45 Sweet Child Tattoo Ideas for Parents

Our children are the reasons we wake up each day and face the world. This means you might be thinking of child tattoo ideas to commemorate them with. Family, after all, is the most valuable thing any of us can lay claim to. Thus, you may want some ink to celebrate it. We wanted to discover child tattoo ideas for parents that are clever and original. These designs pay tribute to our little ones in unique ways that are filled with endless love.

We decided to take a look at social media to discover what tattoos parents were getting in honor of their children these days to better understand the trends and possibilities of child tattoo ideas. These designs really shine a light on the special bonds we share with our kids. Although your kid might not like your tattoo right away, later in life they will see it as the celebration of family that it truly is. Let’s take a look at some bright child tattoo ideas that parents are exploring today so that you can get inspired and share them with your trusted tattoo artist!

Get Inspired by These Meaningful Child Tattoo Ideas!

Holding Hands

The act of holding hands and touch is such a powerful aspect of our bonds with our children. Capturing such proves powerfully moving in tattoo form. Two hands embracing is one of the most popular child tattoo ideas today.

Photorealistic Portraits

Portraits! Portrait tattoos are big business but they do not always turn out as expected so do your research and take plenty of time landing on the right artist for the job. We saw some AWFUL portrait tattoos when we were researching these child tattoo ideas. When in doubt, don’t!

Whimsical Scenes

Whimsical scenes that capture the magic of childhood were also popular choices. In the tattoo above, we find a young girl swinging from a cloud!

Angelic Embraces

We’ll share with you a few child tattoo ideas centered around an embrace. There are a number of ways to achieve them and one creative riff on the genre comes in the form of angel wings.

Picture Perfect

We will urge you again to do your homework before getting a photorealistic tattoo. They’re hard for artists to pull off and more often than not they fall short. This example, however, does look great.

It’s In a Name

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to your child tattoo ideas. Simply get your children’s names tattooed on your body in a font that you love. It’s a no-brainer!

Do It with Heart

The heart imagery is strong among the child tattoo ideas we came across. Here, we find a little girl, who’s shaded in the most interesting style, reaching for a heart-shaped balloon. If you want to anchor your design around a heart, go for it! It’s the perfect symbol for love.

Footprints

Go ahead and get those baby footprints tattooed on your body! They are rather easy for most artists to pull off for you and they act as an indexical image of a time when your child was still a babe.

Baby Beasts

We saw a lot of cartoony baby animals and things that are meant to represent a child. Here’s a dinosaur that this person’s child could have a love for. What interests of your child do you find fun and endearing? Let them inform your child tattoo ideas!

Capture the Magic of Childhood

Really, think of your child’s favorite picture books and much more to broaden the possibilities of what your tattoo can be. We find a little girl riding a snail which is the dreamy sort of thing that childhood is made of!

Favorite Things

For your child tattoo ideas, think of objects that your baby fell in love with. This could be a pattern from their favorite blankie or a stuffed animal. In the above tattoo, we find the baby’s favorite stuffed animal, a cow, tattooed with a rose.

Illustration

Simplicity is bliss and a hyperrealistic tattoo takes forever so you may want to simplify things with your design. A cute little illustration of your child works well!

Your Kid’s Art

Another trend among child tattoos comes from taking your kids’ actual drawings and having them tattooed on you. We find some killer artwork of a cute crab here that’s been translated into tattoo form.

Cute Critters

What animals are your kids obsessed with? This person’s Mila loves koala bears so she got one tattooed next to her daughter’s name.

Really, Let Your Kid Do All the Work

Here’s another example of children’s artwork that has been turned into a tattoo. Don’t you think your kid would get a big kick out of something like this?

Contemplative Scenes

Here’s a watercolor tattoo of a child holding balloons. For your child tattoo ideas, think of meaningful moments and ask your artist to translate them into a scene for your tattoo.

Shared Interests

Do you and your kids love Star Wars and Baby Yoda? It could be the perfect inspiration for your tattoo! Think of things that you both enjoy and let them inform your child tattoo ideas.

Teddy-Inspired

The person who shared this gorgeous tattoo explained that their child has a stuffed panda that he loves and that’s why she chose to incorporate the panda bear in the tattoo! How clever!

Watercolor Kids

Watercolor tattoos are one of the biggest tattoo trends today and they have a sort of nostalgic feel to them which makes them particularly attractive for child tattoos. Here, we find a brother and sister tattooed with super sharp lines. The colorful ink is simply the icing on the cake.

Tender Moments

We told you to expect a number of tattoos depicting an embrace and here is yet another. How great does this design look? It’s almost abstract but if you look at it long enough you will see what the artist intended. What a dream!

