Chistening gift which isn't junk... Post Reply

[actuallyadad]

Hi would love some ideas for a christening gift for my nephew. People bought pretty annoying things which just gather dust and clutter up the bedroom for my two kids...wanted to avoid the same mistake for my new nephew. I guess up to £100 is ok (tell me if you think that's tight!). Would love some ideas please! Thanks

[szerma]

I might sound cynical (as, like you, I received plenty of useless gifts), but I personally would be very happy to receive a cash gift. We started a baby ISA for our little one after she was born and told close family that we would happily accept a cash donation, however small, instead of presents (especially as family is abroad so it costs them money to post things).

So, how about enquiring if the family already has a child ISA and giving money, or if they don't, giving the money with a view towards starting an ISA or just a saving account? I also created custom-made (printed) cards in the past using moonpig cards (online - it only costs few quid), how about creating a card that shows the photo of a baby next to a university hat or whatever else that you think might be appropriate / aspirational to put the money towards.

Best,

M

[supergirl]

We gave my husband's god daughter jewellry for when she would be bigger: a beautiful solid silver necklace with an aquamarine stone.
For another nephew we gave him lots of very carefully chosen toys: practical ones yet collectable, in wood. I must say this one took a lot of consideration and thoughts.

For our kids the best presents were a very old book for one and both got given their necklace with a medal of thr virgin mary from their godparents (french tradition).

I personally didnt like receiving money but i loved to receive and give precious collectable things for when they are bigger.

Hope that helps a little.

[NYE31]

Premium Bonds or an ISA would be a lovely gift & something to add to going forward.

Both mine have a box of stuff that they will probably never use or wear, such as pearl earrings, gold cuff links, bibles, china etc.

[DomesticJailBreaker]

Blimey, some of those gifts given to children sound lovely and definitely to be treasured! My sons, now they are teenagers, are starting to really appreciate - and use - some of the presents they were given for their christenings, especially cufflinks. My eldest was confirmed recently (another round of present-giving!) and that inspired him to go through all his christening gifts and ask to be reminded who had given them etc. BTW, he's not remotely nerdy, in case he sounds it, but he considers family and friends and occasions like this very important, which I think is great! Personally, I think it's all about finding a thoughtful, personal gift that will last the child a lifetime and remind them of you even, dare I say it, when you are no longer around - cash, even wisely invested on the child's behalf, will absolutely not do that in the same way. So I would definitely avoid baby-oriented jewellery such as christening bracelets, spoons, mugs etc because, lovely as they are, they really will end up gathering dust in a cupboard, and go for something which will be appreciated and possibly used later in life. Cufflinks, especially personalised, are actually great for boys (once they move away from grunge and get into dapper dressing!), but one of the best presents, I think, is a silver napkin ring - every day I use the one my lovely late aunt gave me at my christening and am reminded of her (good case in point!), and my sons use the ones my parents gave them, one of which had been given to my now very ancient father and it bears both his and my son's initials - really, really special. Even if you don't use napkins every day, you can bring them out on high days and holidays.

[pie81]

DH got some beautifully bound children's books from the Folio Society for his goddaughter. Things she will read when she is older (and old enough to handle a nice book!) like The Secret Garden and The Hobbit.

[Herculesmum]

I love gift giving! Its so much fun.

Here are some of the things we have given that were well received

1. Cash ISA. I think is a lovely idea because it sets the little one up on their journey and you can contribute to it each birthday until they have a healthy amount in 18 years. I would be thrilled to receive that.

2. I LOVE the personalised finger print art that you can get on Not on the High Street - I hope its ok that I post a link?
We got this for our god daughters first birthday and everyone who attended the party added their fingerprint and their name. I think its a beautiful token to take forward into adulthood.
http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/daisy ... rprint-art

3. We got our God Daughter (who is the child of two intrepid explorers and wine lovers), a toy box filled with a bottle of wine for each year we have known her parents. We made the wines from a region that had been special to them in the year of the vintage. For example they were married in Australia in 2012 so we got an Australian red from that year.

It was quite challenging and we had to be flexible about regions/vintages but the good people at Majestic Wines (not a plug) in Clapham South worked with us to find bottles that would last long enough for her to drink when she is 18 or be enjoyed by her parents on her future birthdays. We added a letter that explained to her the significance of each bottle, and what made that year and region special to her parents.

Long story short, I think the budget and the actual "gift" is not as important as the sentiment behind it.

Good luck xx

[WhiteKnight]

My daughter was can a lovely Vera Wang cake knife and cake slice set which we use to cut her birthday cake each year.
Nephews I bit harder...

[kathryn.photographer]

I've bought my godchildren a selection of books I loved as a child, tried to get lovely hardbacked versions. Now as they are older they are working their way through them either alone or read aloud. As they read them and find out which authors they like then birthday/christmas gifts become easy as I build on their collections.
This was my list:
Tom's Midnight Garden: Philippa Pearce
The Hobbit: J.R.R.Tolkien
Swallows & Amazons: Arthur Ransome
Danny the Champion of the World: Roald Dahl
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: C.S. Lewis
Charlotte's Web: E.B.White
The Owl who was afraid of the Dark: Jill Tomlinson
Paddington: Michael Bond
Winnie the Pooh: A.A. Milne
The Borrowers: Judith Elkin
Carbonel: Barbara Sleigh
The Magic Faraway Tree: Enid Blyton

[ladiorange]

My husband still uses a drinking stein he got as a child. Not sure if he received it for a baptism.

[firsttimerSW11]

http://www.beatrix-potter-shop.co.uk/p/ ... t_1-23.htm

I've given the above, Peter Rabbit, the complete box set 1-23. You can generally get it on amazon for about £50.

[Sharron]

Whatever I buy for Christening is travel-related. Travel - my opinion - is the best emotion for kids and adults alike

Last two christening presents - really nice travel racksack and a big eraseable map - wherever kid goes in the world, s/he erases the spot on the map.

For a friend's daughter 5 of us gathered money and bought the whole family a travel voucher - so they would go celebrate the christening someplace nice.

As they say - gather memories, not things!

[this_is_cat]

When asked to be a godparent last year, I opened an account with Berry Brothers, the wine merchants, and put half a case of good Bordeaux into it.
They printed off a certificate for the account, and we gave this to the parents!

I'll add more to it for birthdays in the coming years (and pay the storage fees, but they aren't very much), and it will make for a very nice 18th or 21st present when the time comes.

My friend's husband had similar done for him, and by the time he was 18, some of the bottles were worth quite a lot, so he sold them and reinvested the money in more wine. By doing this a few times and then selling on some of the wine, he ended up with good nest egg, a good knowledge and appreciation of wine, and some cracking bottles to drink

[Herculesmum]

Sharron, those gifts both sound fabulous. Can you post the link to get the erasable map? I would like to get that for my husbands birthday

[this_is_cat]

Sharron, those gifts both sound fabulous. Can you post the link to get the erasable map? I would like to get that for my husbands birthday

You can buy them from Not On the High Street
They scratch off like a lottery card