Choosing a Name for Your Baby

Selecting the right name for your baby can be fun, exciting and also overwhelming! With over thousands of names to choose from, how do you select the perfect name for your baby? Here are some things to consider.

Be open to ideas: Friends and family members will inundate you with baby name ideas. Respect their excitement but never feel pressurised to choose a name for your baby that you and your

Brainstorm with your partner: A great idea is to make separate lists of favourite baby names and then each partner can vote for or against each name to shortlist mutual favourites.

Avoid embarrassment: Funny initials or corresponding cringe-worthy nicknames will torment your child well into college! Puns, wordplays, funny sounding or exceedingly difficult to pronounce baby names are best avoided.

Say it out loud: Once you have a few names shortlisted, say each name out loud with the baby's last name and see how it sounds. If it sounds rhythmic, the names a keeper but if it sounds disjointed strike it out and move on!

Go for balance: If the baby's last name is long, consider a short first name. Correspondingly, longer first names are well-paired with short last names.

Keep it unique: The hot trend these days is to give your baby a moniker that will set him or her apart from the crowd. Unusual baby names are a good idea but make sure the name isn't incredibly hard to pronounce or doesn't need constant correcting.

Honouring a family member: This is an age-old tradition and a great way to show respect but don't give into pressure.

Heritage preferences: If you'd like your baby's name to reflect your religion, ethnicity or heritage, consider appropriate names. This can often narrow down the name pool and make the decision easier.

Defining your baby's name: If you'd like your baby's name to actually have a meaning, this will also narrow down the pool for you. Look at names that signify beautiful thoughts, emotions and things.

Consider your baby: Your baby will carry their name forever. Peers can be cruel with names, so it is important to make sure that your child doesn't feel resentful about their name growing up!