A baby naming ceremony, no matter what customs you follow, could be beautifully remembered with a souvenir keepsake to mark this special day – from traditional to very personal and crafty.
Here are some great ways you can make the naming ceremony of your baby even more memorable:
• A dedication book that is signed with a special message from all the guests and with space for photos from the day.
• Plant a tree with a plaque recording the date and the name of the child. You can choose the kind of tree according to its qualities; for instance, Oak for strength, Olive for peace. In Switzerland the custom is to plant apple trees for boys and nut trees for girls.
• Commission a ceramic plate with the name, date of birth or naming ceremony date. Artists are willing to put any drawing, even a picture of the baby, to make it even more personal.
• A traditional silver mug engraved with the name and date is something that will be treasured by the child as an adult and can be passed on to future generations as a record of the day.
• Plaster casts of hands and feet of the baby. These can be marked with the date of the naming day.
• A lock of the baby’s hair can be placed in a small treasure box or in a locket, with an engraving to commemorate the special occasion.
• Parents or god parents of baby girls can follow the Victorian custom of presenting a single pearl for each birthday, so that by the time she is 21, she’ll have enough for a pearl necklace.
• Embroidered sampler recording the birth and name of the child can be framed and placed on the nursery wall.
• Commission a painting or sculpture of the baby, which can be arranged through the local Arts Council.
• A patchwork quilt, seen by many cultures as being lucky, can be commissioned either as fabric pieces or as knitted squares that are stitched together and often embroidered with a special message.
If you have a garden, consider one of these ways of creating a long lasting memory of your child’s naming ceremony:
• Create a special area with plants that will bloom around the same time as the birthday or naming ceremony day every year.
• Buy and engrave a bird bath with the name of the child
• A sundial on the wall can be engraved with the baby’s name and or initials of all the family
• Concrete pavers for the garden can be created with the names and hand or foot imprints of all the family members, with a new one being added with each baby.
There are more baby naming articles in Occasions.
