Baptismal Gown - New or Reuse?

  • Thread starter Thread starter sanctareparata
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
40.png
sanctareparata:
Originally, with the birth of our daughter 17 months ago, we decided to buy one unisex gown and use it for all our babies, embroidering their names and baptismal dates along the hemline. Kind of like a family heirloom thing.

But my family and his family have caused us to maybe reconsider, saying that the kids won’t get to keep their own gown to use on their own kids. So now we are wondering if we shouldn’t just buy a new one for the new baby - what are your thoughts?
Click to expand...
simple, when they are old enough to have their own kids, they will take turns using the gown for their baptisms. That is what DD’s inlaws do, so all her kids were baptized in gown used by SIL and all his siblings and also a bunch of his cousins. It is still it good shape after at least 25 baptisms.
 
Re-use it. I used my husbands for my sons. It made my mil so proud. My last baby, however, she made me a new one. I’m not sure why, she just really, really wanted to. It is so gorgeous. But I felt like my baby should have worn his daddy’s. Mine was used to bury my cousin, so it meant a lot to me to have one passed down from my husband. Of course, it means a lot to me that my cousin was burried in mine. It must have meant a lot to my Aunt and Uncle to have been given such a beautiful gown for their sweet babe. History of families is woven into our clothes. One day, your babies will be dressing your grandbabies in that gown and they will be proud they got to share it with one another.
 
Where can we purchase or find a unisex baptismal gown? We’ve looked all over the Internet. Our baptism is scheduled for December 9th and not only is the baby not born yet, but the gender will be a surprise. The special event is less than a month away so the garment is something we need to start looking into having soon. Thanks!
 
I love you idea! I wish I would have done that – but then my older two were baptized later in their lives (at 4 and 2) due to their dad converting later.

I say reuse it. Embroider it. Take it to a dry cleaner and have it vacuum sealed like a wedding gown when you are done having kids. Like PP said – your kids can surely pass it around. You will probably have one who has their OWN ideas – and let them! 🤷 Either way it’s a lovely thought and sentiment.

As far as future “fights” - well you never know, but I think with a fine appreciation of family and love injected now, you won’t have a problem.

It’s a GREAT idea. 👍
 
jmakualoha said:
Where can we purchase or find a unisex baptismal gown? We’ve looked all over the Internet. Our baptism is scheduled for December 9th and not only is the baby not born yet, but the gender will be a surprise. The special event is less than a month away so the garment is something we need to start looking into having soon. Thanks!
Click to expand...
most baptismal gowns are considered unisex (assuming no pink ribbons or overly frilly). Try here (yes, it says girl, but the plainer ones would be fine for boy or girl):
onesmallchild.com/category/Christening%20Gowns/144/girls-christening-gowns.htm

this one is nice:
onesmallchild.com/product/Christening%20Gowns/3515/Sydney.htm

Here’s one:
onesmallchild.com/product/Christening%20Outfits/4175/Shad.htm

This is the boy page, the gowns are toward the bottom:
onesmallchild.com/product/Christening%20Outfits/4175/Shad.htm

Try searching google for “boy baptismal gown” and you’ll get the plainer gowns 🙂

Hope that helps!

Jennifer
 
Jennifer_J said:
most baptismal gowns are considered unisex (assuming no pink ribbons or overly frilly). Try here (yes, it says girl, but the plainer ones would be fine for boy or girl):
onesmallchild.com/category/Christening%20Gowns/144/girls-christening-gowns.htm

this one is nice:
onesmallchild.com/product/Christening%20Gowns/3515/Sydney.htm

Here’s one:
onesmallchild.com/product/Christening%20Outfits/4175/Shad.htm

This is the boy page, the gowns are toward the bottom:
onesmallchild.com/product/Christening%20Outfits/4175/Shad.htm

Try searching google for “boy baptismal gown” and you’ll get the plainer gowns 🙂

Hope that helps!

Jennifer
Click to expand...
Thank you, Jennifer! These are all great choices. I like the Sydney Family Christening gown, not to mention the free shipping - thanks for pointing it out to me! I will also take your advice and do a search on “boy baptismal gown” and see what else comes up. God bless you!
 
jmakualoha said:
Thank you, Jennifer! These are all great choices. I like the Sydney Family Christening gown, not to mention the free shipping - thanks for pointing it out to me! I will also take your advice and do a search on “boy baptismal gown” and see what else comes up. God bless you!
Click to expand...
Unless your boy is old enough to talk, you can have him baptized in a frilly christening gown. These things are gender-neutral. The British royal family so cherished their century-old family christening gown, that when it got too worn to use, they had it duplicated. That’s the problem with silk. As I mentioned up thread, DD was baptised in a gown that was 110 years old at the time. It is now 135 years old and still going strong. 100% cotton.
 
sanctareparata said:
Hi there! We have a baby boy due to arrive any day now (hopefully!) and we are having a tough time deciding what to do about a baptismal gown.

Originally, with the birth of our daughter 17 months ago, we decided to buy one unisex gown and use it for all our babies, embroidering their names and baptismal dates along the hemline. Kind of like a family heirloom thing.

