The love between a parent and child may get complicated over time, but typically it is a forever thing. So getting some ink to honor one's kid — or kids — is a beautiful way to celebrate that special bond. After all, once a person becomes a parent, it is a role they'll have for life. Plus, it is essentially risk-free unless one ends up with an evil little bugger, in which case the tattoo will serve as a reminder of a time LO was a sweet child o' mine. But honestly, getting a tattoo in honor of our children is something that we think is pretty safe to say one won't regret. So why not get a piece that will last as long as that special love does?
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Even if it's a parent's first tattoo, there are plenty of ways to get inspired. Whether one likes a lot of color, or black and white, or if one has a lot of kids, or just one — there are so many options. The hard part will be picking just one.
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These moms and dads went under the needle to get something to honor their child. Some are sweet and simple, some intricate, all symbolic.
Here are 40 meaningful parent tattoos that will probably make others consider getting their own.
A Blooming Bond
Becoming a mother is the ultimate growing and blossoming experience. The vibrant colors in this beautiful motherhood tattoo are stunning and celebrate that growth. The many different flower designs are a really pretty and feminine combination.
Sweet Baby
This sentimental parent tattoo shows a detailed line drawing of a mother and her baby. And the small heart and name just make it that much sweeter. We love the red heart with the black lines of the drawing.
Mother & Daughters
This mother and daughters tattoo is so cutesy and feminine. The sketchbook style and watercolors add a fun touch and remind us that there is no reason to be afraid to color outside the lines, even on a tattoo!
Elephants
Elephants have the longest gestation period of any mammal — an unbelievable 95 months long! So, in some ways, what better animal to represent the journey of motherhood? This parent elephant and baby elephant are a cute way to show a parent-child relationship in ink form. The design has a fun carnival vibe.
Footprint
This baby's footprint is personal and special. We like how they incorporated the name and birthday of the child. This design is easy to add to if brothers or sisters enter the picture. Just select a space with room for more tiny footprints!
Symbolic
At their best, tattoos are both beautiful and personal. A symbolic tattoo is deeply meaningful and can be a real conversation starter. This tattoo artist wrote: "A mother's love surpasses all logic." We couldn't have said it better!
Butterfly
Butterflies are a classic idea for a tattoo but this one avoids being cliche. This butterfly design is simple and beautiful. The curvy lines and hearts give it a whimsical feel and the kids' names are a nice touch.
Traditional Mermaid
For any mom who loves mermaids, this black-and-white tattoo can serve as pretty awesome inspiration. It has so much detail and it looks gorgeous.
Mother Knot
This knot symbolizing the love between a mother and child is a great way to show the strong bond. The pink and blue colors are a nice complement as well. This could also look great in black and white for those who prefer a monochrome graphic look.
Birds of a Feather
Attention mama birds! This is a great way to show the love for all the little birds in mama's nest. This little bird family is a sweet sentiment. The branches and red hearts add a sense of movement and more birds and branches can always be added later.
'The Giving Tree'
This sweet tattoo by Nina Himes is a stylized version of a picture of a daughter sitting on the stump from the book The Giving Tree. The tattoo uses black lines and that red dress and bow, and we find it so darling.
Great Script
Our kids are our heart, and what a beautiful way to honor that bond than with a name tattoo in a great script with a heartbeat line. There is a saying that having kids means a mom's heart walks around outside her body, so we love this as a nod to that idea.
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Flower Children
In some ways, children are the flowers on a growing family tree. Simply beautiful, this tattoo by Carrie Metz Caporusso features great script and a sweet flower.
Rocket Boys
Here's one perfect formula for getting a tattoo to honor a child. Pick something the kid loves. Tattoo his or her name with it. It's that simple and that wonderful — just like this mom did when she got her sons' names tattoos with a rocket. Really rad work by tattoo artist Andy Beswick.
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Name in Blocks
Take a look at some of the child's favorite things to play with and that may bring some tattoo inspiration. Tim is a father to two boys. He got these blocks for his son, Aidan.
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Beloved Trains
Choo choo! Dad Tim also got a train with his son Samuel's name spelled out in the cars. This is a great way to remember that train phase that it seems like so many kids go through.
Three Hearts
Not everyone wants to have a large or elaborate tattoo. This design is sweet and simple but still totally filled with meaning. Ginger has three hearts for the three babies who own hers.
