Baby Naming Tips

In the second part of our three-part series of informative articles on baby naming tips, we established an association between baby naming conventions and sound practices of naming a baby boy or baby girl. We suggested that the first and last name should harmonize well and establish a delicate balance. We also explored the relationship between ethnicity and your baby's name. The culture you originally belong to indeed has a significant role to play in how you bring up your baby. Identifying a really nice name for your baby that truly epitomizes your sentiments and emotions for your little one is surely a part of this exercise. In our final episode, we examine four more baby naming tips that are worthy of consideration in your quest for baby naming tips.

Baby Naming Tips Part 3

1. Easy Pronunciation for Easy Retention

2. Avoiding Unisex Names

3. Baby Names Unsuited for Adults

4.Technology-driven Names Fade with Technology

Baby Naming Tip#1: Easy Pronunciation for Easy Retention

For many years now, there has been a trend among parents to make up a name to further enhance their baby's unique identity. This is not an unwise idea. Many of the names used today were made up hundreds of years ago and did not necessarily have a specific meaning. The only problem with making up a brand new name from the baby naming arsenal is that most people pronounce it incorrectly. Moreover, since there are no associations with that name, such names are often difficult to remember. Choose a uniquely carved original baby name for your son or daughter that cannot be mispronounced unless one is bent on doing so. For example, the name "Bethy" is a made-up name and can be pronounced only one way. Similarly, "Hara" is another crafted name which can be pronounced only one way. However, you wouldn't want to name your baby daughter "Hara" because it means "defeat" in several Indian languages. There is evidence which suggests that applicants with uniquely original and crafted names are subject to job discrimination. Such names are often mispronounced by teachers and colleagues. Regardless of which way you swing, be sure to check the baby name in a dictionary to make sure that it does not have any embarrassing meanings in a different language. No child would like to spend a life time trying to explain how to spell or pronounce his or her name. This is a minor catastrophe that can be easily averted.

Baby Naming Tip#2: Avoiding Unisex Names

Names, by their very nature, are meant to reflect the gender of the individual. This is a truth universally acknowledged regardless of the culture to which you belong. However, like everything else, there are exceptions to this rule and the confusion this might create is fodder for your imagination. Unwitting parents often fail to realize that unisex names create problems related to gender identity among children. Unisex names such as "Mackenzie," "Tracy" or "Morgan" can certainly leave most of us guessing. Other unisex names such as "Chris," "Robin" or "Terry" are extremely popular but unisex nevertheless. Researchers have found that girls get less upset when they have boy names as opposed to boys who have girl names. In any case, why take a chance when the sky is the limit?

Baby Naming Tip#3: Baby Names Unsuited for Adults

Many baby names sound really cute when your baby boy or baby girl is still a baby. However, when your baby grows to become a pilot, a sportsperson, a scientist or even the president of your country, it is an entirely different story. The noted tennis star of yester years, Billy Jean King, never liked her first name because "Billy" or "Billie" is another name for a goat. Don't be surprised if you run into a young girl named "Baby" who is desperately trying to change her name as soon as she is able to hire a lawyer. Finally, if your boss name was "Bunny," how would you treat her? Just think about it for a moment and you will get the picture! The same holds true for "Missy," well-suited for a small baby but unfit for a professional adult.

Baby Naming Tip#4: Technology-driven Names Fade with Technology

While it is a good idea to show your preference for the latest technologies by investing it the hottest laptop or LCD display, taking this passion too far may not be in your baby's interest. Naming your baby "Megabyte" or "Bloggy" does sound cute but what will happen when megabytes are replaced by pedabyte thumb drives or blogs are known merely as chronicles of the past? There are millions of other rational choices which you can and should consider.

Concluding Observations

Many parents spend hours talking to interior designers about their baby's nursery, reading parenting manuals and magazines, and attending special prenatal classes at the local hospital. Yet, they make impulsive decisions about their baby's name without understanding or appreciating its long-term implications. Don't be one of them. Simply follow these tips and zoom in on a really lovely baby name for your son or daughter. Your child will thank you for it many years down the road!