Tips For Picking the Best Baby Name

Author: Nancy Wurtzel

Expectant parents spend hours preparing the nursery, poring over

pregnancy and delivery books and going to childbirth classes.

Yet surprisingly, many decide their child's given name within a

matter of minutes, often spending more time selecting the right

car seat or stroller.

What should parents-to-be consider when choosing a baby name?

All About Baby, a personalized children's products company that

has seen all types of name combinations, has come up with

helpful tips to make the process interesting, fun and successful.

USE BOOKS AND THE INTERNET First, start with the experts. The

choices today are staggering with more than 50,000 common names

and spelling variations. Begin with some basic homework by

buying a few baby-name books or a baby-name software program.

Check online for the best buys.

You can also use the internet by tapping into dozens of internet

sites that list popular baby names, some websites even offer

customized search programs, complete with the meaning and origin

of the names.

BEGIN KEEPING A LIST Somewhere during the middle of your

pregnancy, start jotting down some of your favorite selections.

Next, begin mixing and matching the first and middle names along

with the baby's last name to see how you like various

combinations. How do the names sound together? How do they look

on paper? This is the time to ask others for their opinion, so

keep an open mind and have a little fun considering a wide range

of names for your little one.

At the same time, keep in mind that names often bring up a

myriad of emotions, and sometimes parents can have very

different reactions to their partner's favorite choices. So we

advise being respectful of your partner's feelings.

Trendy names are really in fashion -- especially with

celebrities. However, there is always something to be said for

the old standards that have endured the test of time. For

instance, Bambi Nevada might seem like a cool choice today, but

consider what is the best selection for an entire lifetime. What

will this name look like decades later on a business card?

Along these same lines are exotic spellings and invented names,

which are also in wide use today. Remember that kids can

sometimes be cruel and a highly unusual name could be fodder for

playground teasing.

As an adult, just think how many times during an average week

you give and spell your name. Do you want to give your child a

name that he or she could really resent later?

If you absolutely love a name, but can't tolerate the nickname

that often goes with it, then think twice.

For example, I have a friend who named her son Michael, even

though she hates the nickname, `Mikey'. Now the mom spends far

too much time and energy correcting kids, teachers and other

parents who refer to him by the dreaded nickname. It's just not

worth it.

HAVE SOME BACK-UP CHOICES Since ultrasound tests are not always

interpreted correctly, All About Baby recommends choosing names

for both sexes. Even when you think the gender is a certainty,

it is still a good idea to have a back up name. Why? Sometimes

the name that seemed perfect during your pregnancy just isn't

the right match when the new baby finally arrives.

This actually happened to another mom that I know, who was

having her second son, a boy. They learned the sex of the baby

during pregnancy and planned for months to name their new son,

Cameron Michael.

However, when I visited their home a few days after the baby's

birth, I learned the parents had named him Matthew John. His

mother's explanation was that after his birth, they all realized

`he just didn't look like a Cameron.' And you know, she was

right, he looked like a Matthew John!

PICK THE NAME THAT IS RIGHT FOR YOUR CHILD Everyone seems to

have an opinion when it comes to baby names, and family members

can be especially outspoken. While it's fun to hear suggestions,

especially during the first part of your name search, keep in

mind that ultimately your child's name is your decision. It is

impossible to make everyone happy.

Naming your infant is one of the most important tasks you will

ever undertake. A person's name is truly a lifetime gift, and it

helps define your child -- within the family, to friends, at

school and to the outside world. If you consider the options

carefully and select with love, you really can't go wrong.

For a complete list of 20 Helpful Baby-Naming Tips as well as a

wide variety of other interesting child-related content, visit

http://www.allbaby.com.

About the author:

Nancy Wurtzel is the founder and owner of All About Baby, an

ecommerce site located at http://www.allbaby.com. All About Baby

specializes in personalized and memorable gifts for children as

well as interesting and helpful child-related site content. Ms.

Wurtzel has over 20 years of marketing and communications

experience. She consults with small businesses seeking to enter

the marketplace or grow their existing ecommerce business.

Buying Pregnancy stuff on the web

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Tips For Picking the Best Baby Name

Article : Tips For Picking the Best Baby Name