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Suggestions To Help You Choose A Baby Name

Can a child's name really affect her personality, her ability to interact with others she will meet; and the way she will be seen by strangers? Yes, according to sociologists, teachers and other baby experts. So choosing a name for your baby is one of the most important tasks faced by new parents - no pressure then! Here are a few ideas to help you make that decision.

- Want to be different: Maybe it was certain celebrities who started it, but many parents nowadays want to give their baby a unique name by either changing the spelling of a more traditional name, or making up something completely new (and often weird). Change the spelling and you are unlikely to change the sound of the name, so when teacher calls for Katey then Katy and Katie will also come running. Your baby is already unique, there is no need to cause her problems in later life when she will be fighting a losing battle to get her name spelt correctly on official documents like a driving license.

- Invented names: The celebs can get away with calling their offspring names like Apple (Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter) and Moon Unit (Frank Zappa's child - no idea whether that is a boy or girl!) because their wealth will help to insulate them from any teasing. Your baby will only be a cute bundle for a comparatively short time and that name that sounds cute when he is 6 months old is unlikely to suit a strapping hunk over 6 foot. Dr Mehrabian, author of The Name Game, says that unusual names rate lower in all categories: a person's success, cheerfulness, and morality.

- Initials: Check to ensure that the initials of baby's names, including the last name, do not make a word; or at least not an unfortunate word that will lead to your child's embarrassment in later years.

- Puns: Johnny Cash's song 'A Boy Named Sue' is amusing but in real life giving your baby a name, or combination of names, that will cause her embarrassment when she is older is cruel. Yet parents still do it, either on purpose or just by not thinking. Whilst in hospital I met a nurse with the name of Rosie Bottom. Readers in the UK will smile at that, others should substitute the last name for 'Butt' to join in the amusement. her name certainly made her patients laugh, but there must have been times when Rosie cursed her parents for their lack of thoughtfulness.

- Compatibility: Experts say you should opt for a short first name if the last name is a long one, and vice versa. Also, if your last name starts with a vowel, avoid a first name that ends in a vowel, apparently the two names tend to run into one.

- Meanings of Names: Maybe you have compiled a short-list but can't decide on names for baby? Try looking up the meanings of the names, it may help you to decide. You probably wish to give baby two names, so how about names that mean the same, or have opposite meanings. Kevin and Alan both mean 'Handsome'; Lucy and Phoebe both mean 'Light', whereas 'Melanie means 'Dark'.

- Naming Twins: Deciding on a name for one baby can be difficult, but two?! The idea in the last paragraph about using name meanings to help choose names is worth further examination. Tammy and Tasmin both mean 'Twins'; Sadie, Sarah and Zara all mean 'Princess'; Archie and Patrick both mean 'Noble'; and Kevin and Alan both mean 'Handsome'. Or use anagrams: Amy and May; Aidan and Nadia; and Mary and Myra are all anagrams.

The names you give to your baby are perhaps the most important thing apart from life itself, so spend time choosing the names and avoid the more obvious pitfalls.

Article Source: http://www.uberarticles.com/articles

There's additional help about choosing a name for your baby at our website, together with dates of the various Chinese New Years and the personality traits of babies born in each of the signs. You can get a unique content version of this article.

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