Are you struggling to choose a baby name? With all of the choices out there, choosing a name for your baby can seem like a daunting and overwhelming task.
Don’t worry about it too much; check out these 8 things that will help you to relax and choose the perfect name for your baby.
1. There is no pressure to name your baby while you’re still at the hospital
It can be practical to settle on a name for your baby while you’re still at the hospital, but if you’re not 100% certain on a name it is best to wait. Choosing the perfect baby name that you and your partner love is important, so don’t feel pressured to name your baby if you are not ready. You may need a little longer to get a full sense of your baby’s personality, so trust your instincts and wait until you are 100% happy with the name you have chosen.
2. Even if you want to keep the name a secret, you can trial it online
You may want to keep the name you have chosen secret until delivery, but it can often still be useful to see what others think online. There are lots of websites where you can anonymously post your chosen name to get some opinions on it. People will often bring up factors you haven’t even considered, such as the name being difficult to spell or pronounce. Don’t worry if people simply don’t like the name – after all, you may dislike their baby name choices. Everyone has different preferences.
3. Your family will learn to love the baby name you choose
You may have suggested a name to your friends and family and discovered that someone dislikes the name you have chose. Don’t worry about this too much; they are simply seeing the name by itself. When your baby is born and the name is attached to a beautiful child, it is very likely that they will grow to love it.
4. Name associations rarely last
Name association is often a point of despair for soon-to-be parents. It may feel like every time you think of a name, your partner tells you they don’t like it because they dislike someone with the same name. Don’t let this be a deterrent for either of you; in a few years you will barely be able to remember the person who shared the name.
5. Consider possible nicknames before you settle on a name
For some parents, a nickname is a sweet way to show affection and love. If you think a nickname will be important to you, test out nicknames for some of your options before you settle on a name. Some names just don’t have nicknames, or a name may have a nickname that you didn’t think of previously and you might dislike it, so choose wisely.
6. It is difficult to predict which baby names will be popular
Many parents want to give their baby a unique name, but it can be very difficult to know which names will be unique. Names that are classed as unique change regularly; if you look at the names of people in your parents’ or grandparents’ age bracket you will notice totally different trends and patterns. For instance Aiden may seem like a unique name, but it was actually the second most popular baby name for boys in 2014.
7. Pop culture has a huge influence on popular baby names
It is likely that you already know that pop culture has a big influence on the current most popular baby names. However pop culture changes rapidly, so don’t let popularity put you off a baby name that you love. A celebrity you dislike could have a baby after you and use the same name – you can’t really help these things, so shrug it off without fretting.
8. You will love the name that you choose
Choosing a name for your baby can feel like an overwhelmingly important task, but try not to obsess over it too much. You will love whichever name you choose, and when you see your baby you won’t be able to imagine them with any other name.
