both your arms is a dad-and-son favourite.
Designs for more than one child
- Leave room. If your family might grow, tell the artist. They can design it so another name, flower or star fits naturally later.
- Keep it fair. Kids notice whose name is biggest, so use the same size and style for each.
- One design, all the names. A heart or banner holding all the names together often looks better than three separate tattoos.
Tattoos for a child who has passed away
For parents who have lost a baby or a child, there's a gentle section on our memorial tattoos page, with ideas like a name on a star, a footprint, or a forget-me-not.
Name banners work for every member of the family, including the furry ones.
Good to know
- Check spellings twice. Write the names out yourself on the stencil sheet before it goes on. Artists can't spot a misspelled name they've never seen.
- Avoid a fresh tattoo when you'll be holding a newborn all day. A healing tattoo on the forearm and a baby who grabs everything don't mix well.
- Pregnant or breastfeeding? Most UK studios won't tattoo during pregnancy, and many ask you to wait until you've finished breastfeeding. Check with the studio and your midwife or GP.