Anyone looking for christening gifts will quickly find themselves browsing two shelves: silver spoons and savings accounts for boys, necklaces, angels, and music boxes for girls. Both are well-intentioned – and both are often kept by the parents and never used, because they are useless to a baby and no longer interesting to a schoolchild.
But a christened child has different needs than a gift shelf: They grow, lose socks, are read to, and eventually move into a bigger room. The question “Boy or girl?” hardly matters. What counts is another: Will the gift be picked up in the first year – or put away?
“A good christening gift doesn’t ask whether it’s for a boy or a girl, but whether it can be used.”
Are there typical christening gifts for boys or girls?
There are typical classics, but hardly any gifts that work only for one gender. Clothes in the next size up, socks, a book, a print for the room, and a personal card suit any christened child. Differences arise at most in color and motif – and that is precisely where it pays to stay neutral, because the child’s taste is not yet established.
Who gives what, how much is customary, and is money okay? These questions are answered in What do you give for a christening?. Those giving as godparents can find their own ideas under Christening gift for a godchild. The five ideas here work for all guests.
1. Clothes: What size should you give for a christening?
It is best to choose size 86 or larger. At birth, parents receive an abundance of size 56 and 62, and half of them are passed on unworn. Clothes in the next size up, on the other hand, arrive in six months, when the wardrobe is empty and the wave of gifts has long since passed.
When it comes to material, organic cotton is not a matter of taste for baby clothes: It lies directly on sensitive skin and is washed frequently and at high temperatures. GOTS-certified goods withstand both better than blended fabrics.
2. Socks that can be lost
Children’s socks disappear faster than any other piece of clothing. A pair of good quality is therefore used without exception – and works particularly well as an addition to a larger gift.
3. A book that is appreciated twice
Books are the only christening gift that reaches its target audience twice: In the early years, the parents read from them or draw inspiration themselves; later, the child turns the pages themselves. The key is that it is not purely a baby book – otherwise its lifespan ends after two years. An example of a book that grows with the family is presented in the post Christening gifts with character and substance.
4. A print that grows with them
A poster above the bed remains in view for years. By choosing calm typography or a single word instead of a baby motif, you give something that works just as well at six as at sixteen – and survives the move into a bigger room. This is precisely where it shows how little gender matters: A name of God or a word like the one on the Fruit of the Spirit Poster “Love” fits into any child’s room.
Calm typography instead of a nursery motif: a print that can still hang up there at twelve.
TO THE POSTER ↗5. The card that is kept
Whatever the main gift may be: A card with a few personal sentences ends up in the keepsake box. It costs almost nothing and is the part the child will actually hold in their hand in twenty years. The post Bible verses for christenings collects suitable verses for cards and godparent letters.
Printed on natural paper, with plenty of room for personal words – for boys and girls alike.
TO THE CHRISTENING CARD ↗• It is a size that is yet to come – not the one that fits right now.
• It is allowed to break: Anything that is too precious to use will not be used. Silver cutlery and porcelain end up in the basement.
• It does not create work for the parents: no gift that needs to be cared for, assembled, or stored away – and not the fifth stuffed animal, because space is the scarcest resource for families with toddlers.
Conclusion
Whether a boy or a girl: A good christening gift is rarely the most representative, but rather the one that is used. Clothes in the next size up, socks, a book with depth, a print for the room, and a few lines that last – two or three of these together are worth more than a single expensive item from the right shelf.
Three of the five ideas from this post in one gift: something to wear, something to read aloud, and space for your words.
TO THE CHRISTENING BUNDLE ↗
