Do babies have fingerprints?

Quite often customers will ask me, ‘Do babies have fingerprints? ‘ and ‘what age can fingerprint jewellery be made from?‘ Most people are quite surprised to hear that for some babies it can be done from birth.

‘Babies don’t have fingerprints!’ is something I hear quite a lot, and it’s not actually true. In fact fingerprints are developed in the womb, before the baby is even born.
What is true is that baby fingerprints can be extremely fine and shallow. Because of this, capturing these delicate prints can be a challenge.

At Lasting Touch I use a premium moulding compound in order to capture the best possible detail in these very fine fingerprints. I have also developed my own methods to transfer the detail into your silver fingerprint charm to try and get you the best possible results.

Certainly, the detail seen in the finished fingerprint jewellery will depend on the depth of the whorls in the baby’s actual fingerprint. Some babies have far stronger fingerprints than others, as a general rule:
Some babies have a suitable fingerprint from birth.
Most babies have a suitable print by the age of 6 months.
Almost all babies have a suitable fingerprint by 12-18 months old.

How can I tell if my baby has good enough fingerprints for jewellery?

Sometimes you can see just by looking at the finger whether or not there are strong lines in the print. If you are unsure, pressing the finger lightly into some playdoh can also help you to see what sort of results you might see in a fingerprint charm. If the finger does not produce a clear print, why not try a thumb print or even a toe print! The big toe often has the strongest whorls!!

Remember, even if your baby does not have strong lines in their fingerprint, the little dimple you will see in your jewellery represents their tiny finger or thumb (or toe!) exactly as it is, lines or no lines.
If you are keen to have a silver keepsake made but are worried that your baby does not have strong enough prints, why not consider an item of handprint jewellery (or footprint jewellery) instead?

A few examples of prints I have made with small babies and children’s fingerprints.

Order yours at
https://www.lastingtouch.co.uk/products/Fingerprint-Jewellery