For the Sweetheart
Seeing this tattoo gives us all the heartfelt feelings. It perfectly shows the sweetness of a little girl, her love of Cinderella, and the love a mom has for her little one to capture this in a tattoo. The skirt detail captures that feeling of twirling in our favorite dress.
Classic Handprint
How sweet that the kids can see their little handprint on dad Art's arm — it's like they will always be daddy's little girls to him. This is a handprint on the arm that really represents the handprint a child makes on one's heart.
Favorite Things
Artist Kristian H. Alexander of Drop Dead Tattoo in Staffanstorp, Sweden, made this great tattoo featuring a few of Julia's favorite things. That kitten is just adorable and this is a great snapshot of who Julia is as a child.
Hidden Meanings
Sometimes we look beyond the obvious. This mockingbird is the logo for a company called Atticus, and so this dad got that to honor his son, named Atticus. His daughter's middle name is Rose, and a tattoo design was born.
Memories
Another sweet elephant tattoo! We love the typewriter font on this tattoo done by Sweety of Rivington Tattoo, and using something that reminds us of our kids when they were just babies is the perfect imagery.
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Horoscope Inspired
This symbol is a twist on Andrea's son Tyler's horoscope sign — Capricorn — which he shares with his mom. Tyler's middle name, Frederick, is also the name of Andrea's dad, who passed away when she was 13. Very meaningful.
Peas in a Pod
A mom and her baby are close as … well, peas in a pod! If a person can think of it, it can be a tattoo. We love the vibrant green of these peas in a pod.
First Born
When one thinks of tribal tattoos, don't just picture the traditional armband! Christina got this for her son Mikael, and the design is tribal for "first born."
Butterflies
Nature is always a good choice in a tattoo, especially when it comes to a tattoo to honor our little ones. Joye chose sweet butterflies to honor each of her kids.
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Family Banner
A name in a banner is a classic way to honor someone — this one is in really great script and wraps around with the names of his children. This is a large tattoo, which makes it a bold and distinctive choice.
Pops of Color
For her son who is a Taurus, Christina got this tattoo with his name as well. The font choice for this tattoo makes it really pop!
Initial
Getting a child's initial is another way to honor motherhood or fatherhood. Consider putting that initial in something representative … like a heart. This is simple but meaningful and can be placed almost anywhere on the body.
Old-Timey Look
Absolutely adorable and so unusual, these tattoos by Uncle Josh of Lost Dutchmann Tattoo perfectly capture the sweetness of being a kid and the love of motherhood.
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Named Arrows
Motherhood can change really change a woman's direction in life, so why not get a tattoo that shows a sense of direction? We love this idea. Arrows are always a cool design to get tattooed, and adding the kids' names to them makes it even more amazing.
Floral
Flowers, especially roses, are a classic tattoo design. We love the black and gray in this timeless rose tattoo featuring a child's name. This is another option that works well for almost any body part and at almost any size.
Favorite Things
Ahh! This one is so cute! Getting the kids' favorite characters tattooed along with their names is another way to make sure the tattoo truly represents the family members.
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Kids as Artists
We love a tattoo that is drawn by hand, especially when the drawing is from a child. This is a sweet tattoo featuring two mini drawings done by this woman's child. This is one to truly cherish forever.
Kid's Signature
Learning how to write one's name is a major childhood milestone, and this is a perfect way to honor that. We love the idea of having the kiddo "sign" her name and then getting that as a tattoo. We love this added element of the different colored letters as well.
Honoring the Bond
This gorgeous tattoo truly honors the bond of mother and child. And the word "forever" is so simple and powerful, just like a mother's love.
Stick Figure Family
Forget getting a stick figure family sticker for the family car — go permanent and get one tattooed! This is clever and adds a dash of humor.
Matching Family Ink
Parenting is a team effort, so why not get a team tattoo? This loving mom and dad got matching family tattoos to represent their whole family. Too cute!
Unconditional Love
The words are perfect and exactly how a mother feels. The image is bold, striking, and beautiful. Adding the names takes it to a whole other level of love.
Family Tree
This is not just the tree of life, but of this mother's life. It beautifully captures her silhouette as well as that of her child's within the trees. This one is so striking in black and white.
