If you're at the stage of wanting to organise a naming ceremony for your baby, then you already know that babies have their own schedule, which doesn't always align with yours. At certain times of the day they are more sociable, more alert, and more amenable to the sort of activities a naming ceremony involves. For a baby this means being clean, being rested, and not being hungry.

Your first priority should be to work out the time of the day that your baby will be at his or her social best. This is often mid-morning or early afternoon, but not every baby keeps to the same timetable. So the primary consideration must be choosing a time for the ceremony which fits your individual baby's feeding/sleep schedule.

A namegiving ceremony must always be conducted on "baby time". This means that as well as being scheduled at the best time for the particular baby, there must be enough time to pause the ceremony and tend to the baby's needs (or the needs of another baby present)if the baby needs changing, feeding or generally soothing.

Celebrants also have schedules, and these frequently involve not only time of the day but day of the week. Here in Brisbane mid-afternoon on any Saturday between September and February is peak demand time for weddings (70% of weddings take place on a Saturday), which tends to result in celebrants who also do weddings being heavily booked. By contrast only about 20% of weddings happen on a Sunday, so scheduling your naming ceremony for a Sunday will mean you will have a greater choice of celebrant, and, if you are planning to have the ceremony in a park or

Other considerations may include

• A significant date. First birthdays are not uncommon, but it could equally well be another day of significance to you.
• The light. In Queensland, for example, the best light for outdoor photographs is the morning, so if you wish to have an outdoor naming photography might be important.
• Heat. The time of the day the area you want to use will be shaded should get priority in the hot weather.
• Work and other commitments of guests and participants, or travel arrangements for far-flung family and friends.
• Your time-line. If you are planning to schedule your ceremony in the near future you have to be far more flexible than if your proposed date for your ceremony is a long time off.

A good celebrant whose schedule fits yours, a relaxed and happy baby, and an environment that is comfortable for all guests, are the ingredients that make for a happy and relaxed ceremony. All it takes is a little bit of juggling.

Jennifer Cram is an accredited General Civil Celebrant based in Brisbane Queensland Australia where she specialises in performing one of a kind Naming Ceremonies as Beautiful as your Baby and other ceremonies. For more information about her naming ceremonies visit her website http://www.jennifercram.com and/or her Baby Naming Blog.

Copyright © 2005 Jennifer Cram. You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

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