How To Choose A Name For Your Baby

For some couples, choosing a name for their baby is not a big deal. Not with their mothers and fathers-in-law giving them a variety to choose from. For others, however, it quite a hard process especially when they don’t want him (or her) to be named after anyone in their family. There are thousands of names out there and putting the finger on one specific name could be a herculean task, especially when you and your partner disagree. When you are well into your pregnancy, the sex and name become more pressing for soon to be parents. Here are four excellent tips to guide you when trying to find a good name for your baby:

TRY COMBINATIONS

Finding a name for your child is not easy when you and your partner have different preferences. As the mum, you may quickly find yourself thinking ‘I am THE ONE giving birth to this baby, and I will be THE ONE to decide on the name.’ This, of course, is wrong. Both of you could also agree to one person naming this one, and the other naming the next. This approach, however, may test someone’s faith as well as patience.

The simplest way out of that dilemma is to combine your preferences and make a bomb name out of the two. If your names are, say, Beatrice and Ella, you could settle for Bella! Single parents might not have the same dilemma although they own set of challenges to face. 

BE CAREFUL OF THE OPINIONS YOU LISTEN TO

So what if your mother’s cousin’s uncle does not think that Justin suits your little boy? Your hair stylist may have something different to say about your daughter being called Lexa. The most annoying thing about it is that most of these opinions are uncalled for. Don’t let people who do not affect your family in any way keep you juggling names until you are confused. If you and your husband decide on Cara, then Cara it is. You need to be able to settle on the basics, as soon you will have more practical things to consider such as how to transport your little one and what to wear. 

FAMILY NAMES

These have been known to cause many conflicts, especially among the in-laws. If you and your partner decide to settle on a name that is already in the family, make sure that you both agree to it. To make it even better, you could give the baby a name from each side. While you are at it, however, watch out for those that passed with time. You don’t want your adolescent daughter ranting and raving every day for years about why you decided to name her Linda Adelaide (no offense, people).

CULTURE

Reflecting your cultural roots in the name of your baby is never a bad idea. Ethnic backgrounds often provide an impressive variety to choose from, and no matter what you and your partner settle on, it will never sound too strange. Also, the name you settle on does not have to come to from your culture. You can pick a beautiful foreign name from a place you visited, and it would come out beautifully. It could be Pendo (love in Swahili) or Alisha (noble in Indian)

In conclusion, you can never really run out of names for your little one. You could pick an existing name or create your own. Either way, try as much as you can to be creative!