Choose a Baby Name With Our Tips &Tricks!

With approximately 67,462 births registered in Ireland last year, images of parents to be scribbling away, while anguishing over the all-important name for baby paints a vivid picture of the uncertainty and importance placed on arriving at just the right name. Perhaps you’ve had a name chosen for years, or have been inspired by a song or a book, or maybe you’re riddled with indecision as you try to find a name that resonates as ‘just right’. If this sounds a little like you and you don’t know where to start, here’s a few tips and tricks to help you on your way

Blow it off for now!

This may seem a little counterintuitive, but why not wait to make your final decision until baby is born? Once baby is here and you’re looking at this little bundle of tangible gorgeousness, you may be endowed with a newfound sense of clarity. Is she a Stella or a Sophie? Staring into her beautiful little eyes will likely give you the answer you seek.

Play the “I’m the one pushing the baby out” card!

So you and your partner are at a deadlock. You’re leaning towards Pip and he wants it to be Peter, lay your cards on the table here, the late night trips to the toilet, the lack of sleep, lower back pain and the bulging feet, are all yours, so you most definitely deserve the final call. Voila! Discussion over and Pip it is!

Say the names out loud……a lot!

Ok so you’ve chosen a couple of contenders, try them out for a couple of days to see how they sound – saying and hearing them around the home will definitely make a difference. Partial to Oscar and Oisin? Refer to bump as Oscar for a couple of days then change to Oisin, see which sits better with you. Throw the names into everyday conversation “Which colour do you think Oscar will prefer sea blue or cream in his nursery?” “Do you think Oisin will grow up to be a Doctor or GAA player?” Try them out for size see which once feels more of a natural fit and a reflection of your personal style and taste.

Write them down!

Seeing is believing so channel your old secondary school self and make a list of your favourite names with baby’s last name attached to see how it looks. Get creative, design a birth announcement online to view how it will appear ‘officially’. Then ask yourself, do you love it? Is it too long? Not unique enough? Hopefully seeing it written down in black and white may transform the options from theoretical to specific.

Host a naming party!

So you’ve whittled the list down to three or four names you absolutely adore – but adore them all the same. Why not invite your girlfriends over for a naming party, put the options up for a vote, using some fun visual aids and let your closest BFF’s break the deadlock!

Let tradition trump the trends!

The world is full of unique names, however if the thought of naming your child Apple or Blue just doesn’t suit, then why not buck the trends and be a traditionalist. Pick a family name for example, it will have meaning and emotional significance for you and your partner and that in itself is pretty unique.

Choose a name that makes you smile!

Baby naming expert Suelain Moy, author of the bestselling Names to Grow On , advises to throw the checklist of what makes a name ‘perfect’ out the window and instead look deep within yourself. Close your eyes and really think about it, which name do you really, really love the most? Go with the one that makes you smile every time you say it, and if you love the name now, trust us once your baby has arrived and becomes that name, you’re going to love it even more!

Check out our Mother & Baby selection available now on Inhealth.ie to cover all the needs from preconception to birth and beyond!

Sample Baby Names