Selecting a name for your child can be a challenging task. Not only must you choose a name that you and your husband both admire, but it must be a name that your little one will be proud to carry for the rest of their life.
Luckily Jennifer Moss, author of “The One-in-a-Million Baby Name Book” and founder and CEO of BabyNames.com, has provided us with some helpful tips on how to make your baby-naming experience less stressful for the both of you.
Remember who is in charge.
- While you may be curious of the opinions of others, it is important to remember who has full control over naming your baby—YOU!
- “Sometimes parents get too much input from family/friends and they let them influence their name choices” Jennifer tells us. “When it comes down to it, only the parent(s) should be in charge of choosing the final name”.
Do some brainstorming.
- Make sure that both you and your child’s father bring potential names to the table. New Parent appreciates BabyNames.com for their wide selections. The site offers a full alphabetical index of names, a list of ‘cool names’, names that fit your child’s cultural identity, and more.
- Also, don’t forget to refer to “The One-in-a-Million Baby Name Book”. Written by Jennifer herself, the book includes 7 things you need to know when naming your baby!
Respect each other’s feelings.
- You and your partner may have opposing views as far as what you would like to name your child. It’s important that you remember to work as a team.
- “If one partner is suggesting names and the other has the power to veto, it won’t work” shares Jennifer.
- In other words, if you propose a name that your significant other is not too keen on, then cross it off the list. It is not worth having a disagreement over. Plus if you both admire the name, then the experience will be that much more special.
Put yourself in your child’s shoes.
- As Jennifer suggests, you shouldn’t make your child’s name too cutesy. You should like the name that you decide on; so much so, that you wouldn’t mind living with it yourself.
- After arriving at a prospective name then say it out loud—over and over, and over again. Make it easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and imagine your child with that name in the future. There will come a time when your baby will no longer be a baby anymore; filling out job applications with the name given to them by their parents.
- Make it a name that you, your husband, and your child will be proud of!
Oh, and naming your baby is supposed to be exciting. Good luck, and don’t forget to enjoy yourselves and to have fun!
