When Naming a Baby is Hard - 5 Tips for Choosing the Perfect Baby Name

“I hate all the names! None resonate, none sound perfect”…sound familiar?
What do you do?

A name is so much more than just a name. When I picture a baby name, I can sometimes see an entire personality, right through to adulthood. On the other hand, sometimes I meet people with names that I might not have considered before, but they make the name great. Does the person become the name? Or the name become the person?

Ugh! See! Naming your baby can be so tricky!

If you’re feeling a bit stuck, here are a few tips and ideas for naming your baby.

1. Stop searching for names!

Okay, this might sound counterintuitive, it might even be hard to acknowledge that you need a break - especially if you are nearing the end of your pregnancy! Looking at all the lists online, going through name after name, we can become a bit numb to it all. It can actually get exhausting!

So take a break from thinking about it.

Just try to stop thinking about names for the sake of coming up with a name. Do some activities that you love. Explore, create, try something new, learn a new hobby or dive deep into one you already know and love. Something might spark a name idea for you.

2. Stop asking for opinions.

Everyone has different life experiences, relationships and thoughts about names. Don’t get too caught up in what your Mum, your Grandfather or your neighbours best friend thinks about your list of baby names. None of those opinions matter!

I would suggest being quite selective about who you discuss your name ideas with. Keep it between you and people who are open to a variety of ideas and supportive of you.

3. Wait until your baby is born.

You don't have to have a name for your baby the minute they're born. You have time to meet your baby, be with your baby, and let their face tell you who they are. In Australia you have 60 days to come up with a name to register their birth. Feel free to take up all of that time.

You can try a few different names in the first few months and if any don’t feel right, keep moving along until one does.

4. What to do when you and your partner can’t agree on a name?

Tee up a set time to really listen to each other about name preferences, brace yourselves - emotions can be heightened! Try and understand that your preferences come from each other’s backgrounds/upbringing, different life experiences and people you’ve met. Both of your experiences matter.

But remember, you’re on the same team! You have to come to an agreement, unless one of you isn’t too fussed on your baby’s name (which can be the case). You will love the little human so dearly no matter what the name, but you also don’t want one parent going through life knowing that they don’t like their child’s name.

When it comes to discussing names, “no” isn’t a full answer. When your partner just says a straight up no to a name, it can make you feel dismissed. And vice versa if you shut your partner’s name suggestions down without explanation, they may not understand. It’s a good idea to come up with some reasoning, leeway or other suggestions.

Also note, pregnant mamas can feel like they know who their baby is going to be before they meet them. So dismissing a baby name she is attached to can kind of be dismissive of her feelings towards the child and the bond she has already created. If you feel like this, bring up the point with your partner so they understand.

5. Honouring a family member/friend but you don’t love their name

It can be hard to honour a family member especially when it's not your side of the family that has the tradition, you feel forced into it, or you don’t feel connected or totally in love with the name you are using. 

Firstly, there are ways to honour a person without using their name at all! For example, you could look at traits, hobbies, favourite places, birth months, birth flowers, or even their favourite colours for inspiration.

Nicknames can also be great in order to honour people. For example the name Dorothy could be reinvented to name Dottie. Or you could use the person’s middle name.

Oh! A sixth bonus tip for you:

Have fun with it!

Try out these baby name roulette videos I created on Instagram - you might find something you never thought of before. Follow along for more baby name inspo! 

Baby Girl Name Roulette
Baby Boy Name Roulette
Unisex Baby Name Roulette