Christening Gift Ideas: What to Give and What to Spend

Christening gift ideas, by who you are and what you want to spend

The best christening gifts have one thing in common: a date on them. The toys go to the charity shop, the dated keepsake stays in the house for thirty years.

This guide splits the ideas by who you are, because a guest and a godparent are buying two completely different things, and sets out what UK families actually spend in 2026.

Everything suggested here is something we either make or would happily send you elsewhere for - we say which.

Christening keepsakes and cards

Candles, prints and coasters you can date, plus blank-inside cards with room for a proper message. We don't make silver or engraved spoons - a jeweller will serve you better.

Illustration of two large pints of stout next to a tiny baby stout with text "Two's a couple, three's a family". Two's A Couple, Three's A Family (Guinness Congrats On The New Baby Card) £3.87 Practise Your Dad Jokes (Dad To Be New Baby Card) Practise Your Dad Jokes (Dad To Be New Baby Card) £3.87 Future Dad Fuel (Dad To Be New Baby Card) Future Dad Fuel (Dad To Be New Baby Card) £3.87 It's a Boy New Born Baby Duck Card It's a Boy New Born Baby Duck Card £3.91 It's a Boy New Born Baby Card It's a Boy New Born Baby Card £3.91 It's a Girl New Born Baby Duck Card It's a Girl New Born Baby Duck Card £3.91

Shop christening gifts

If you're a guest - £10 to £25

  • A card with the date written under your name. On its own, this is genuinely enough.
  • A scented candle for the parents rather than the baby - they're the ones who've done the work.
  • A coaster or small print with the christening date on it.
  • A hardback picture book with a message written inside the cover.
  • A keepsake box for the cards, hospital bands and the order of service.
  • Skip: clothes in newborn size, and anything that needs batteries.

If you're wider family - £20 to £40

  • A framed print with the full name and christening date, ready to hang.
  • A candle plus a card, which covers both the day and the house.
  • A book of the year they were born, inscribed.
  • A money box with the first note already in it.
  • A set of coasters the parents will still be using when the child is ten.
  • Something for the parents too - a bottle and a card goes further than people admit.

If you're a grandparent - £50 to £100

  • A savings account or premium bonds, opened after checking with the parents so nobody doubles up.
  • A framed dated print for the nursery wall - the gift they'll photograph.
  • A piece of family jewellery put aside with a letter about who wore it.
  • A time capsule box, sealed, to be opened at eighteen.
  • A sealed letter written today and given at their eighteenth. Costs nothing, lands hardest.
  • Say in the card what the money is for, or it quietly becomes the food shop.

If you're a godparent - £50 to £150

  • This is the gift the child still owns at eighteen, so buy for eighteen, not for eight months.
  • A dated keepsake print or engraved piece that marks the promise you made out loud.
  • A first bible or children's bible if the family is churchgoing.
  • Savings paid in monthly rather than a lump sum - £10 a month for eighteen years is a proper gift.
  • A yearly tradition instead of a thing: a book each birthday, inscribed and dated.
  • Silver, christening spoons and engraved tankards are traditional - we don't make those, a jeweller will.

Gifts that get kept, and gifts that don't

  • Kept: anything with the full name and the date on it.
  • Kept: books with a written message inside the cover.
  • Kept: money in a named account, if someone explains what it was for.
  • Not kept: soft toys. Every christening produces six.
  • Not kept: newborn clothes, because the baby is already out of them.
  • Not kept: anything the parents have to store for you until the child is grown.

Shop christening gifts

Cards to go with the gift

Blank inside, posted first class the same working day.

Illustration of two large pints of stout next to a tiny baby stout with text "Two's a couple, three's a family". Two's A Couple, Three's A Family (Guinness Congrats On The New Baby Card) £3.87 Illustration of a smiling graduate in a cap and gown on a congratulations graduation card for him. Congratulations! You Did It Graduation Card For Him £3.87 Graduation card for her featuring a cheerful illustrated character wearing a black graduation cap and gown. Congratulations! You Did It Graduation Card For Her £3.87 Practise Your Dad Jokes (Dad To Be New Baby Card) Practise Your Dad Jokes (Dad To Be New Baby Card) £3.87 Future Dad Fuel (Dad To Be New Baby Card) Future Dad Fuel (Dad To Be New Baby Card) £3.87 Cheers M'dears Congratulations Card Cheers M'dears Congratulations Card £3.75 It's a Boy New Born Baby Duck Card It's a Boy New Born Baby Duck Card £3.91 It's a Boy New Born Baby Card It's a Boy New Born Baby Card £3.91

How to write it so it lands

  • Put the date on it. It's the single thing that separates a keepsake from clutter.
  • Check with the parents before opening savings so godparents and grandparents don't duplicate.
  • A card with a real message beats an expensive gift with a signature on the label.

Where to shop next

Frequently asked questions

How much should you spend on a christening gift?

Guests £10 to £25, wider family £20 to £40, grandparents £50 to £100 and godparents £50 to £150. A card alone is acceptable from a guest.

Is money an acceptable christening gift?

Yes, and it's very common. Write in the card what it's for - savings, a bike, their eighteenth - so it doesn't just disappear into the week.

What is a traditional christening gift?

Silver - a spoon, a tankard, a photo frame - or a first bible. We don't make silver items; a jeweller or religious gift shop will do it properly.

What should a godparent give?

Something that survives to adulthood: a dated keepsake, savings paid monthly, or a yearly inscribed book. Buy for the eighteen-year-old, not the baby.

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