Modern Christening Gifts for Boys : A Keepsake They'll Treasure

When most people think of christening gifts they think of traditional gifts and keepsakes.

But if you're looking for modern christening gifts for boys, there's no reason you have to stick with silver, photo frames or religious gifts.

I know my Mum kept the crocheted shawl I was christened in. Very traditional, very old fashioned, but she kept it all those years.

Christenings tend to hold religious significance as well. I'm not religious, so giving my kids anything religious was never really on the cards. To tell the truth, I can't even remember what we gave our kids when they were christened.

Maybe that says something about the gifts!

What Makes The Right Christening Gift For A Boy?

I reckon a good christening gift should be something Mum and Dad want to keep.

Baby clothes are useful, but eventually they're outgrown. Toys come and go. Even some of the traditional christening gifts probably spend most of their lives hidden away in a cupboard.

A keepsake is different.

My Mum keeping my christening shawl is a good example. It wasn't valuable because of what it cost. She kept it because it was part of the day and part of my childhood.

That's what I'd be looking for in christening gifts for boys. Something personal enough that there's a reason to hang onto it.

A Personalised Christening Gift With His Name On It

That's where I reckon a wooden name train fits in.

Instead of having the child's name engraved in the corner somewhere, his name becomes the train. There's an individual wooden carriage for each letter, an old-fashioned steam engine at the front and a caboose at the back.

Jack gets J-A-C-K.

Alexander gets a much longer train!

I like that because there is absolutely no question who the gift was bought for.

Put it on the nursery shelf and his name is right there as part of his room. When he's older, he'll know it's his too.

A Christening Keepsake That Really Does Last

Quite by chance, my wife has a name train that her son was given at his christening.

This was long before we met, and long before I started selling them.

And she still has it!

What better argument could I make for giving a name train as a christening keepsake?

It wasn't thrown away when he got older. It survived childhood and she kept it.

That's exactly what you hope will happen when you give someone a keepsake.

Baptism Gifts For Boys: From Traditional Silver To Something Personal

A christening or baptism can have a lot of religious significance for a family.

For some people a Bible, prayer book, rosary or cross will be exactly the right baptism gift. 

Then there are the traditional silver keepsakes. A bracelet, photo frame or piece of christening jewellery with the child's name and christening date engraved on it. They have been popular christening gifts for boys for generations.

It wasn't for me.

I'm not religious and when my own kids were christened, giving them something religious wasn't on the cards.

That's why I don't think baptism gifts for boys necessarily have to be religious.

You can honour the importance of the day by giving something personal to the child instead.

His name is about as personal as you can get.

Christening Gift Ideas For Godparents And Close Family

I reckon godparents want to give kids presents that'll be kept throughout the years.

You're not just another guest turning up to the christening. Being chosen as a godparent means something, so you'd probably like your gift to mean something too.

That's where a personalised christening gift makes sense to me.

Years later, Mum or Dad can pull it out and say who gave it to him.

That's certainly better than trying to remember who bought what twenty years earlier. I can't even remember what we gave our own kids!

A Personalised Keepsake For Baby Boys To Grow Up With

The nice thing about a name train is that it doesn't have to disappear into the keepsake box straight away.

Before he's old enough to safely play with it, it can sit on his bedroom shelf.

As he starts learning letters, there's his own name sitting right in front of him.

Then, when he turns three, he can finally play with it. The train comes off the shelf and starts getting pushed and pulled around the house.

Perhaps when he's older it'll end up back on the shelf again.

Then one day Mum packs it away with the other things from his childhood she can't quite bring herself to get rid of.

My wife still having her son's christening name train tells me that isn't such a far-fetched idea.

Why Wooden Toys Make Thoughtful Christening Gifts For Boys

Wooden toys have a certain feel about them that plastic toys don't.

There's the weight of the timber, the grain and the little differences from one piece of wood to another.

Our wooden name trains are made from natural beechwood and finished with a natural stain. Rather than covering the timber up, you can still see its character.

I reckon that works particularly well for a christening gift.

Natural timber doesn't really go out of fashion. It also looks good in just about any nursery, which is handy when you have no idea what colour Mum and Dad have painted the room.

More importantly, it feels like something worth keeping.

A Keepsake For His Christening Day And Beyond

It's an important milestone, but the funny thing about christenings is that the baby won't remember any of it.

Everyone else will.

There'll be photos, family, godparents and probably plenty of stories about the day as he gets older.

A personalised christening gift becomes another part of that story.

Maybe it'll be sitting on the nursery shelf in some of those early photos. Later there'll be birthday photos and Christmas photos.

Years down the track, someone might pull the old train out and remember exactly why it was bought.

That's what happened with my christening shawl.

It's also what happened with my wife's son's name train.

Built To Last, Like A Good Christening Keepsake Should Be

Let's face it, kids aren't known for being gentle with their toys.

I reckon if something is going to become a childhood keepsake, first it has to survive childhood.

We've packed and shipped over 250 wooden name trains now and not one has been reported damaged.

They're made from solid beechwood and the carriages are joined using metal connectors rather than flimsy plastic clips.

They might look good sitting on the shelf, but once a child reaches three they're there to be played with.

That's how memories get made in the first place.

A Different Kind Of Christening Gift For Boys

Traditional christening gifts will always have their place.

My Mum kept my christening shawl for years, so I'm certainly not going to argue against tradition.

But there is room for something different.

I can't remember what we gave our own kids at their christenings. Yet quite by chance, all these years later, my wife still has the name train her son was given at his.

I think that says more about personalised christening gifts than anything clever I could write here.

If you're looking for a meaningful gift for a boy's christening that'll be personal, useful and hopefully still around many years from now, a wooden name train is pretty hard to beat.