Am I being utterly mad to want my baby boy to wear a gown at his baptism?

[Mumoftwo8519]

Feel like I need some clarity here.
My 8month old son is being baptised soon and both me and DH would really like him to wear a traditional long Christening gown.
i know these days boys tend to wear rompers or little shorts and a tshirt, but I’d still prefer him to wear a gown - i think!
BUT is this ever a done thing nowadays? Am I being utterly mad to want my son to wear a long dress at his baptism? Even if it’s not your preference, if you went to a christening service of a friend and they had their son in a gown would you think they were odd?
The gown I have ordered is pictured. It’s the most unisex one I could find and I do think it’s plain enough for him to wear. It’s arrived and it’s lovely but not sure if people will just think it’s weird when they see him in it 😂

I have 2 boys and I did not have them baptised in gowns but I do think they are sweet. Go for it!

My christening gown had pink trims
so wouldn’t have used it for boys but had it not, I would have

Definitely gown, it’s a good match for the clerical vestments.

Do what you want to do. It will be a family heirloom

I think your baby will look wonderful in his Christening gown.

My DS was 6 months old at his baptism and wore a gown.

I changed him into a white romper at the reception afterward as he was fairly mobile by that point and the gown was slippery satin so I couldn’t get a good grip on him

We had a lunch at our house and I'm pretty sure DS was in his pyjamas at that point!

I can’t help but think the vast majority of posters on this thread don’t actually go to church every Sunday…

Completely agree. I love seeing babies in long gowns. Doesn’t happen often in my church. I suspect rompers are more usual now as babies are too old for gowns. As baptism is later.

My son wore a christening gown!! No one batted an eye.
Just put it on last minute, to reduce the risk of any mess getting on it!!

Our boys were in the gown in church then a nice white "tailored" type shorts and sweater outfit for the do.

It's normal isn't it

My eldest DD and ds both wore the same Christening gown and were baptised under 6 weeks do they would fit into it. I like traditional gowns for a Christening but then again my DD wore hand smoked dresses and my DS romper suits until 3-4 years.

I think that's absolutely fine, and I'm an atheist.

I would put him in the one you ordered for him. This one in the photo is a bit more girly

I can give you an onlooker perspective,, I am not religious but have been to many christenings and things, I think these gowns are lovely, I wouldn’t bat an eyelid if I was invited and saw a baby dressed in this I would think it looks traditional and lovely. Guess as long as you have something for them to change into if you are doing something after as it doesn’t look very practical for anything other than the ceremony.

When our eldest son was to be christened 36 years ago we commissioned a beautiful oyster silk gown embroidered in gold thread with bells to signify Bow bells and my background and the cross and keys of Gibraltar for my husband’s family. Each of our six grandchildren has worn it; two of them are boys, both of our children are boys.

Wear it or you will regret it.

My daughter and son both wore christening gowns. It recognizes the importance of the sacrament. Let him the christening gown. Anyone has a problem with are free to christen their children in whatever they wish. I once saw a christening gown that had been in set in a walnut shade box with a rich blue velvet background. A wonderful memento.

Why do you think that?

Go for it!

Totally normal. My kids all wore a 150 year old family one, whether they were boys or girls.

Too much importance on the clothing. I tend to find Christians who attend church don’t place that much importance on the outfits but more on the every day church attendance and the symbols of the christening - being a child of God. Being welcomed into the church. The beginning of their Christian path in life

Christening gowns are the traditional garment regardless of sex. Why would it be an issue?

Plus, clothing doesn’t have a gender. We are supposed to be moving away from those regressive ideas.

My first thought also. Get a blue cardigan or jacket?

We go to church weekly (well, most weeks, it was a bit tricky when our DCs were younger and two churches suggested a) we sit somewhere we couldn't see or hear to avoid people hearing them and b) we not send one to Sunday School because it was too boring tricky for him, whereas the service aimed at adults would be much less boring of course. )
We persisted and have been at the same small church for years. We like small churches, we find.

As I said upthread I made my DCs' christening gown. It was an extremely important occasion and as such deserved to be marked with an important outfit for the central figure.

You might as well say we shouldn't wear nice dresses to a church wedding or have lovely personal music and flowers at a church funeral if we are regular communicants.