Traditions Related to Infant Baptism (Protestant)

I believe everyone is different. When my daughters were baptized we sent out invitations to both family and close friends. Our daughters wore long white gowns. They were baptized very young (one was 3 weeks and the other about 3 months). Their baptism was included a full mass. We also had parties after the ceremony. I purchased a corsage for their godmother and a boutonniere for their godfather. I did not purchase a gift for the godparents. The church itself gave the godparents a very nice certificate for them to keep as well as a baptismal certificate for us to keep. Also, each of the godmothers to my daughters (two diff people) bought their christening gowns and their godfathers (again two diff people) bought their cross necklaces. We did not ask them to do this, they actually ask us if they could do this.

Hope this help! All the best!

We invited just our immediate family, and then had a cookouts for everyone back at our house afterwards (it was warm for both kids).

We didn't do any kind of gifts for anyone. Although the godparents DID buy gifts for our kids - just little tokens.

Invitations, Differs per family, My family expect an invitaion mailed to them (Cheap is fine, does not need to come from a print shop)

A meal is expected in my family for a christening

For my kids my minister used glass stones (simular to what you would use ina fish tank) in the water, and at the end each "witness" (God Parent) siblings of the baby and parents got to take one and keep it to remind them of the promisses they just made. We do not give gifts per say.

Hope this is helpful.

when i had my daughter, everyone was invited by word of mouth. I did not buy the sponsors anything, but then again, they were my immediate family. we did go to breakfast, but my parents bought that like normal, just like every sunday. but i am also a single mother, and was living with my parents at the time. but i'm pretty sure that's how all the baptisms in my family have went.

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When my son was baptized, we took everyone to brunch, invited immediate family by word of mouth and we didn't choose godparents.

Ours was a small, informal gathering for family focusing on the choice of baptism.
I guess it depends how large or formal or extravagant you want it to be.

Good luck!

For my three kids' baptisms, we've never sent invitations or given gifts. My oldest was the first grandchild and we had him baptized at my parents' church. We kept it informal; my son wore a sweater and dress pants (he was 6 months old). Because most of our family still lives in my hometown, we had a large gathering (probably about 25 people, all family), and my mom served lunch at her house afterwards.

By the time my second son came along, we had a church home in DFW. I invited the same group of people, but most didn't make the drive up, so it was only us, my parents, and my husband's parents. We didn't even have godparents this time; the godparents we chose for my oldest son had gotten divorced and moved away, and I was feeling a bit disenchanted with the whole godparent thing, I guess. We went out to eat afterwards, and I think my parents paid. We did buy him a white christening outfit for the occasion.

For our third son, whose baptism was in January, it was even smaller (poor guy!). It fell on a day when ice was predicted, so my parents came, but my inlaws didn't want to risk being out in the weather. We went to Jason's Deli afterwards, though the guest of honor was late because my husband took him home first to change out of his baptism outfit, since it was solid white and we didn't want to stain it.

Hope that helps!

We had sponsors (Lutheran) and did not buy them gifts. We did lunch (sandwich trays from Wal-Mart, beans in crock pot, etc) afterwards in the church fellowship hall. I sent out formal (from Wal-Mart) invites because I'm old-fashioned and most of my dh's family is older - if not I may have been tempted to do Evite/word of mouth. That's about it...