The earliest time of a child's life is under discussion here. This is the time during which there should be a thanksgiving, blessing and welcome from the local clergy. If a child has been welcomed during its first few months of life, then between the age of one and five years old, the Church of England clergy should also have invited the parents to arrange a baptism service in the Parish Church. Whereas I suggest that a few years' delay may be preferable for the sake of the child's own experience of the event, baptismal tradition may still mean the child is only a few months to a year old. In such circumstances 'parents and toddlers' groups will be essential during the week and crèches on a Sunday during service time.

My own experience of Sunday School was that it operated from the age of three years old and so that was the time when I took my daughter along and stayed with her until she was settled and happy. When we set up the fully‑fledged system in the multi‑purpose St Paul's Church, the first class was called the 'Beginners' on a Sunday, and supported by the mother and baby group 'Family Hour' on a Wednesday afternoon. St Paul's Blackbrook and St John's Weston both ran Playgroups on weekday mornings for children from age 3 to 4 years old.

The relationship between baptism and participation in the Holy Communion could be kept close in time if both are arranged when a child is four or five years old and is ready to begin Primary School. Explaining the occasion to children may be of the simplest kind because the meaning will gradually be unfolded in the years ahead as they continue in the Christian Confirmation Fellowship and participate in the regular services of their parish church.

During the earliest years especially about the age of three or four, I found it helpful to visit the children I had baptized at St John's Weston with the gift of a Teddy Horsley book and a Teddy bear. The visit was always appreciated by the parents and their children.

This could also be a sensible plan for all children who had been welcomed with a service of thanksgiving and blessing. Evidently, a greater number of children would be reached, and careful records should be kept. Computer records of each family with names, address and dates of birth of the children will facilitate visiting, arranging teaching and encouraging progress in the Christian Way. Also, the numbers could be very large and with a mobile population the task of keeping records up‑to‑date and passing on information to other parts of the country will be immense.

Evidently the 'Weston Way from Water to Wine' described on another page would need adapting for every parish, but the giving out of Souvenir Mugs readily encourages children to see that Christian baptism also involves being a communicant albeit using non‑alcoholic wine.

The justification for admitting children to Holy Communion has been made on another page. However, the use of anointing oil or chrism before a child is admitted to participate (especially if there are some months or years between the time of baptism and admission to communion) could be helpful to all concerned. Indeed, it may prove an ecumenical gesture. The Orthodox bishops' 'confirmation' consists of the anointing with chrism, a procedure delegated by the bishops to their presbyters. Another advantage for the Church of England is that chrism is already available for use by the parish priest since it is one of the three oils consecrated for use each year by the diocesan bishops in their cathedrals.

Clearly much time and effort will be required to gradually change inherited ways of dealing with baptism and Holy Communion when they involve children between one and five years of age. Nevertheless, if the Church of England wishes to reverse the decline in the numbers of children receiving Christian education a national campaign must be launched as soon as possible.