Naming Ceremony Gift Ideas With No Religious Wording

Naming ceremony gift ideas, from guests to guide parents

A naming ceremony asks the same of a gift as a christening does - make it dated, make it last - but with none of the religious wording. That rules out most of the traditional list and leaves the better half of it.

Below: ideas by guest, family, grandparent and guide parent, with UK budgets, plus the gifts that quietly carry religious language you'd need to explain away.

Naming ceremony gifts and cards

Candles, prints and coasters you can date, plus blank-inside cards with no religious wording to cross out.

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 naming ceremony gifts

If you're a guest - £10 to £25

  • A card with no blessing in it and the date written under your name.
  • A candle for the parents' house, which is the gift they'll actually use.
  • A picture book inscribed on the inside cover with the naming day date.
  • A coaster or small print with the child's name on it.
  • A keepsake box for the promises, the readings and the photographs.

If you're wider family - £20 to £40

  • A framed print with the full name and naming day date.
  • A guest book for the day itself, so everyone leaves something written.
  • A money box with the first note in it.
  • A book of the year they were born, inscribed.
  • A set of coasters, which sounds dull and gets used daily for a decade.

If you're a grandparent - £50 to £100

  • Savings, opened after a word with the parents.
  • A time capsule sealed on the day and opened at eighteen.
  • A dated framed print for the nursery.
  • A written letter about the day, sealed and handed over years later.
  • A piece of family jewellery set aside with a note about who wore it.

If you're a guide parent - £30 to £100

  • Your promise, printed and framed. It's the thing that makes the role real.
  • A dated keepsake print with both your names on it.
  • A yearly inscribed book instead of one gift - the tradition outlasts the object.
  • Savings paid monthly rather than a lump sum.
  • Something you'll do rather than buy: a day out every birthday, written down as a promise.

What to avoid at a naming day

  • Anything with "God bless", a cross, or an angel on it - even as a decorative motif.
  • Christening spoons, engraved crosses and bibles, however well meant.
  • Cards with printed religious verse inside; blank-inside cards avoid the whole problem.
  • Calling them godparents on the gift label if the family said guide parents.
  • Soft toys. Every naming day produces a pile of them.

Shop naming ceremony 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

  • Check the family's word - guide parent, supporting adult or mentor - and use it on the label.
  • Blank-inside cards remove the risk of printed religious verse entirely.
  • A guest book given on the day turns every guest's message into the keepsake.

Where to shop next

Frequently asked questions

What do you give at a naming ceremony?

The same keepsakes you'd give at a christening, minus anything religious: a dated print, a candle, an inscribed book, a keepsake box or savings.

How much should you spend on a naming ceremony gift?

Guests £10 to £25, wider family £20 to £40, grandparents £50 to £100 and guide parents £30 to £100.

What does a guide parent give?

Their promise in writing, framed, plus a lasting keepsake or savings. Many choose a yearly tradition rather than a single gift.

Can you give a christening gift at a naming ceremony?

Only if it carries no religious wording or imagery. Blank-inside cards and dated keepsakes work at both; bibles, crosses and christening spoons do not.

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