Seongnam City offers free rental of traditional and modern tables for baby celebrations

Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province is providing a free rental service for traditional and modern table sets to celebrate a child's "Baek-il" (100th day) and "Dol" (first birthday). This initiative aims to help parents prepare for these significant milestones without incurring substantial costs.

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Recently, the culture of large-scale Baek-il and Doljanchi has disappeared among parents of infants and young children, and the trend is rapidly changing to miniaturization, high-end customization, and self-photography.

The service was selected as a project for the "2026 Resident Participation Budget" based on a proposal from residents. The city invested 10.5 million won to purchase 15 sets – seven traditional and eight modern. These sets have been available for rent since April through three toy libraries in the Sujeong, Jungwon, and Bundang districts.

The modern sets include 12 items like a wooden table, bowls, accessories, and decorations, while the traditional sets feature 11 items, including a wooden table with traditional fabric wraps, bowls, candles, and ornaments. The service is available to Seongnam citizens and those working in the city who have infants around 90-120 days old for Baek-il or 11-13 months old for Dol.

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With the recent rise in prices, practical parents who feel burdened by expensive Doljanchi are increasingly tending to set up the banquet table themselves and take photos.

Interested individuals must register as members of the Seongnam City Childcare Support Center's toy library and apply online. Rentals are available from Wednesday to Friday, with returns due one week later on the same day of the week. A city official noted the trend of smaller, more personalized celebrations and DIY photo shoots, with parents increasingly opting to set up their own tables due to rising costs. The city hopes this service will alleviate parental burdens and make these precious moments more meaningful.

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We hope that this will reduce the burden of childcare for parents and allow them to commemorate their child's precious growth moments more meaningfully.