How to Choose Nontraditional Baby Christening Clothes

For your baby’s baptism, christening, baby-welcoming, blessing, or naming ceremony, it’s not hard to find nontraditional and elegant options for gowns and outfits. You might choose nontraditional ceremonial clothing because you want something your baby will wear more than once because you’re baptizing your child at an older age than most people do, because you want to ensure your baby’s comfort in his clothes, or simply because you want something more colorful than . . . white.

BAPTISM OUTFITS AND DRESSES YOU CAN REUSE

If you’d prefer to get more than one wearing out of your infant’s christening outfit, you’re not alone. To find baby blessing clothing you can reuse, search for dresses that are day length rather than gown length, and plan to accent your baby’s dress or outfit with accessories such as colored ribbons or colored monogramming. For boys’ baptism outfits, look for something with a little color. Or try a braided cotton christening sweater or outfit. Options like these have a more casual feel than outfits made of satin or silk.

BAPTISM CLOTHING FOR TODDLERS

Families typically baptize their baby in his or her first year of life. But not everyone wants to walk the hard-packed paths of tradition. If you decide to wait more than a year, keep in mind that you might find it more difficult to find white baptism clothing in toddler sizes. For older children, you can usually find the special-occasion outfit or dress you want in sizes up to twenty-four months. For even bigger sizes, you may want to try ring-bearer or flower-girl clothes instead. You’ll also want to keep in mind that if you love long, elegant christening gowns, they’ll seem more than a little impractical if your baby is at the crawling or walking stage. Once your little one is mobile, you’ll want a christening romper or blessing dress that won’t impede those little legs.

COLORS FOR BAPTISM CLOTHING

Families sometimes choose to deviate from christening traditions through color. The traditional clothing color choice is white because it represents your baby’s innocence and purity. But if the symbol just doesn’t do it for you, maybe you’ll choose to baptize your baby in a nonwhite color. For baby special-occasion clothing in nontraditional colors, try searching for “after-christening” outfits or dresses. These are often in pastel colors, and their focus is beauty and comfort. OneSmallChild.com also provides personalized monogramming so you can accent your baby’s nontraditional christening outfit or gown with symbols or letters that really mean something to you. You can also bring color to your baby’s baptism day with accents like ribbons, colored lace, appliqués, monogramming, and accessories. You’ll be surprised at how striking a baptism gown becomes when you add just a touch of color.

BAPTISM CLOTHES MADE FOR COMFORT

If the baptism day’s priority is comfort and simple enjoyment of the occasion, consider four elements of the baby’s outfit: function, fabric, fit, and temperature. If your baby’s ceremony requires complete or partial removal of the baby’s clothes, choose a christening outfit that is easy to get on and off. For baptism clothing that is easy to clean (you know that accidents happen!), choose partially or fully synthetic fabrics. But if the baby’s skin is particularly sensitive, you’ll want your christening gown to be 100% natural, and you’ll want to wash it before the baby wears it. You should also use a bodysuit, camisole, and/or slip under christening the gown. These make the dress or outfit more comfortable to wear. To ensure baby’s comfort, make sure baby’s christening clothing fits right. A gown that’s too tight means a baby who’s fussy. But if the outfit is too loose, it’s just not going to be as cute as it could be. Be sure to check the OneSmallChild.com sizing chart to make sure you’re getting exactly the right size. If you’re still unsure, you could even order two sizes in the same style and then simply return the size that doesn’t work for you. Also key to comfort is temperature. If the christening day is going to be hot, go with a very breathable fabric, like cotton. If the baptism day will be on the chilly side, you’re fine with an easy-care fabric like shantung (which doesn’t wrinkle, glows subtly in the light, and is machine washable). Or try a long-sleeved knit-cotton or silk dedication outfit instead. If you want a short-sleeved baptism outfit, be sure to get a coordinating baptism sweater or jacket, or wrap up your little one in a soft blanket. OneSmallChild.com offers blankets that match your christening clothing, and you can get the blanket monogrammed as a memento.

MEMORIES OF BABY’S BAPTISM DAY

Regardless of what christening clothing you select, may you find an heirloom that, like your child, you can cherish and remember for the rest of your life.