Baby Dedication

I had been planning for my kids dedication this past days. My son is already 20 months old and my daughter is 7 months old so I think it's the best time and I don't want to wait anymore longer since they are getting old.

I've been also looking online what is the difference of baby baptism and dedication. And here what I had found and maybe this would help some parents about this very special act we could give our child and which one we should choose whether BAPTISM OR DEDICATION.

Baby dedication is primarily a public declaration of responsibility by the baby’s parents, involving desire and gratitude. They are showing gratitude to God for the gift of a child and for all hopes and possibilities this gift embodies. They are expressing their desire for the well being of the child in the years to come that he or she will prosper physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. They are also taking responsibility to work to make these things happen. The act of dedication is no magic ceremony, which insures the happiness of the participants. It is instead, more like the signing of a contract. The parents declare before God, and His people, that they will do all within their power to be the best parents possible for that child. In return, they ask God for strength and wisdom to carry out the task.

In this regard, “baby dedication” is almost a misnomer. The real dedication is of the parents to whom God has entrusted the child. If they are sincere and faithful in carrying out their responsibility, the child will prosper (Proverbs 22:6). If they are not sincere, no matter how beautiful the prayer, how solemn the affirmations or how moving the moment, the child will in no way benefit from this act of dedication. The child is not saved as a result of this ceremony. He or she must decide later whether or not to walk with the Lord. The ceremony is of benefit for the child only to the degree that the parent fulfills their promises and demonstrates the love and grace of God in their actions and words at home as the child grows.

Because many are unfamiliar with this way of understanding baby dedication, it may be helpful to set out clearly the differences between this kind of dedicatory act and rite of infant baptism as practiced by many churches. Infant baptism is intended to secure the salvation of the child. Churches which practice this rite believe that infants are born sinners and are worthy of God’s judgment simply because they are human, descendants of Adam. Since in this understanding of these groups an unbaptized infant will go to hell should it die, it is imperative to counteract the child’s sinfulness by the infusion of grace, which they believe occurs at baptism. In contrast, we do not baptize because as we understand from scripture, people are not condemned to hell simply because they are born, but each person chooses wrongly for himself and so encounters the judgment of God. Since infants cannot make those choices, it is mistaken to say they are sinful and it is unnecessary to try and remove their sins through some sacred rite. The real concern is to help children make the right choices as they grow, choices for God and his grace. Since this can happen most easily through the influence of godly parents, we ask the parents to dedicate themselves to a responsible, faithful lifestyle, and to dedicate children to the keeping grace of God.
http://www.harborlight.com/260418.ihtml