The baptism of a child is one of the seven church sacraments. On this day, the child is spiritually reunited with God. According to biblical teachings, baptism is a prerequisite for being born again in order to be able to enter the kingdom of God. It is after baptism that a person is given permission to attend all church ordinances, the main of which is the Communion. After you decide to baptize your child, you will probably have many questions regarding this rite, including “When to baptize a child?”
According to the traditions of our ancestors, the baby was baptized on the fortieth day after his birth. Why on the fortieth? The church does not have any clear explanations about this. Most likely, this is due to the fact that a woman after the birth of a child can enter the temple after forty days, due to her natural weakness and expiration in the postpartum period. At the end of this period and after reading certain cleansing prayers, she may be present at divine services. When you baptize a child is a purely personal decision. Although, from numerous recommendations and experience, the best time for a baby's baptism is a period of up to 3 months. At this time, he is still not able to distinguish relatives from strangers, so the ceremony takes place more calmly. There is no need to console the child, which is sometimes very difficult to carry out without the presence of the mother.
In many mothers, babies are born weak and often sick. On a forum on the Internet you can often read: "When to baptize a child who is ill all the time soon after birth?". In this case, it is not necessary to accurately calculate the day of baptism, because this rite with the baby can be performed both earlier and later. Therefore, such children must be christened as early as possible so that God's grace descends upon them. And if there is a threat to life, then the ceremony can be carried out immediately after birth. During this period, the child is given a name that matches the name of one of the saints. It is he who later becomes the patron of the baby and protects him from all sorts of misfortunes. In most cases, the church name will match the civil name.
If you listen to popular superstitions and signs, the answer to the question "When to baptize a child?" Will be completely different. According to popular beliefs, this should happen until seven years old, while the child is attached to his mother. After seven years, his angel separates the child from his mother and gives him the ability to make decisions independently. If before this time the rite is not performed, then it is possible that the "impure forces" will "entice" him to his side, and after that there will be no sense in baptism.
On the Internet forum, next to the question “When is it better to baptize a child”, the question “Why can not a child be baptized in the womb of the mother?” Is often found. And really, why is the sacrament of baptism performed only on born people, especially when a woman has a threat of miscarriage? There is an explanation for this too. Nothing in this life happens by chance. And if the Lord did not give a blessing to the child to enter this world, then he will not be born.
In the old days, children were baptized only on Sunday. A second question pops up here: “What days can a child be baptized?” In the temple, you can perform this ceremony on any day of the week. However, if you think logically, then the best option for its accomplishment will be any weekday when there are relatively fewer people in the church than on Sunday. It will be convenient not only for you, but also for your baby.
Many people believe that the Sacrament of Baptism is best done in a church with the name of a baby. I would like to note right away that this is an erroneous opinion, and the church does not give any instructions on this issue.
In addition, all parents need to know that during the baptism, the child should be dressed in new comfortable clothes. The use of a dummy is not prohibited. But as for the pictures on the camera or camera, which has recently been used very often, it is strongly recommended not to do this. According to many churches, during the filming the sacrament of the rite is violated. Perhaps this is not so, but as they say, "God saves the safe."