Celebrating our love for and commitment to the children in our lives is important. A naming or welcome ceremony is a lovely way to introduce your child to your wider family and community, and make promises about your commitment to bring the child up in a home with love and care.

These ceremonies work equally well for young babies or older children who may be joining the family, and they’re a nice way to bring together members of different families to signal a new blended family group.

You can hold the ceremony wherever you like – at home, in the local community hall, at a hotel, or somewhere that is special to you. You can go to the park – but remember that the English weather might not behave, so you might need a contingency plan.

I can help you to decide what to include in your ceremony. Parents often like to make individual promises to the child, and you can invite friends or family members to become “supporting adults”, someone who promises to support the child alongside the parents, guiding them to adulthood, offering friendship and care throughout their lives.

There are lots of lovely sayings and readings about bringing up children that you can choose to include, and of course you can write your own too. You can include faith-based words if you’d like, and choose music to suit your mood. There are also lots of ways in which older siblings and family members of all generations can be involved, so it really is a celebration for the whole family.