The choice of a name is the first significant decision we make for our child. There are several considerations and many baby name books that can help with the process of elimination or selection.
1. Nicknames – choose a name whose nickname you can live with.
2. Popularity – yes, it’s important to pick a name that’s fashionable enough for a child to like, but not so common that when the teacher calls your child’s name six others will also raise their hands.
3. Spelling and pronunciation – unique and unusual names can be a real burden.
4. Initials – test out your final selected names for groupings of first initials.
Other considerations are meanings, stereotypes – silly but true, names often carry a stereotyped image that can work against your child. And finally, namesakes. Often we name a child in honor of a family member or with a name that’s akin to that person’s name, living or dead. However, when it comes to adding a “Junior” to it, not everyone takes kindly to that tradition. The problem becomes apparent over the years as “Little Bobby” becomes “Big Bobby”, so that it becomes necessary to refer to “Young Bobby” and therefore “Old Bobby” – get the picture?
Vicki Lansky’s practical, common sense approach to parenting is familiar to millions throughout the world. Vicki’s first book, Feed Me, I’m Yours, published in 1974, and still one of the most popular baby/toddler food cookbooks in the country, was followed by The Taming of the C.A.N.D.Y. Monster, a #1 New York Times bestseller. Her other titles include: Toilet Training, Birthday Parties Best Party Tips & Ideas For Ages 1-8, Dear Babysitter Handbook, Welcoming Your Second Baby, Getting Your Child to Sleep … and Back to Sleep, Trouble-free Travel with Children, Baby Proofing Basics and Games Babies Play From Birth to Twelve Months, Koko Bear’s New Potty, A New Baby at Koko Bear’s House, Koko Bear and the New Babysitter, and Koko Bear’s Big Earache. Vicki Lansky’s Divorce Book for Parents: Helping Children Cope with Divorce and Its Aftermath
