Tips on Choosing a Baby Name

Before choosing a name for your baby, there are several things that you need to consider. First of all you should consider the child's ancestry.

Usually it is nice to give your baby a first or a middle name that refers somehow to a relative your family tree. In some cultures, this is considered to bring you good fortune as it is thought that the guardian spirit of that relative will always be watching over your child.  Also it is a way of “branding” a child so that he or she always feels like a cherished member of your tribe.  

Before you give your child a name, be sure to look up it’s meaning to make sure that it does not have unflattering connotations. For instance, the name Luxton, might sound very elegant and mean “elegance” in English, but if your child is Jewish, the name will translate to mean “limp noodle.”  This rule especially applies to names that sound exotic and Far Eastern.  The name Kali might sound pretty for a little girl, but it means “Goddess of Death” in India.   Does the name sound right when you call it?  Realize that during the first w years you will be often calling out this child’s name as in  “Aberdeen, don’t stick your finger in the light socket!” 

Make sure that it is a name that you and others can pronounce easily. Does the name have an attractive casual short form?  The best names are ones that can be shortened so that the child can have an affectionate nickname.  The more versatile the name the better, especially if the child doesn’t like his or her full name when he or she grows up. An example of a good versatile name is Delilah, which can be shortened to Dee, Del, Lily or Lilah. 

Will children make fun of the name?  To you the name Dorcas has great ancestral significance as well as refers to a great Sea Goddess. To your child it is a curse as her dignified moniker is shortened and she is called “Dork” throughout her child hood years. Is the name really difficult to spell?  You can save your child a lot of grief later in life if you avoid names that don’t sound like they are spelt. A classic example is “Siobhan”, pronounced “Shove-on”.  You might also want to avoid names that are pronounced the same but have several spellings, (such as Sharmain or Sharmaine or Charmain or Charmaign or Charmaine) as these can get misspelled on government and insurance forms. Now that you know the ground rules when it comes to naming your child, you are ready to choose a name. The rest of the course is really just a matter of your good taste!

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Wearing Your Kid on Your Sleeve

It used to be that proud parents merely tucked a photo of their child in their wallet and brought it out when appropriate. Nowadays people are literally wearing the likeness or names of their kids everywhere on the body and on items that they own.

It's almost like an image or portrait of your kid is becoming the new cool 'logo'.  Instead of boasting Nike or Guess somewhere as a status symbol you have your baby's name or picture. 

One of the newest fads is to make a cameo of your kid's profile and then have the likeness of the cameo printed in black on a white shirt. You can also get this likeness printed on mugs and dishes or send it out on stationary.  This service is available at 9Stork. 

Yet another way to advertise that you have had a kid and are darn proud of it is to order up a specially made laptop sticker from Schtickers. This way every time you prop open the lid of your laptop others can see an oversized photograph of your kid. 

Yet another trend is to not wear a watch on your wrist. Instead you wear a wristband type strap that showcases an oval frame. Inside this frame is a likeness of your loved one.  Men can also get oversized buckle belts that look like picture frames into which you can put a picture of a child as well. 

Yet another big trend is to put your favorite baby picture on a big bag or purse. You can also get this done on a diaper bag. One company that does this is called Nappy Be A Bag.  Keep in mind that this is quite expensive and costs over $700 to achieve. However a picture of your child on a purse would probably be the ultimate Mother's Day Gift for Grandma. 

Yet another curio for the busy working mom or dad that wants to keep their kid's face around are paperclips with tiny frames on the end into which you can slide pint sized portraits.  

Speaking of purses you might also want to  check out something called Scribble Couture. This is a white clutch bag that has a surface on it that is similar to one of those erasable refrigerator message boards. Your child can use semi-permanent markers to draw pictures on your purse and you can carry it proudly like a one of a kind design.  With tax this innovative item will set you back about two hundred bucks. 

If you can't wait to get home from the airport to see your kid you can also order up luggage tags that contain a photograph instead of the usual I.D. information. An outfit called SmugMug takes orders for these online. I

I'm not sure if I like this idea because I never liked wearing jeans with logos in the first place. However I guess if you really want the world to know you are a proud mum this is the way to do it!

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