People often get tattoos to mark significant events or changes in their lives. Often, tattoos honour a person, an event or a place of significance.
Tattoos look awesome and are a great way to express creativity. Many people use their tattoos to show the world who they are and what they stand for.
For you, becoming a mother is so life-changing that it might feel right to honour it with a new tattoo. Your kids are your world, and you might want to show them how much you love them by getting a tattoo symbolizing your bond.
Tattoos for mom is a lovely way for parents to celebrate memories and honor their kids.
There are so many excellent mom tattoo ideas out there, so be sure to take your time and choose the perfect one for you.
Top tips for getting a new mom tattoo
These tips might help you make a decision:
- Get personal recommendations for a tattoo artist from friends and family members you can trust
- Check the tattoo artists’ portfolios to make sure you love the style. You’re about to add their art to your body permanently, so make sure it’s what you want
- Tell the tattoo artist if you’re breastfeeding; some might advise waiting until you’ve finished breastfeeding before getting a tattoo. There are no official guidelines, so it’s up to you and your tattoo artist to decide what to do.
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development states that there is a lack of data on the safety of tattooing during breastfeeding.
For more information, read BellyBelly’s article Can You Get A Tattoo While Breastfeeding? - Go to the tattoo parlor with a finished design; don’t simply wander in without a clear idea of what you want. A tattoo is for life, so spend time making this decision. There are so many mom tattoo ideas, so take your time choosing
- Once you’ve chosen the design, you need to decide where it will go. Do you want the tattoo somewhere visible or hidden away on a part of your body that’s usually covered?
What tattoo symbolizes motherhood?
If you want a mom tattoo, you might want to choose a design featuring symbolism connected to motherhood.
There are lots of different images that come to mind when you think about the mother and child dyad. Some of them are:
- A love heart
- A larger hand holding a small one
- A simple line drawing of a mother holding a baby
- A pregnant belly
- A motherhood knot (a Celtic symbol)
- A mama bear.
It’s also crucial to think about what symbolizes motherhood for you. There might be particular images or symbols that conjure up the emotions of being a mother.
They could include things such as: a particular food you craved during pregnancy while waiting to meet your baby; the moon you would stare at while rocking your baby to sleep each night; or the autumn leaves your toddler would insist on taking home after woodland walks.
Unique and meaningful tattoos for mom
Becoming a mother changes you forever. The huge transformation women undergo to become mothers is not often discussed.
Just as it can be difficult to find the words to describe what it’s like to be a mother, it can also be tough to find a suitable image that’s capable of conveying such huge emotions.
Here’s some mom tattoo inspiration for you to consider when choosing your new tattoo:
1. A mother and baby image
A simple drawing made from one unbroken line is a great way to celebrate the bond you have with your child. You could opt for a silhouette or symbolic image of the mother and child relationship.
You could ask for it to represent you and your baby even more closely – to look like you both, like a snapshot frozen in time to celebrate this early stage of motherhood.
2. A heartbeat tattoo
What could be a better mom tattoo than your baby’s heartbeat? It’s unique. Heartbeat tattoos on the inside of the wrist are perfect, as small but meaningful tattoos for moms.
You can ask the hospital for a copy of your baby’s heart beat, or record it yourself on your smart watch.
To see how other parents use this Apple Watch feature, look at our article Apple Just Upped The Birth Announcement Game.
3. A floral tribute
Flowers are beautiful and natural, so they’re the perfect symbolism for motherhood.
Floral body art can make a great mom tattoo. Look at the flowers blooming during your baby’s birth month and choose your favourite, for a simple tattoo.
Although flowers are popular tattoo ideas, you can personalize yours to make sure it’s just right for you and your baby. For example, you can add your baby’s name or birth date along the flower stem if you want.
4. An animal family
Animal family tattoos are a great way to represent your family. You can pick whatever animal you like. If you use animal nicknames in your house, you could draw inspiration from this to create an adorable tattoo.
Ask your tattoo designer to draw a mama animal and a baby animal and leave space for any future kids. Then, each new baby can be welcomed with a new animal baby, allowing the tattoo to grow with your family.
5. Your child’s artwork or handwriting
If your children are older, you might want to get them involved in the tattoo design process. For a sweet tattoo, you could have your children write ‘mommy’ or ‘mama’ – or whatever they usually call you – and have a tattoo artist trace it onto your skin.
Some people have their kids design artwork especially for a tattoo, whereas others pick a drawing they already love. This is a great way to express love for your kids and their creative skills.
Your children will grow up knowing you loved their artwork so much that you had it inked on your body; that’s pretty special.
6. Heart tattoos for mom
Heart tattoos are a simple, stylish and meaningful way to celebrate motherhood. Another benefit is that they are ideal small tattoos for moms who prefer ‘less is more’. You can personalize the heart with your child’s name or birth date, or you can simply have a sweet heart as a symbol of motherhood.
7. A breastfeeding tattoo
Breastfeeding can be hard work and it deserves to be celebrated. You struggled through the chapped nipples and the shallow latch and you nourished your baby from your body. If that doesn’t deserve a tattoo, I don’t know what does!
A breastfeeding tattoo is a perfect mother tattoo and a beautiful way to pay tribute to your breastfeeding achievements.
8. A nod to your baby’s birthplace or date
If you want a subtle but cool mom tattoo, you might like an illustration of the moon on the night your child was born. You were a wonder woman during your baby’s birth; that deserves to be celebrated. You could choose a tattoo showing the moon’s phase on the night you became a mother and welcomed your child.
9. Child’s name tattoo
You spent a long time choosing your child’s name. Why not get the most out of it by tattooing it on your body to be admired forever? A name tattoo is a classic, simple and stylish way to honor somebody you love.
10. Song lyrics
Song lyrics make the ultimate cool mom tattoo. You can choose lyrics from the song you always sang to your baby at 2 am to lull him back to sleep. It might have been a lullaby, or perhaps it was your favorite rock song.
Chances are, even now, hearing that song transports you right back to those early days of motherhood and moments when it seemed you and your baby were the only people in the world still awake.
Tattoo ideas for moms of daughters
A tattoo is a gorgeous way to memorialize the bond between mother and daughter. With a tattoo for your daughter, you might add an extra touch of femininity, such as floral designs or love hearts. The best way to pick a tattoo is to choose something entirely unique to you and your daughter.
Tattoo ideas for moms of sons
The key when choosing a tattoo is to consider who it’s for. It will be on your body, so your taste is the most important factor, but you might want to honor your son’s taste by choosing a tattoo he likes as well. If you have an arty child, you could even ask him to help design the tattoo.
You might want to pay homage to a hobby or interest your son enjoys. For example, if he loves painting, you could add a little paintbrush to your design.
Matching family tattoos
A gorgeous way of cementing your new life as a family is to commemorate the occasion with matching new parent tattoos. These could be something simple like your baby’s birthdate or something else that symbolizes your new life as parents.
For example, some parents use the exact time their baby was born as this was the moment their lives changed forever. If you and your child’s other parent don’t have the same taste, you can choose tattoos that complement each other but don’t match exactly.
If your kids are ready to get inks of their own, it might be time for mom and child matching tattoos. You can choose to have identical tattoos if you both like them, or you can choose to have different tattoos that complement each other.
You might want to pay homage to your shared taste in TV or music or choose something equally significant to your relationship, such as a sweet shared memory.
