In the Roman Catholic Church, most of those born into the faith are baptized as infants. The traditional clothing for a child being baptised into the Roman Catholic faith is Christening Gowns a christening gown, a very long, white infants' garment now false especially for the ceremony of christening and unusually only worn then. They are in actuality the normal, or at least "best", outer clothing of Western babies until about the 19th century.

For the reception of adult converts, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is performed, at which the clothing with the baptismal garment is optional.