Baby Dedication

• Many Protestant Christian churches offer baby dedications as an alternative to baptism. In fact, some churches refuse to baptize babies because they cannot yet make a conscious decision about faith. During a baby dedication, the parents state their intent to raise the child in the church and create a loving home in which the child will learn about God and eventually come to know Jesus. The pastor of the church typically says a blessing over the family and states that the infant is being dedicated to God.
  
  

Naming

• A naming ceremony can take place in a church or another venue. During the ceremony, the child is presented to the congregation or guests and the child's name is announced. The parents also might select some religious or non-religious passages for the officiant to read. If the parents have selected godparents or other people who will support the parents in raising the child, their names also can be announced.
  
  

Welcoming Party

• The most informal alternative to a baptism is a welcoming party, which usually takes place outside of a religious setting. This type of party typically occurs shortly after the baby's birth to welcome the baby into the world. Parents can invite friends and family to their home or another location and provide food and beverages. If parents would like to make a semi-formal introduction, the baby can be introduced to the guests. Parents should give the child's name, date of birth and talk a little about how much the baby means to them.
  
  

Considerations

• One of the major problems that arises as the time for infant baptism nears is that families discover they do not agree on whether the infant should be baptized. For example, the infant's parents might prefer to not have a baptism, but the grandparents believe that the infant needs to be baptized. In this situation, the parents should consider the feelings of the grandparents and the interpersonal consequences of not baptizing the infant. Naturally, the parents have the final say in the matter. If the parents disagree, they need to discuss it and either defer to one person's viewpoint or determine a compromise.