Any significant Royal event leads to a plethora of themed merchandise, and the christening of Prince George has been no exception.

As well as the usual teddy bears, plates and tea-towels doing the rounds, there are belt buckles, an engraved wooden rope swing, even a Prince George pizza!

But will the christening of the third in line to the throne, which took place last week in a ceremony spanning four generations of the Royal Family, inspire the nation in the way the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding did in 2011?

The royal baby looked splendid in his christening robe, a replica of an ornate gown made for Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter in 1841, and it was revealed that he has no less than seven godparents.

But in an age when more than eight in ten young parents don’t go to church, a traditional christening has lost meaning for many people.

Christening ceremonies have long been a dramatic device for TV dramas – the most recent one being in Coronation Street, when the words “renouncing the Devil” led to ugly family revelations at Lily Platt’s christening – but what relevance do they have in modern life?

While many parents don’t welcome the arrival of a new child with any ceremony, increasing numbers are turning to non-religious baby-naming rituals.

According to the British Humanist Association (BHA), the numbers of such ceremonies have risen “from zero 15 years ago to number in the thousands today”.

Val Turner is one of four humanist celebrants in the Bradford district, affiliated to the BHA, which represents people who don’t have a religious faith but seek to live ethical lives.

Nationally, the BHA has more than 300 celebrants, accredited to lead non-conformist ceremonies attended by half a million people.

Val, from Heaton, takes ceremonies for funerals, weddings, partnerships and baby namings, and works closely with families to make them personal.

“Parents who don’t have a religious faith sometimes want to welcome their child into the world and their circle of friends, and a humanist naming ceremony is so personal and all about the child,” says Val.

“About 18 months ago I did a ceremony for a little boy and in a few weeks I’m doing one for his baby brother. Some content will be the same, as requested, and some will be different, as each ceremony is unique to the child.

“Also in this family are two older children from a previous relationship and they too will be involved, by giving out spring bulbs to guests as a reminder of the day.”

Val says people who are not religious look for meaning in other ways. While there are no hymns or prayers at a humanist ceremony, those attending can give readings and play music.

“Parents can mark the occasion in many ways, for example planting a tree or with a balloon release or a guest book with children’s fingerprints,” says Val.

“For ‘blended’ families, where there are children from previous relationships or adoptions, we can do a sand blending – different colours of sand representing each person are poured into a glass container. The grains are individual but once in the container can’t be separated, much like the family.

“I have done ceremonies in village halls, gardens, marquees, houses, and this year I did a lovely relaxed one on a campsite.

“Parents can choose friends or relatives to act as ‘guideparents’ or supporting adults. Usually parents and guideparents write their own promises to the child. We can involve grandparents too.”

For practising Christians, however, the baptism of a child is loaded with meaning. The Bible says, ‘He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned’.

“Baptism represents following Christ into His death, burial, and resurrection. When the child is raised from the water, it represents the resurrection,” says Jackie Pedley of Keighley, whose three children were all christened in church.

“For me, baptism is about the child’s salvation. I wasn’t christened as a child but when I was older I felt there was something missing in my life, so I chose to be baptised in my twenties.

“When I had my own children I felt it was important for them to be baptised as infants. It brought meaning to their lives.”