How to Choose a Name For Your Baby

One of the thrills of having children is giving them their own identity. But pinning a name on a child has more responsibility to it than just the physical label. Here are a few suggestions on how to choose a name for your baby.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• book of baby names

How to choose a name for your baby.

1. Select several names that you are considering giving to your baby. Write them down on a piece of paper.
2. Get a book on baby names from the library or book store and write out the meaning of each name.
3. Choose the name that most reflects the character you want your child to have, for example, “born leader” or “spreader of joy and happiness” as opposed to “name of mad dog” or “person with great sorrows”. You want your name to reflect the person.
4. Write down all the short forms that might be used against the names you chose. If the short form changes the meaning of the name or gives it an unfavorable implication, you might want to select another name that has a similar meaning to the original one you chose.
5. Establish right at the beginning whether you want your child to be called by the full name or the short form. This way, if you have selected a name that you want but which could have an unfavorable short form, you can bypass that problem by enforcing the full name.
6. When selecting a name, make sure it is one that will fit in with the society you live in and not become a painful thorn in your child’s side, causing her to be ridiculed or laughed at in school.
7. Show your child the importance of his name by hanging a plaque that depicts its meaning.

Tips & Warnings

• You cannot control your child’s name from being shortened by other children or even teachers at school, so consider that possibility when you are selecting a name. If you are concerned that a short form of her name might be unfavorable, then you select a short form first so that it will be the one that others use.