Have you ever wondered what's so special about your baby's birth month? Have you tried to develop traditions based on what is unique about the month in which your baby – or your partner, or yourself – was born? There are ways to personalize the gifts you give or receive so that they have meaning or symbolize the birth month: flowers and birthstones.

Flowers and birthstones have long represented special significance when memorializing a baby's birth. "I wanted something tangible to represent my baby's birth, and having a ring made with my baby's birthstone meant that whenever I saw it, I would think of her," says Sharyl, mother of Abigail. Sharyl and her husband, Rod, had a ring custom-made using a pearl, which is the birthstone for the month of June, when Abigail was born. "It's now going to be a family heirloom and I'll hand it down to Abigail when she becomes a mother," Sharyl says.

A less expensive way to commemorate baby's birth month is to display a bouquet of his birth month flowers throughout the month of his birth and each birthday after that. "I had no idea that the flower for my baby's birth month was the sweet pea, but when I found out, it seemed so appropriate!" says Janet, mother of Will. "A friend sent me a bouquet of them after he was born, and now I buy a bouquet of them at the start of his birth month – April – and keep them in his baby book after they've dried out."

The following are the flowers and birthstones for every month of the year. Best of luck to you as you start your own customized family traditions!

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