Time of Birth

Another one of the most popular child tattoo ideas comes in the form of a clock that shows your baby’s time of birth. You can go with just a clock or add a date or other relevant information that’s important to you.

Handwriting

Like with the drawings, by asking your kids to write their names, you can get a meaningful tattoo from that. We think Liam and Leo have pretty good penmanship!

Slightly Abstract

Here’s another tattoo of an embrace from mom. However, this one is also somewhat abstract which adds a layer of sophistication to the design.

RELATED: 60 Mother Daughter Tattoos – Matching Tattoo Ideas

More Abstract-Ish

With the addition of floral elements, this tattoo takes what the last did and improves it with pops of purple that offer romance. We think this is such a sweet idea!

In Focus

Your baby’s fit, her hands, her hair, whatever you want, can be the focus of your child tattoo ideas. Choose one aspect of your child and zero in on it for fruitful ideas.

Handprints

As with footprints, handprints were popular among child tattoos today. Here’s one that’s not too dark and instead, done in grey with a think black outline.

Minimalist Scenes

Find a favorite photo of your child and then ask an artist to approach it with a minimalist perspective to get something that reads more of an idea than an actual scene.

Inspirational Ink

Think of inspirational scenes that are uplifting to inform your child tattoo ideas. This little girl is painting with a rainbow and it’s just so sweet!

Toys & Special Objects

As with stuffed animals, look to your children’s favorite toys to inspire you. This person was so inspired by their child’s pinwheel that they got it tattooed on their arm!

More Hopeful Scenes

Here’s another whimsical scene of a little girl swinging from the moon. We love the pink and baby blue watercolor effect which adds to the design’s atmospheric quality.

Their Favorite Movie

This person’s child has a favorite movie. Can you guess it? Of course, it’s Monsters, Inc. You’ll be a big hit with your kid if you do something similar with their #1 movie.

Mother Nature

Elephants, lions, and others were all used for child tattoo ideas. Here, we find two adorable sloths in an embrace. Think of your favorite animals to stand in and represent you and your child for a similar design.

Words of Endearment

“I love you forever and a day,” reads this tattoo. Do you and your child have a special saying? It could make for a truly touching tattoo.

Get Creative

With tattoos, the weirder the better. As we were compiling this list, we came across the same few tattoo ideas done over, and over, and over, and over again. Be creative and original and you will walk away with a one-of-a-kind tattoo that no one else has.

Talk to Your Artist

Really, talk to your artist about your child tattoo ideas to see if they might have a creative way to bring them to life. Tattoo artists are extremely creative and passionate individuals who will help you craft a design unlike any other!

Fingerprint Hearts

A new trend emerging among tattoos for couples, families, and more, are these fingerprint hearts. This person has taken their child’s fingerprint cut a heart out of it and imagined it as a tattoo! It’s super sweet and very personal!

Silhouettes

A great way to avoid a ton of detail but still get a depiction of your child or family comes in the form of a silhouette. These have been popular for centuries and they work well in tattoo form. Here’s one from a family vacation photo!

More Inspiration from Nature

Similar to the last tattoo, this one imagines baby bears inside of the silhouette of a mama bear. We also really like the landscape that’s been worked into this design for a true, natural feel.

Turn to Your Dreams

We all dream about our kids, right? Even if you don’t, for your child tattoo ideas get imaginative for super creative and fun designs that feel offbeat and look unique!

Dates of Significance

This tattoo is for a Halloween baby! Was your baby born on a special date? Even if that’s not the case, you can think of the season of their birth to inspire your child tattoo ideas.

Unconventional Portraits

Traditional portraits are fine but we think a design that comes from a wholly creative place will serve you better. Get weird with it and see how impressed your friends and family are by your one-of-a-kind ink!

Embrace Symbolism

The person who shared this image explained that each triangle represents one of their children. Two boys and a girl. Think of ways you can turn your situation into a symbol for a unique, abstract, and sophisticated tattoo.

The Keys to Your Heart

We saw this child tattoo idea done a couple of different ways and you can adapt it to serve your needs. Each child is represented by a key that go to a heart-shaped lock. After all, they are the keys to your heart.

Imagine the Places They’ll Go

Hopeful and inspirational designs will always be in style. For this person’s tattoo, they chose to get their children blasting off in a rocket headed for space.

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Really, The Sky’s the Limit

Here’s another space-inspired design that imagines this baby boy with the strings to the planets. Dream big for your little one in these designs and you will feel inspired and driven every time you see it!

There you go! What did you think of these child tattoo ideas? They really are some of the most heartfelt and meaningful tattoo designs ever. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to pay tribute to your little ones with your child tattoo ideas. So, be as imaginative as possible for the most meaningful designs that will resonate most deeply.