Non-religious non-Christening

[MummyLostInParenthood]

Hi all! I have a 2.5 month old DD, and I'd love to do some form of celebration to mark her entrance into the world. I am an atheist and my husband is agnostic, and DD obviously has yet to make her mind up, so a christening isn't an option.

Obviously we can just get people round for some nice food and a knees up, but would be nice to do something a bit symbolic or special.

Some friends of mine planted a tree in the back garden in honour of their little one, but I'd rather not go down that route as we might move house in the next few years, and I'd feel so sad to leave it behind.

Doesn't have to be something serious, would be great if looking back at pics or evidence of the day would make her smile when she is older.

Would love to know what anyone else has done, or any other ideas..?

A friend of ours had a humanist naming day. It was basically a christening without the Christ and they had "guide parents" instead of godparents. They also planted a rose bush.

A lot of churches offer a 'naming ceremony' now if you aren't ready to make the commitments that are associated with your religious baptism. Why don't you try your local C of E church and see the options they have?

We had a humanist naming ceremony in a local village hall followed by afternoon tea. Look at the humanist website and you can search for celebrants in your area. Ours met us beforehand and asked what we wanted, and wrote a tailored ceremony for our DD which was lovely. We too had guide parents.

Alternatively many registry offices now do a non religious naming ceremony which may be cheaper and still lovely. I hope you have a lovely day!

I second (or rather "third"!) the Humanist naming ceremony. Or the registry office idea.

whenskiesaregrey Why anyone who describes themselves as Atheist, with an Agnostic DH, would have a non-religious ceremony in a church is utterly beyond me

Forgot to add what I did: We gathered close family together and had a picnic on a special place on Dartmoor (which is where I grew up), near a stone circle. Nearby is a beautiful rock on the banks of a stream that has been eroded over time to form a hole all the way through. Local legend has it that babies (or anyone) who are passed through the hole, will have a long, healthy and happy life, so we passed DS through the hole and whispered hi name in his ear - hippy or what???????

Oh Badgerina that sounds perfect! I wish we had done that!

Agree with humanist ....was fab for dcs and a great day I will never forget.

we had a naming ceremony for our ds, which was held at the local registry office. There are similar rules as for a civil wedding ie there can be no religious content. The registrar said some set words, we had "god-parents", dh and I read out a poem which we had written and my dad also read out a speech that he had written. Therefore, it can be more personal than a church christening. It was lovely.

My dh was rather sceptical when I first suggested it as he was not sure what the point was but he was really glad that we did it.

Love what Badgerina did

Badgerina I'm just letting the OP know what options there are!

We had a naming day for DD when she was 7 months old, which involved hiring a small local cafe/bar and having drinks and nibbles for 40 friends and family on a Sunday afternoon. We nominated two "fairy godparents" who both did readings and made a speech and we had a 'welcome to the world' cake.

It was lovely. I didn't want DD to miss out on the milestone occasion because I'm an atheist, and it was a great thing to do. We've got some lovely photos and I kept her little outfit and the icing butterflies from the top of the cake (we also redecorated the top tier of our wedding cake which had been in the freezer for years waiting for just such an occasion,)!

She also got some great presents!

Badgerina where is your spot on Dartmoor? Sounds lovely. Not planning a ceremony or anything, but visit Dartmoor occassionally and fancy a picnic!

Yeah naming ceremony at your local town hall or C of E do naming and thanksgiving ceremonies as alternatives to christening. But having your own little ceremony to welcome DD when she's aware of the fuss sounds just as good and perhaps more fun.