Read any baby name book or article and you get the same advice:
I'm even guilty of writing them. Hopefully this article will give you some more practical advice.
Fetal Names
You might not admit to having a nick name for your baby while it's in the womb, but many parents do. Many a fetus is referred to as peanut from the very first ultrasound images that make your baby look like a peanut. Sometimes they have meaning, we choose Nissim, which means miracle, because we felt it was a miracle we were pregnant at all. Then when Lilah was born, everyone thought that Nissim was her name. Either choose name your baby can stand as a real life nick name, even if for only a couple of months, or be careful who you share your nick name with.
Don't Let Your Children Pick The Baby's Name
Children often have a way of coming up with a name for the baby. I think it makes them feel a part of the whole scene. A niece begged me to name my first daughter Big Bird. A friend's daughter choose broccoli for the new baby. It's cute in utero, but allowing it to continue will only result in your child being named Elmo Green Bean.
Don't Name Your Baby After a Pet
No matter how special your dog or horse was to you, it's simply not a good idea to name children after animals. So you've decided to do it anyway, and just not tell the baby. Trust me, someone will remember and tell your daughter Ellie about the 17 year old dog died while you were pregnant with her.
I actually have a friend name Becky. Sounds fine, right? Well at her 16th birthday party, an uncle let it slip that she had been named after the family's pet horse! You can imagine Becky's dismay...
I used to name all of my pets with the names of real people, Jack the three legged cat and Ellie the dog. I remember my mother telling the neighbor I would grow up to name my kids Snow Ball and Fluffy. I'm happy to report, and my mother relieved, my children are Hilary, Benjamin, Isaac, Lilah, Owen, Clara and Ada! Not bad, eh?
So, while this advice may seem silly, there is a ring of truth to all the stories told.