But my family and his family have caused us to maybe reconsider, saying that the kids won’t get to keep their own gown to use on their own kids. So now we are wondering if we shouldn’t just buy a new one for the new baby - what are your thoughts?

My parents baptized us each in our own gown, and we have that gown in our possession now. It’s a sentimental thing - and if we baptize all our babies in the SAME gown, then who will get it in the future? I can’t decide what is more important to a grown child - sharing the one family gown and passing it down, or getting to keep their OWN gown?

Such a silly problem, I know!

Oh yes, and let me also mention that the one unisex gown we bought was EXPENSIVE and other cheaper gowns out there are all too frilly for a boy. I don’t want our son baptized in a tuxedo style outfit - we prefer gowns, so we’d have to hunt looking for still another unisex one. 😦
Click to expand...
I think I’d use the one you have. As others have said, it can always be passed around. My mom made the gown that all three of us were baptized in, but now that it’s coming time to baptize her grandchildren, she wants to make a new one 🤷 .

Another idea, if you don’t want to embroider on the gown itself, you could make (or have made) a slip or blanket that could be embellished with each baby’s name and dates of birth and/or baptism.
 
Have them all wear the same gown (the expensive one you bought for dd). Then they can pass it around. My dc were baptized in my gown and I hope all their children us it too.
 
I am Italian American, and our custom is that the Godmother purchases the Christening outfit. I have 2 children, and my son had a beautiful Christening outfit, I looks pretty masculine though. My daughter had a beautiful very feminine gown. I don’t know if my future grandchildren will be boys or girl’s, but my son can have his when he’s older. My daughter can have hers.

I don’t know if baby # 3 will come… I guess we will decide what to wear if it happens.

I would have liked to have used my husband’s, but it was moth eaten, Mine had turned yellow, but it also was pretty feminine.

Also, as a sde note,my son had a cute coordinating little hat, but one enthusiastic guest put a bright red lipstick stain right in the middle.
 
I am sure your child’s baptism has already past, I thought I would throw out an idea for others who might read this thread.
My baptismal gown was lost somewhere long ago (long story) anyway I had always dreamed of using it for my children. Since I can’t I came up with a good idea. I am going to cut up my wedding dress (YES I said Cut it up!!) and make a baptismal gown out of it for my child (or for each child depending how many we have). I have told friends and family this and they just FREAK, although honestly how many of us wore our mother’s wedding gown?? It is not going to do any good sitting in a box till I die, then my family will have to be left with the burden of getting rid of it. Anyway, this is an idea I really like and thought I would pass it on for others to consider.
 
my foster daughter had something sweet, baptismal gown and bonnet given by aunt, the godmother, and the bonnet was made from a folded and stitched lace handkerchief, with a ribbon tie attached. Aunt explained to us that when she married, the ribbon and stitching was removed, and this became the bridal handkerchief to catch those joyful wedding day tears. She did in fact do this, which was great, since by that time her aunt, grandma and rest of her family were long gone, and it was a lovely link to her past. We made it back into a bonnet for her daughter’s baptism (she also wore the same gown), and hopefully she will carry it at her own wedding.

In SIL’s family, tradition is to make the first child’s baptismal gown using fabric from the mother’s wedding dress or veil. She appliqued the lace from her veil to a purchased gown.
 
JustAnotherThou said:
I am sure your child’s baptism has already past, I thought I would throw out an idea for others who might read this thread.
My baptismal gown was lost somewhere long ago (long story) anyway I had always dreamed of using it for my children. Since I can’t I came up with a good idea. I am going to cut up my wedding dress (YES I said Cut it up!!) and make a baptismal gown out of it for my child (or for each child depending how many we have). I have told friends and family this and they just FREAK, although honestly how many of us wore our mother’s wedding gown?? It is not going to do any good sitting in a box till I die, then my family will have to be left with the burden of getting rid of it. Anyway, this is an idea I really like and thought I would pass it on for others to consider.
Click to expand...
For a while back home that was the tradition, the wedding gown was cut down to become the baptismal gown.

In our parish we have the parents bring the baby in a colored outfit. Parents buy the white baptismal garment, whatever they want it to be, and the godmother brings it to the font at the time of the baptism. The garment is presented at the words “See in this white garment…” and baby is taken to a table at the side to be dressed in it while a baptismal hymn is sung. Then parents and baby return for the presentation of the candle (godfather is given the candle to light and give to the parents) and the Ephpheta rite.

When baby is already dressed in the baptismal garment the Rite doesn’t suggest that you ignore that fact and cover him/her with a bib, towel or whatever. Before we started actually presenting the garment, the priest simply laid his hand on the baptismal gown and spoke the words.

I was baptized in the gown that my godmother and her two brothers had worn and so were my brothers. My 3 kids were baptized in their dad & uncle’s gown which I hope will also serve for any grandchildren with which we might be blessed.
 
Use one and pass it around when you have grandchildren.

My kids were 4th generation to be baptized in a gown that was hand made in Ireland for my grandmother 👍 . --KCT
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top