At any age, anyone can receive baptism. In France, approximately 290,000 children are baptized each year, including nearly 20,000 of school age as part of their catechesis journey, while adult baptisms in France concern nearly 4,000 people each year.
Adapted preparations are provided for school-aged children, adolescents, or adults.
It is the parents who request baptism for their child. Some parents do not wish to request it, believing that the child should understand what baptism is and make a conscious choice.
For the Catholic Church, baptism conferred on a baby, still unable to personally adhere to the faith, and even if requested by a family with little faith, remains a true baptism. Most parents do not think of imposing their faith on their child but wish to transmit what they themselves have received.
If the parents are not yet married, or if they are divorced, if they are not baptized themselves, if they are not believers or are of another religion, they can agree to have their child baptized, but on the condition that they commit to then allowing them to receive a Christian religious education, to participate in catechism and the sacraments.