I am NOT Catholic. I only subscribe to God’s Word, as being correct. Salvation is a choice.
Salvation does NOT come from a Pastor/Priest, nor a parent, or Mary, and it does not come from Baptism. Baptism is a required action. Priests/Pastors and Mother Mary are all Holy choices, but cannot give you Salvation thru Prayer, or thru Baptism.
Children will come to Christ as they are taught, and people around them are good examples of Christianity.
Matthew 19:14 14Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Luke 18:16 16But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Mark 10:13-16 13People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.
Church and family should set good examples, and lead children to accept Jesus Christ, and be Baptised. Their infant Baptism is not invalid, it just isn’t Salvation, imho.
https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/does-baptism-save-you-a-biblical-analysis/
https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/15-bible-verses-about-baptism/
Your description of what you believe baptism consists of is quite clear and lines up pretty much with what the Bible says. The links are also to explanations that are quite adequate even if they are not written in the style of a theologian. I appreciate your slant on salvation an feel that I can relate to you as a fellow child of God.
To be baptized in water is an ordinance, a command of Christ to be followed by those that know they have placed their full trust in Jesus unreservedly, but most people really do not know what the significance of it is.
There are cases in which immersion is just not feasible, and God does not require it for one to enter His Heaven. But it is a public admission of one's faith, and of one's willingness to become a member of a local assembly of believers as an ongoing disciple, a functional student of the Ways of God.
Think of being sworn into service as a newly recruited soldier, and you will get the idea of what the rite of baptism is for. It is an official public recognition of one's willingness to be irreversibly inducted into the service of God as a Blood-purchased wholly-owned servant of Jesus, He being the Master, with other commissioned, trained, and spiritually mature servants as your guides in fulfilling your role in the church, the body of Christ, the person doing the baptizing being one of them.
The water baptism is one of the seven different baptisms found in the New Testament. A fuller discussion of them is found at the Happy Heralds web site: