Gifts for christian baby dedication?

[lilham]

Let me start off by saying I'm not religious so would appreciate some help with this. I've been invited to a baby dedication ceremony from someone I don't know very well (and for about a year only). I think of christening as a event to give/receive gifts. From a bit of googling, it seems in dedications gifts aren't expected? Is that true? There isn't a baby shower after the dedication. Just some food and drinks in the church.

A dedication ceremony is used in churches where they don't believe it is the right of the parents to choose to believe for their child, they later use adult baptism when someone is old enough to make that choice for themselves. Dedication is an opportunity to say thank you to God for the baby and commit to raising the child in faith so in that case it is pretty similar to a christening.
I've been to a few dedications and always take a gift, as it's a form of celebration of the birth (and often you're getting fed too). It doesn't have to be a Christian gift, or even one that you would expect the baby to keep forever (silver rattle - what is the use of that?!). At my friends baby's dedication, she got a baby Mozart DVD, some Christian books, a few outfits, the gruffalo book, a bunch of flowers for the mum.

I doubt gifts are expected, you've been invited to celebrate the arrival of the baby, but IMO it's always nice to get a little something. Hope that helps.

Thanks for explaining.

I'll probably be having DC dedicated at some point (6 months pregnant) and wouldn't expect a present. A card would be nice but again I wouldn't expect it. Some churches which practise dedications make a bigger thing of it than others. Personally I'm not too keen on big elaborate pseudo-christening dedications, but thats just me.