Posted on 04/16/2011 11:46:10 PM PDT by TheDingoAteMyBaby
There are few things more thrilling in life than having your first baby. But newbie baby namers are prone to making some mistakes that more experienced name choosers are able to avoid.
If you're choosing a baby name for the first time, don't make one of these seven common mistakes:
1. Believing that the names that were popular -- and creative -- when you were a kid still have the same status.
Name tastes have changed radically over the last decade or two. Goodbye, Jessica and Josh, hello Layla and Serenity, Landon and Tristan -- all top 100 names.
2. Thinking that the playground rules are the same as they were back in the day.
Kids no longer get teased for having names that are unique, androgynous, exotic or hard to pronounce or spell. Rather, name diversity is celebrated.
3. Letting your parents have too much say in the baby's name.
Baby names can undoubtedly be a fun topic of family conversation. But the person who changes the diapers at 3 a.m. gets to name the baby.
4. Clinging too tightly to the name you always swore you'd give your first child.
A lot of people -- let's face it: girls -- spend their childhoods coming up with fanciful names they want to give their children. But if that name you always loved has suddenly become uber-popular or clashes with your new last name, let it go.
5. Caring too much about how cool the name choice makes you look.
Sure, pregnancy is cooler than it used to be, with cuter clothes and celebrity role models. But putting a name's cool factor above all else won't make little Bronx's life very easy.
6. Not considering subsequent children's names.
First-time namers are likely to think about, well, their first child's name, but if you name Baby No. 1 Tallulah, then you pretty much rule out Lula, Lila, Delilah, Sula, Tally and maybe even Louis for subsequent children.
7. Not realizing that there's going to be a real live baby ... and child ... and, eventually, grownup on the other end of the naming decision.
We get it that it can seem like your pregnancy is all about you. Sometimes, it can almost come as a shock when an actual baby emerges in the delivery room, instantly asserting her own needs and personality. Try to keep that little (and eventually big) person in mind when you choose the name she'll live with forever.
But try to have a good one anyway.
“Moistened Bint”.
:)
A little girl spoke up and said her name was "LaDasha ...the 'dash' don't be silent."
Better one - this is NO JOKE - WalMart cashier, twenty something - “CarLexus.”
We used to have a female wildlife officer here named Fonda Payne. Eventually she married, and we had some fun imagining different married names for her. Peters was a favorite. Very nice lady actually.
But the most unfortunate I knew of was a girl named Anita Eaton.
Best names in a series... four brothers named Dallas, Austin, Tyler, and Houston.
All true stories.
Are they big fans of To Kill a Mockingbird?
I always liked "Tug," though. ;-)
“You know who you are, and you know what you did!”
My son and his wife had their first baby 2 weeks ago. He is named after my son, who is named for his grandfather (my father) and his wife’s father.
My father’s name goes back to the 18th century in my father’s family. Family names still strong choices in the South.
You guys are lucky. Look what my parents named me. “Do Not Make Fun Of His Ears.”
Do you realize how many times I have to spell that over the phone???
Benny Hill suggested a gourmet dish, Chicken ala Freud.
Aka, “Freud Chicken.”
I forsee years of intense counseling for the poor kid.
CC
I know of a little girl named, “female”..pronounced “fee-mall-e”...nice huh
I went to school with Anita Dickman....
Wasn’t that the girl’s name in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
#8 biggest mistake: Taking advice from moronic articles whose authors have no more expertise in naming kids than you do.
When naming a child, the final test should always be to go out your front door and scream the whole name at the top of your lungs.
CC
“Grand-babies HAVE been called tadpoles.”
Maybe girl grand-babies should be called gribbettes? :)
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