How long do you wait to baptize?

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Hey y’all!

Here’s the question for you parents- how long did you wait to baptize your kids? I ask because I’ve run in to a lot of parents (both in my Catholic homeschool group and on these forums) who have waited for 4, 5, and 6 months to baptize. This struck me as odd, since even the infant-baptizing Protestants I know don’t wait that long.

DH and I entered the Church last Easter, and had our two children baptized on Trinity Sunday, when they were 4 and 1.
We’re planning on baptizing baby no. three (due June 13th) on the first Sunday of July, which makes it the earliest Catholic baptism I’ve run into lately (barring, of course, any unforseen circumstances).

Do I just know procrastinating Catholics (😉 ) or is this a trend to wait until the baby is older? And if so, why?

Thanks,
Cari
 
I was baptized when I was 2 weeks old and I was not sick. I think it is just a matter of how organized the parents are and when the family can get together. Some parishes also require classes for the parents and some parents don’t think about this until after the child is born. I’d say sooner is always better than later.
 
We have four children. They were baptized at 1 month, 6 1/2 months, 3 months, and 2 weeks. There were various reasons for the differences, including finding suitable godparents, arranging schedules, moving, etc.

In general, I think the earlier the better, but not if you’re going to wind up with godparents who don’t take the job seriously.
 
There are various factors, including how long it takes to complete the Baptismal preparation class, how long it takes to get a date at the Church once that’s done, and how long it takes to find a godparent, but if these details are taken care of before the birth, there is no reason not to proceed straight away, as soon as mother and child can leave the house and get to Church.

I know Catholics who were baptized the same day they were born, or within just a few days.
 
It will likely depend on the individuals, their schedule, the priest’s schedule and whether or not the godparents have attended the requisite classes. My rule of thumb was “as soon as possible.” The oldest was baptized within a few weeks. The youngest had to wait a few months. That was due to circumstances beyond my control.

I don’t know of any reason why a Catholic would intentionally delay a baptism.
 
This is kind of off the subject…but do you know if churches that do the NO in Latin or Tridentine would be willing to do the Baptism in Latin? Just for future reference, I’m far from that part of my life but just to know.
 
My grandchild was born just before the beginning of Lent, and the priest of their parish refuses to baptize during Lent. So…
 
Ok, good to know. The priest at our parish baptized our two w/o any sort of classes, but that might have been because we’d literally just finished seven months of private RCIA classes with him, so he figured we were covered. But I’d better check with him this time, so as to not assume we’re “excused” again.

Also, to tack on another question to this one- those of you who have baptized your children, do you do it during Mass or after? Our parish offers both, and I’m sort of torn on which to do. For the other two, we did it during Mass, but this time we have a lot of non-Catholic family coming, so we were thinking about doing it after Mass, so the more “I’m not so comfortable worshipping with you Papists” family members could save face :rolleyes:

Cheers,
Cari
 
Cari said:
Hey y’all!

Here’s the question for you parents- how long did you wait to baptize your kids? I ask because I’ve run in to a lot of parents (both in my Catholic homeschool group and on these forums) who have waited for 4, 5, and 6 months to baptize. This struck me as odd, since even the infant-baptizing Protestants I know don’t wait that long.

DH and I entered the Church last Easter, and had our two children baptized on Trinity Sunday, when they were 4 and 1.
We’re planning on baptizing baby no. three (due June 13th) on the first Sunday of July, which makes it the earliest Catholic baptism I’ve run into lately (barring, of course, any unforseen circumstances).

Do I just know procrastinating Catholics (😉 ) or is this a trend to wait until the baby is older? And if so, why?

Thanks,
Cari
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Canon says as soon as possible after Birth, I think generally from one week to one month should be the time frame.
 
I wonder if the method of baptism plays a part in the parents’ decisions? In the eastern Catholic churches, all baptisms are full immersion. It is customary to do a naming ceremony at home with the priest on the 8th day, a churching of mom and baby on the 40th day (their return to church), and to have the baptism some time without undue haste or undue delay after that. These guidelines are very flexible. I know a number of moms who wouldn’t be thrilled with the idea of plunging their naked newborns under the water (head to toe), then yanking them up in the air, only to shove them under the water again, emerging gasping and screaming and purple, only to plunge them under a third time. (I’ve never heard of a baby drowning.) Once they are a little bigger, and the Mommy hormones have subsided a little, it isn’t nearly so hard to witness.

Of the moms you are acquainted with, were their children fully immersed, sprinkled, or poured over? Were they coordinating the schedules of out of town guests? Were they restricted by their parish schedules? (I’ve heard of parishes scheduling group baptisms of all infants and young children for one Saturday every third or sixth month.) Or were they maybe influenced by the eastern understanding of baptism and original sin? Next time it comes up, you might want to ask them and frame it in the context of planning your own baby’s baptism.

Congratulations!
 
All three of my children were baptized at four to five weeks of age. However, my nieces and nephews were all a few months old, so I don’t know if this is some sort of trend. I know my grandmother was certainly not happy about that!
 
I am not a parent yet, but at least I know my mom took me to the Church for baptism when I was about few week. I still have the picture of me being baptized. 😃
 
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