If you’ve been invited to a christening, baptism or naming ceremony, you’re probably on the lookout for the perfect christening gifts to give to the baby of honour.

There are plenty of christening gift options to choose from, depending on how old the person is and what their interests are. If they're a baby, you could get them a keepsake or something practical that the parents will benefit from too, for example.

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You might want to go for something traditional which they can keep as a special memento of their day or you could prefer to give the little one something they can use or play with right now. Either way, we’ve got you covered with our round-up of the best christening gifts.

Our pick of the best christening gifts

Why do people give silver at a christening?

The tradition of giving silver gifts at a christening dates back to Tudor times when a child’s godparent would give them an Apostle Spoon. This silver spoon would have a picture of a saint on the handle, usually one sharing the same name as the child. The act of giving these silver spoons inspired the well-known phrase ‘born with a silver spoon in your mouth’.

While it is now fairly unusual to buy an actual Apostle spoon, many traditional christening gifts are still made from silver. Now people might give a wide range of items made from the precious metal, including money boxes, cutlery, napkin rings, coins, egg cups, rattles and tankards.

The reason silver is so popular, other than tradition, is that it is associated with health and prosperity. Giving a valuable item was also seen as symbolising independence for the child when they are older.

Does the gift have to be religious?

If you have been invited to a christening – a baptism welcoming a child into the Christian faith – you might want to give a present with religious significance. However, there are plenty of options out there which are thoughtful without being linked to a particular faith.

Naming ceremonies are an increasingly popular way of celebrating the birth of a baby but these events do not have a religious aspect to them so it is best to steer away of any explicitly Christian gifts. One great idea for both christenings and naming ceremonies is to give a gift based on the child’s name like a personalised or engraved item.

Catherine Ball is a mum-of-four and a freelance journalist who specialises in parenting and health. As well as writing regularly for Mother & Baby since 2015, her work has appeared in a number of publications.