Nephew's Baptism

Hallmark stores have a section of baptism gifts. Just get him something small. I got my nephew a porcelin cross that says baptism and you hang it on the wall. It was pretty cute and simple.

When our nephew was baptized we gave him a picture frame taht had a spiritual verse and some teddy bears on it. We were not Godparents for him so i didn't get too heavy into a gift (like a Bible or stuff like that)

For my daughter's babtism my cousin gave me a wonderful book called "God Gave Us You" by Lisa Tawn Bergen. I've given it to people also. Our local Kmart carries it in the children's book section.

A.,

I don't think it is expected, but it would be a nice gesture. Maybe a picture frame for his baptism certificate or a picture in his baptism outfit or one of those Precious Moments figurines. You could probably even buy him a little Bible with a carrying case to take to Church when he is a little older or a decorative one to keep in the nursery.

Good luck,
S.

Congratulations on your nephew's baptism! I bought a savings bond for my godchildren's baptisms. You can get them at any bank for 1/2 of the face value. Ex: a $50 Savings Bond costs $25, and can be cashed in when he is older. (I believe they mature in 10 years) I have also bought baby rosaries as baptism gifts (I'm Catholic).

THANKS I need this advice too!!!

When my daughter was baptized, most of the guests did bring gifts. Most weren't big gifts, but I think everyone brought something. Though the knick knack type things are cute and I'm sure were picked out with care, there is only so much room to display them. And many are breakable, so need to go high up in baby's room. Many other people mentioned the idea, and I'd suggest going with a book. It's something useful and it's something that you won't be going overboard with, but won't be showing up empty handed either.

My side of the family has a baptismal gown that's been used for several generations now. The cap that goes with it hasn't held up as well as the gown, so we used the hankerchief cap that daddy wore for his baptism, so we combined our traditions. (It was supposed to have the ribbon clipped and given to me to use on our wedding day, but his mother didn't find it in time. But it worked out anyway. Now our daughter can use it on her wedding day.) You could check with the parents to see if they already have something traditional like this that they'd like to use. Otherwise, you could offer some of these items to start a tradition.

In our family we usually gave money when the nieces and nephews were baptized. When my girls were baptized, they received an interesting gift from my sister-in-law. It was a silver coin I believe she got at our local bank. It's engraved for a Baptism. I believe they make coins with other milestones too, such as 1st communion/confirmation, graduation, wedding, anniversary, etc.

Can you call another family member to see what they are doing? That's what I would do.

Unless you are the godparent, gifts are unnecessary. You are being invited to witness and enjoy the family.

When my daughter got baptized she got a lot of little knick knacks. They were cute but we never got around to displaying them. I just sold them at a garage sale. It was a waste of money for our relatives to buy them. The best gift she got was a savings bond. If you want to get something small go with a book that the child can grow into. You can find a good selection of kids books at any religious store. Good luck!

My mom used to have a dressmaking shop where she would make fine clothes for children including first communion and baptism gowns. A popular item was a bonnet that the baby would wear for the baptism. The bonnet was made with a handkerchief. With a few snips of some threads, the bonnet turns back into a handkerchief that the baby can use for their wedding day. Mine was monagrammed with my baptism date and then again with my wedding date. I have also heard of a cake knife (like the ones for weddings) that the baby uses every year for their birthday and finally on their wedding. You could start with the baptism cake, then with the birthday cakes and then the wedding cake. I know these aren't traditional gifts, but I just thought I might throw them out... Sometimes the nontraditional gifts are the ones we remember the most! Good luck!

No -- when my son was baptized he got more gifts (from well meaning people) but he didn't need any of it. Offer to bring a dish to the luncheon if there is one. Thats a better gift than another truck. If you really want to bring a gift how about a book, may be one related to the event.

I just had a baptism in my family and had the same problem,so I went to Something Remembered and purchased a piggy bank and there name and date on it. The bank was Noahs Ark and had the name Baptised on the date and I also put some pennyies in it. The gift went over very well.
I should add I am a new member to the family and not really liked yet so it was a bonus.

Hi A.!

I don't think we are ever obligated to buy a gift, but if you feel you want to, I always like to get a nice book or baby Bible from the Christian book store. A nice card would also be fine. I didn't expect gifts when my kids were dedicated, but some people (mainly grandparents) did get them something.

Hope that helps!

J. Wiebe
www.interviewforfreedom.com

I like all the responses thus far. Even if it the baptism isn't a Catholic one, a crucifix or board-Bible or picture frame with a Bible verse work great as baptismal gifts.

The Bible song CD is a great one, too. All wonderful ideas.

I think if you're going to get something it should be relevant to the celebration in that it should be something religious in nature. But that could be just me and experience. I'm about to attend the third baptism of a family member this year and all the gifts have thus far been as expected: religious in some way.

I'd be wary of the heirloom clothing idea, if it doesn't already exist his parents may want to choose something of that nature for your nephew.

BTW, the heirloom baptismal gown is such an awesome thing. Every member of my mother's family for three generations (and the fourth coming up this weekend) have been baptized in the same gown. It's a great feeling of continuity and closeness to put your child in a gown that's been worn by most of your family, so if your family doesn't have one and parents aren't considering it, it might be a cool thing to do. Talk to the parents, first, though and make sure they aren't doing it themselves.

We got some cute personalized things from Things Remembered- like a bank, cup, phot album, etc... Or you could do a savings bond.

I gave my nephew a silver cup and had his name engraved on it. I got it at Things Remembered. You could put the date or his birthday on it too.

I think gifts are usually appropriate.

I think gifts are all dependant upon your family's traditions. Our family (on both my side and my husband's side) always gives a gift for a niece or nephew. I wouldn't think twice about giving a gift - we just do it. We actually just had my daughter's baptism this weekend and alot of family just gave her money as this was our 3rd child and sometimes they don't need anything, so I put that all into her savings account. Otherwise, she did get this cute little my first Bible that the outside was pink. That was neat. She got a piggy bank that was in the shape of a shoe that was Precious Moments and said Jesus Loves Me on it. For my own nieces on their baptism, I made these picture frames for them - you get them at Hobby Lobby, but you can put their name in it with stickers and then there's a box for them to put a picture in there.
Good Luck! Let us know what you decide!

My sons received engraved silverwear. I really liked the "toddler" size as they were able to use them much longer. Now they are packed away in there hope boxes.
They also received My First Bible and some wonderful prayer books. One even had a handle on it for them to carry with them.
My boys are now 3 & 4 and we started reading daily devotions for children at bedtime. The books we have were handed down from my aunt to me and I love them!