what do you give as a godparent? the 5 gift moments

3 July 2026

being a godparent is an honour, but a gift calendar comes with it — you find that out soon enough. godmother, godfather, guide parent: the name varies by family, and the question is the same everywhere: what do you give, and at which moments is something actually expected of you. we line up the five moments, with honest advice for each one. it doesn’t always have to be big. it does have to come from you.

original photo the book Lauren en de dino's was made from

your photos

your book

1. the christening or the birth: the first big moment

it starts with the birth or the christening: you were asked, and that calls for something more than the standard babygrow. the classics still exist — a silver keepsake, a first savings account — and they’re fine. if you want something the child will pick up themselves later, turn the first baby photos into a story book, with their name in it and the family drawn from the real photos. ask the parents for three photos; you don’t need more. ten years from now your godchild reads back how it all began.

see the christening gift book

2. every birthday, and especially the first

as a godparent you’re one of the regular birthday guests, and so one of the regular gift-givers. don’t try to beat the toy mountain — you’ll lose, every single year. pick a line of your own instead: the godmother always brings the book, or always the day out. a book where the birthday child plays the leading role stands out among the parcels, and doesn’t disappear into the toy box after the party. made from ordinary photos you ask the parents for — or make it together with them, so it stays a surprise for the child.

see the birthday gift book

3. the first communion or spring celebration

in many families the first communion — or a non-religious spring celebration or confirmation — is the godparent’s big moment: a room full of family, and something special is expected from you. often that becomes an envelope, and there’s nothing wrong with that — but ten years on, nobody remembers what was in it. give something personal alongside it: a book where the child themselves plays the leading role, written and drawn from real photos. you know the date months in advance, so there’s plenty of time to make it.

see the communion gift book

4. new year’s day: a little ritual of your own

in flanders, godchildren read their godparent a new year’s letter on new year’s day — solemnly, sometimes standing on a chair, with wishes practised at school — and get a small gift in return. you don’t need the tradition to steal the idea: pick one fixed day a year that belongs to the two of you. put a little money into a savings box that grows with them, or write a short letter back — your wishes for the child, one page, every year. and keep whatever they write or make for you, one a year. by their eighteenth birthday you’ll have a small stack worth more than anything you ever bought.

5. no occasion at all: time is a gift too

the best thing a godparent has to give isn’t sold in any shop: time, just the two of you. an afternoon at the pool, chips together, a day at the seaside — without parents around, everything feels a bit more exciting and a bit more special. make it a recurring thing: the same week of the holidays every year, or the first sunday of every month. children remember the days out longer than the parcels, and you build a bond that doesn’t depend on presents. a hand-drawn voucher in an envelope is all it takes to announce it.

the common thread: give what only you can give

being a godparent isn’t a competition in amounts. the gifts that stick are the things only you could give: the fixed ritual, the letter back, the book with this child’s face in it. pick one thing per moment and do it well — an envelope for the practical side, something personal for the heart, time for the bond. and if in doubt, just ask the parents. they know exactly what makes the child happy, and they’d rather be asked than get a surprise that misses.