June 19, 2008 - Silk Christening Gowns

Silk is a natural fiber, long prized for its strength and beauty. Special occasion clothing is especially suited to silk fabrics, as the luster and texture lend a dressy appearance to garments. Once reserved for nobility, this lovely fabric is available to all walks of life, and is a beautiful choice for baby christenings and ceremonies.

At One Small Child, we offer a wide range of silk dupioni products: silk christening gowns, silk christening rompers, silk christening accessories, all in an elegant shade of pearl white that subtly speaks of tradition and elegance.

May 22, 2008 - Smocked Christening Gowns and Outfits

For centuries, children's clothing has been constructed with hand-smocking techniques. To create smocking, light-weight fabric is folded into tiny pleats and then embroidered, creating a stretchy surface that displays a wide variety of design possibilities. Because of its hand-stitched nature, smocking requires a level of unique, personal attention that is not found in many sewing facilities.

At One Small Child, we are excited to offer beautiful hand-smocked styles for boy and girl: our Gilbert boys' smocked christening outfit and our Abigail smocked christening gown are finely crafted of pure, soft white cotton and are of exquisite quality. Perfect garments for the most discriminating of tastes!

May 15, 2008 - Beautiful Christening Gown

We received a lovely email from customer Christine, whose precious little girl wore our pink and ivory Alyssa christening gown:

Thank you so much! This is the most beautiful gown I have ever seen! So many wonderful comments. This is Olivia Marie, she was Baptized Jan. 6th 08. I'm so happy I found your site and I will tell anyone about it!

April 23, 2008 - Infant Bodysuits at One Small Child

When it comes to christening clothing, even if you are fortunate enough to enjoy warm weather year-round, it's nearly impossible to find an all-white diaper! Often times bright cartoonish graphics printed on today's disposable diapers show through even heavy-weight white fabrics. Our solution? A complete selection of bodysuit styles: long-sleeved, traditional short-sleeved, and sleeveless.

For something a little more feminine, our exclusive camisole bodysuit is particularly nice beneath sheer-sleeved or sleeveless tops or dresses, for special occasions or every day, especially in cooler climates.  

Bonus: each of our bodysuits are available with optional personalization. You can have baby's name and date, a sentimental phrase, or monogram embroidered on any of our bodysuits for a truly one-of-a-kind keepsake of a memorable day.

April 22, 2008 - Knit Christening Blankets, Available Now!

When planning a late-spring or summer christening, don't forget a blanket to go with your child's special outfit. Just arrived, our knit christening blankets are perfect for wrapping around baby in a chilly church or unexpected wind, or for placing under baby for keepsake portraits. These new styles are knit from soft 100% cotton yarns, in a light-to-mid-weight: not too thin, not too heavy. We have plenty of options to complement any christening ensemble. So what are you waiting for? Check them out today!

April 22, 2008 - Sweet New After-Christening Dress

Our new Chelsea after-christening dress is super sweet, knitted with light-weight 100% cotton, and styled in a simple a-line shape. Matching bloomers are included. The front of the dress is embellished with a heart outlined with hand-stitched ribbon, girly and cute without any fuss.

April 8, 2008 - You can order three christening dresses and make your choice at home

"I really liked the idea I could order three christening dresses, pick one and send the others back.  That is a wonderful idea! "   by T. Bryant

We recently received the preceeding comment from one of our satisfied customers.

We realize that shopping on the web is a bit difficult.  Where you can't see or feel it, it's really hard to know which of the christening gowns is the best choice.

This is the reason we offer you the option to order 3 of your favorite christening dresses and have them delivered directly to your home.  Then you can see for yourself which one you prefer.  Then you can return the gowns that you didn't choose.

Happy shopping!

March 18, 2008 - Cross Christening Pacifier Clip

For those of us who must never leave home without a pacifier, the invention of the pacifier clip is a blessing. Even better, no longer are discriminating parents forced to clip garish plastic cartoon characters to delicate white family heirlooms in the name of keeping baby quiet through the ceremony!

We've searched far and wide to gather a selection of silver-plated pacifier clips that add a sense of elegant personality to baby's christening wear: Display a token of faith with our cross pacifier clip, dress her up with our delicate butterfly pacifier clip, accessorize any girl or boy with our classicteddy bear clip...and more!

Our silver-plated pacifier clips are easy to care for--each comes with a washable ribbon. With time and use, they may tarnish a bit, but a quick rub with a silver polishing cloth will have them looking new, making these christening accessories from One Small Child  keepsakes to treasure long after the pacifier has become a thing of the past.

February 23, 2008 - Baby Alice in Our Abigail Smocked Christening Gown

Gloria from Italy sent this beautiful picture of her sweet daughter Alice in our Abigail smocked christening gown, as printed in their newspaper, Corriere della Sera.

February 21, 2008 - Lucy Christening Gown on Baby Savannah

We just received this sweet note from a pleased mommy...it made our day:

I can not thank you enough for this beautiful gown. I purchased the Lucy gown for my daughter Savannah's blessing. It felt like she was the belle of the ball. People could not stop commenting, and touching the gown!!! Everyone thought I had it specially made... then when I told them how affordable it was, they were shocked! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! If only I knew about you when I had my first daughter!

February 21, 2008 - Christening Gown Preservation

Have you ever wondered what do you do with your christening gown or christening outfit after the big event? Here are somesuggestions for preserving your family's heirloom infant clothing for future generations:

-Dry clean or hand-wash the christening gown or christening outfit as directed on the care and content label. Stains and body oils can irreparably discolor the fabric. If you hand-wash, avoid using harsh soaps, chlorine bleach, fabric softeners, and starch. Rinse the christening dress or outfit well to remove detergent residues.

