Personalised christening gift: ideas that last a lifetime

What personalised christening gift can I give? One of the most lasting is a book with the godchild's name, in which they are the main character: it doesn't sit in a drawer, it gets read, reread and grows up with the child. In this article we give you ideas, explain how to prepare the book, what it costs and how to hand it over on the day of the celebration.

Why a personalised gift makes sense at a christening

At a christening, almost every gift is for today's baby: clothes that stop fitting in a few months, toys that get lost, gold pieces that end up in storage. A personalised story is different because it speaks to tomorrow's baby. In three or four years, when the child can follow a plot and recognise themselves in the pictures, the book still makes sense. And twenty years from now, it is an object that holds the memory of who gave it.

What kind of story to choose

• A welcome-to-the-world adventure in which the baby is the main character and arrives in a place full of people who were waiting for them.
• A story about the name: where it comes from, who chose it and what it means to the family.
• A story with the whole family, with parents, siblings, grandparents and godparents as characters.
• A book with wishes from the godparents, using the dedication to leave a message to be read in the future.

You can have up to 5 characters in the same book, with 1 or 2 main characters. This lets you include the baby, the parents and the godparents, for example, without making the story confusing.

How to prepare it, step by step

1. 1Choose a sharp photo of the baby, with the face clearly visible and good light. If the baby is very small, a front-facing photo with nothing covering the face works best.
2. 2If you want to include the parents or godparents, pick one photo of each.
3. 3Decide on the theme and tone: tender, playful or solemn.
4. 4See the free preview, without creating an account, and check that the avatars look like the people.
5. 5Write a dedication of up to 250 characters and use the 2 free revisions to get every detail right before you approve.

Details that make a difference

At a christening, the baby's name is the centre of everything. Check the exact spelling, including accents and compound names, before approving the book. If the baby has more than one name, decide which one will appear in the story. And if the family has a tradition of its own, such as a name inherited from a grandfather, it is worth telling it: it is the kind of detail that gives the book meaning twenty years from now.

If you write the text yourself, keep the sentences short and the rhythm calm, as in a bedtime story. If you prefer us to create the story, give us the theme, the names and the tone, and use the revisions to adjust anything that doesn't sound like your family.

What it costs and when it arrives

Shipping of the printed book takes 6 to 10 business days to mainland Portugal and 6 to 15 business days to the islands. For other countries, the delivery time and cost appear at checkout before you pay. Since a christening has a fixed date, order at least two to three weeks ahead. If time is short, the eBook is available right after approval and you can print the first page to hand over at the party.

How to give the gift

• Give it to the parents rather than the baby: they are the ones who will read the story over the coming years.
• If the book has a dedication from the godparents, read it aloud at a quiet mument.
• If it is an eBook, add a handwritten card with the address where they can download it.
• Coordinate with the other godparents and relatives: a book with several dedications can be a joint gift.

Mistakes to avoid

• Leaving the order until the last week, in the case of the printed book.
• Using a blurry photo, with the face covered by a dummy or the baby's hand.
• Not checking the spelling of the name and the dates before approving.
• Including family information the parents prefer to keep private.

And is the photo kept?

The photo is used only to create the avatar and is deleted right afterwards. Only the illustrated avatars remain. If you have doubts about this, read our article on photo safety, where we explain the process in more detail.

A gift that can grow

Many families start with a book at the christening and make another one for the first day of school, a birthday or Christmas. The 2nd book you buy gets 20% off, which makes it easier to build a small collection in which the child sees themselves grow, from story to story.

In short

A personalised christening gift offers something rare: a story that only that child has. Try the free preview, choose the theme, confirm the name and decide after you see the result.