Baptism Etiquette

One of my favorite not-very-religious gifts my daughter received for her baptism was the book Fox Walked Alone (http://www.scholastic.ca/titles/foxwalkedalone/) which tells the story of Noah's Ark from the animal's viewpoint. The artwork is beautiful!

Dress is usually neat, dressy-casual for adults and children. Gifts are often some kind of keepsake, an engraved silver cup, silver fork and spoon, you could also give money. Try googling "baptism gift" and I'm sure you'll come across many ideas!

you could do a savings bond as well!!!!!! dress like as ifyou were going to a bridal shower.nice pants and shirt and or skirt

hi N.
Baptisms like in any other "Church" related ceremonies one should be dressed very nice. Boys: pants/button down shirts & shoes, girls: dresses, tights & shoes. parents should also be dressed up. remember the term "sunday dress or church dressed up"? Your friends will appreciate the gesture of properly presenting yourself & your family.
gifts? try a child/parent bibble. or any Christian/religious book.
good luck!

Hi NGM,

Dress as if you were going to a bridal shower or morning wedding. Usually there is a party after the baptism at the home or at a hall.
For a gift, if you are Jewish it is similar to the bris. You give something religious (you could go to a religious store or order from an online one) or you could give money.

Generally a family member such as a grandparent or godmother has given my children a gold necklace with the cross or other pieces of jewerly. My daughter recieved earrings and bracelets as well. My son's recieved tie pins with the cross as a design.
My friends chose to give money in a card, a small child's bible... etc.

Good luck and have fun!

dress for the ceremony the way you'd dress for a morning wedding.

Baptism gifts can be religious in nature, like a small cross, Bible, catechism or figurine, but not generally from a non-religious person. I usually give 25-30 dollars at a baptism, which the parents usually put away for the child in a college fund or similar.

Baptism is a big deal.. a nice suit or a nice dress will do.. you are going to church so it wouldn't be appropriate for jeans and sneakers.. Gifts can be anything.. you can always get them a savings bond.. that's a standard in our family. or ask the parents about a baby cup or a cross..

This is a formal occasion - you and the kids should be dressed nicely - like a skirt, dress or nice pants. The kids should be dressed nicely too. Gifts usually are a keepsake - Things Remembered (they have one at South Shore Plaza) can help you with that. They can engrave the name, date, etc. while you wait.
Good luck!

Dressy casual as mentioned, nice clothes for kids, no jeans etc.
Savings bond is the easiest, and not religious like a cross for the child's room that is really more of a personal choice. Silver cups, engraved, nice picture frame or something. I'd go with a savings bond and a matchbox car (toddler is old enough to not appreciate Baptism gifts :)

I'm not Christian either so I don't feel as comfortable choosing a religious gift - I'm never sure if it's appropriate, and I have found it depends on how religious the family is, whether they are Catholic or Protestant, and so on. I give a savings bond which they can put away - it's really great to go to the safety deposit box when the child is ready for college and to find all those bonds that have matured to their full value and beyond (with interest). You purchase them for half the face value - so you could pay $25 for a $50 bond if you want. Not every bank has them but at least one bank in your town should -- by the way, they will ask for the child's social security number, which you won't have, so you can use yours. It takes about 3 weeks to get the bond, but they will give you a little gift acknowledgment form when you purchase the bond, which you can put in the card.

Dress as you would for church, nice dress, stockings ( called panty hose these days LOL)
If you live in very warm area, wear nice sundress and sandals.
I think the only thing I would NOT wear is shorts or trousers.
Anything else, from casual ( skirt and blouse) to dressier ( nice dress or suit ) is appropriate.
For gift, a 50 dollar saving certificate ( costs twenty five dollars ) is a very nice and always welcome present.
Other than that it depends on your budget. You could purchase traditional baptismal presents....cup, spoon, ect and find those in most jewelry departments even at WalMart....or a nice outfit. When the child is an infant a pretty blanket is nice too.
The present of your presence is usually the most welcomed gift at any occasion, yes?
Best wishes and God bless
Grandmother Lowell

I would wear anything that you would wear out for a luncheon or dinner or to the office. In other words, not jeans and a tshirt, but nothing formal either. A sundress; capris/skirt/slacks and a nice top.
As for a gift, a savings bond in any amount (they cost half the of face value and take 7 yrs to mature when last I knew). Another nice gift is a "piggy" bank of any size, shape, theme with a a $5 or $10 bill or whatever you choose inside.

Have fun!

We always got savings bonds for any religious thing that came up so I would say go w/ one of them. Dress nice but they aren't as dressy as they used to be so casual nice.

N. M-
Hi sweetie we are Catholic and attend many Baptisms in our area. Proper dress is sorta dressy as if you were going to a wedding. a good gift is anything with crosses on it like a chain or alot of gift stores carry figurines with crosses, and there is the only stand money with a religous card. Hope this helps.

Dress is nice, more casual than it used to be, but definately nice. Gifts are kindof tough but since you're not christian, you can probably get a nice outfit or toy for the child!
Hope that helps,
E. K.

hi i am a christian also and just attended my friends baby baptism,i would dress as if im going out for a nice meal or a bridal shower,my daughter worn a nice dress.my husband wore jeans and a shirt,people dont dress up for church as much anymore.i gave a gift of clothes and my friend was delighted with that,money is also given but its hard to know how much to give.you wont have to do anything at the church unless you are a godparent.enjoy.