Christening gifts aren’t quite like wedding gifts – it won’t be the expectation that people in attendance should bring a gift. It is a very nice touch though and it will show that you are grateful to have been invited and to be able to attend the event. It will also give the child and the family something to look back on to remember the day.

It can be difficult to know what to buy for a christening. Should you gift be religious, for example? Not necessarily, especially if you are not religious yourself, as the family would probably rather you bought a gift that you will enjoy giving and that means something to you.

You may prefer to buy something like a personalised gift, or something that will help the child’s development such as a book. It is usually the expectation that gifts will be presented after the church ceremony, so bring your present with you and give it to the family then.