My children (two boys, one girl) will all be baptized soon. They are 8, 6 and 5. Can anyone tell me what I am supposed to dress them in for this occasion? I’ve seen infants in white gowns but I have no idea what is to be done for older children.
The lady at my parish running the baptism class didn’t seem to know what they should wear.
Thanks…
Three of my children were baptized just a couple years younger than your children & they wore nice church clothes. My son wore a shirt & tie and both girls wore Easter type dresses. This was in the Lutheran Church though, so maybe it’s a bit different?
Anything is fine, as long as it’s clean and neat - no one expects you to go shopping or get anything expensive.
Pick something nice from their closet that they already have - if they have something that’s white or light-coloured, so much the better, since white symbolizes purity. One of my godsons was baptized in a white t-shirt - nobody said anything.
What Carol suggested is fine. If they received new Easter clothes, those would be nice, but not necessary.
If they are being baptized by immersion, at our parish it would be recommended that at this age they wear a modest swimsuit, then change into their clothes (babies are baptized by immersion in their little baby nakendess). If they are being baptized via pouring water on their heads, the Easter clothes or any clean clothes in good repair are fine.
My dd was baptised at age 4 and she wore a white dress I got from a thrift store.
In our parish they said a “white garment” is required, but it can just be something placed over regular clothes. My baptism instructor said that the godmother usually provides the garment and the candle, but she didn’t and had never heard of such a tradition. But we figured it was a cultural thing b/c 98% of my parish is a different cultural tradition than my family. Luckily we had the white dress though and I had picked up a candle at the bookstore just in case.
I would suggest that you find out what is customary for adults at your parish to wear when baptized at the Easter Vigil. That may give you a clue as to the type of clothing your children might wear.
If baptism is by immersion your parish may supply a gown/alb to wear over a bathing suit prior to and during the actual baptism. But if the woman heading the baptism team doesn’t already know this I suspect baptism will NOT be by immersion.
I was there at the Easter Vigil. The adults were not fully immersed (but the woman claimed they were - guess she wasn’t there! 
)… The adults wore a gown…
I think it will be safe to just dress them up nicely, with my daughter in a dress and the boys in slacks…
Thanks for all the help, everyone!
My kids were baptized at the Easter vigil a few years ago. I was told to have them wear white, but not necessarily all white. I found a simple white dress for my daughter, my older son wore a white button down shirt and nice trousers, and my youngest son who was only7 months old wore a white one piece bubble.
The 8 year old would normally be Baptized at the Easter Vigil after completing a children’s RCIA process. All should wear nice clothes but** NOT **white to the Baptism. The White is put on AFTER they are Baptized.