-Once your christening gown or christening suit is completely clean and dry, stuff it with clean, acid-free tissue; this will help prevent hard creases that can weaken the fabric. Fold additional tissue into pleats and slip it between layers of fabric.

-Place the christening outfit or gown in an unbleached cotton muslin bag or archival quality cardboard box. Plastic or vinyl bags are unacceptable for long-term preservation since garments need to breathe. For this same reason, you should not seal or wrap a cardboard box containing heirloom christening clothing. Never pack mothballs with your christening apparel since they can ruin fabric over time. Also avoid storing the christening suit or gown with metal items. If you have purchased a bracelet for your special occasion, you can find the perfect display frame at One Small Child.

-Label your storage container (optional monogramming is available on our muslin keepsake bags) with a name and date.

-Store the christening outfit or christening gown in a cool, dark, dry place (for example, in a closet or under a bed). Avoid storing the box or bag in places where temperature or humidity may fluctuate seasonally (for example, a basement or attic). The ideal storage place has a relative humidity of 55 percent and a temperature of about 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

-Check your heirloom christening gown or christening outfit once in a while to ensure that it is maintaining its beauty. When you handle your christening heirloom, wear cotton gloves –- skin oils can discolor fabric.

-When you want to use your treasured christening gown or christening outfit again, remove it from the storage container and air it out for several days. You may need to steam the item to remove wrinkles; iron only as a last resort, on a very low setting.

February 8, 2008 - Personalized Christening Accessories

A charming way to remember the day is to add personalization to the items worn or used by your child during the event. There are many options available for your selection at One Small Child:

-Choose a cross, shamrock, monogram or baby's name and date to be embroidered on the hem of the slip worn beneath the gown

-Select one of our many embroidery options to be embroidered on a christening bib or in the corner of a christening blanket

-Personalize a bodysuit worn beneath baby's clothing with the embroidery option of your choice

-Circle your child's wrist with a pretty silver bracelet bearing his/her name

-Carry a handkerchief monogrammed with your child's initial

February 5, 2008 - Plus Size Communion Dresses

If your child is smaller or larger than the average girl preparing for her First Holy Communion, finding the perfect Communion dress can be a bit of a challenge.

To accomodate those who may be in need of a size other than the common 7, 8 or 10, we offer several styles beginning at size 5 (sometimes even smaller) and running up to size 16, as well as some styles offered in half sizes 8+ to 16+.

To see which sizes are available, simply click the drop down arrow on the size selection field found on each order page to view the sizes offered. Detailed size charts are available for each style featured.

January 26, 2008 - Colors for Christening Gowns

Ever considered going pink for your baby's christening gown?

Each congregation has different requirements...some prefer all-white attire for christening, but many allow for one of the fast-growing trends of the past few years:  incorporating color into christening gowns and christening outfits.

If you're looking for something unusual, One Small Child offers several options for introducing color in christening wear, from a tiny kiss of pink to entire gowns of mellow ivory or stunning pink. Boys are not forgotten, we also offer a traditionally cut romper in cool blue.

January 22, 2008 - Crosses on Christening Gowns and Communion Dresses

For members of christian faiths that reverence the sign of the cross, the selection of a First Communion dress, christening gown, christening outfit or christening accessory adorned with the cross can be a meaningful expression of devotion.  There are many ways to include this symbology in your special event, here are just a few available at One Small Child:

-Some christening gown and Communion dress styles feature crosses embroidered on skirts, woven into lace trims, or hand beaded all over.

-Select a customized cross embroidery options for any of our simple cotton slips, bodysuits, bibs, blankets, and baptism towels.

-Silver cross charms can be added to any of our lovely christening bracelets.

-Socks embroidered with crosses are available in styles for infant boys and girls, as well as older girls.

-Tiny bibles displaying crosses in gold tone or white lace are available in both Catholic and Protestant editions.

January 16, 2008 - After-Christening Outfits

Traditional christening gowns and outfits are beautiful, there's no doubt, but when it comes to buckling baby into a car seat, or passing your little one from loved one to loved one, even I have to admit the finery can be a bit cumbersome.

Here's our solution: After-christening outfits! We have several options available for girls and boys, all of which are appropriate for use as blessing or christening outfits if you're wanting something a little less formal. 

January 16, 2008 - The item we received was a little blessing suit in white...

January 14, 2008 - First Communion Dresses Available Now

We're pleased to be at the beginning of another First Communion season. It's always an exciting and busy time of year, and we like to make things as easy as possible for our customers to shop for everything needed for such a special occasion, so in addition to our exclusive dress selection, we've gathered a large collection of accessories, including veils, hosiery, handbags, bibles, shoes and more.

We added two new dresses over the weekend, so be sure to check them out: Kimberly and Maylee are both well-priced, in stock, ready to ship, and of course, gorgeous!

January 9, 2008 - I needed the Korbyn christening outfit quickly...

January 2, 2008 - New Year, New In-Stock Christening Gown

One of our goals for 2008 is to cut down on the time it takes to cut, sew, and ship our non-stock items. Our fabulous sewing team has been busy over the past few weeks, and we are pleased today to announce that our exclusive Jessa christening gown is now an in-stock item!

I have to admit that it's one of my favorites--it's very closely based on the one-of-a-kind gown I created for my first baby, and it makes my heart smile every time I see one of these gowns on our production line or being inspected and prepped for shipping. I like to imagine all the pretty babies who get to wear this special christening gown, and the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' of their loved ones.