The Big Decision

Naming your baby is the least important decision you will make as a parent. OK, not the least. But a great deal of energy is expended on choosing a name, while there are a great deal of more important decisions you’ll need to make when raising your baby.

Don't Sweat about Names

There is no shortage of advice available about names. Naming your children is of course a very personal decision. Only you can decide what is important in choosing a name and your decision should truly be your own. If there’s one thing that’s really important in choosing name, it’s that the decision should belong to the parents. .

Whenever possible, both a child´s father and mother should participate in choosing a name. Parents should be able to be honest with each other about what they like and don’t like and can (hopefully) agree easily on name. .

The Choice Should Be Yours

For many people, family tradition is a big factor in choosing a name. Whether it’s carrying on your name or those of your parents or grandparents, carrying on these traditions is an important aspect of building and maintaining family connection. It is something that should be done willingly though. This is area where many families often still apply pressure to choose one name or another. There is no room for this type of influence. At some level this is bound to cause resentment. No aspect of having a baby should be associated with such a negative situation. .

Since it´s hard for friends and family to resist the temptation to venture their opinions, many parents make the decision to keep quiet about the names they are considering until the birth. This keeps the decision private, holding outside influences to a minimum and also ads an element of surprise. .

Ultimately, a baby´s name should have the full credibility of a parental decision behind it, whether the decision is made in keeping with long-standing family tradition or is just a whim. .