Choosing the best baby name for your new arrival!

A new baby for William and Kate is very exciting. The royal family are always under scrutiny when it comes to choosing baby names. They seem to choose traditional, family names – George and Charlotte – especially for the children closest to the line of succession. This might make it easier for William and Kate to choose the name of their next baby. Tradition dictates what their children will be named. For everyone else, there are literally thousands of options for us to choose from. So how do you go about choosing the best baby name for your little bundle of joy?

Choose a name that will grow with your baby

Some names may be very cute for baby or small child, but consider how it will sound as your baby grows up to be an adult. If there’s a baby name that you love but which your baby might grow out of, consider a more conventional middle name to give him or her a choice.

Think about how the baby name sounds with your surname

If you love a baby name but it sounds wrong with the surname, you might want to reconsider. Paige is a lovely name for a girl – but perhaps not if your surname is ‘Down’ or ‘Turner’. Joe is fine for a boy unless your surname is King. Remember to think about middle names too, and whether initials might cause a problem. Indigo Mary Sweet seems fine until you initialise the first and middle names. Similarly, Charles Robert Andrew Phillips might cause your child problems throughout his life.

Sometimes, it may not be an unfortunate meaning that makes you think again, but simply the way the names sound together.

Consider whether the name can be shortened

You may have chosen a name because you particularly like the shortened version of the name. This can give you options for a ‘nickname’ more appropriate while your baby is small. As your child grows up she may choose to use the full version of her name – Isabella could become Izzie, Belle or Ella; Christopher can be Chris or even Kit; Montague becomes Monty.

On the other hand, you might hate the shortened version of your child’s chosen name – you may not use it but how would you feel if he decided that he preferred it to the full length version of the baby name?

Check out how popular the name is

You may simply love a name and nothing else matters. If you’ve got your heart set on choosing something that’s a little more unusual and are keen to make sure your baby doesn’t share his name with other children, do some research and see how popular the name you’re thinking of actually is. You could be surprised…

Choose a baby name you love

You and your partner may be under pressure to incorporate certain family names into your new baby’s name but remember this precious bundle is your baby. Choose a name you love; a name you’ll want to use every day as your baby grows and flourishes in your care. You have a few weeks to choose your baby’s name too – so don’t feel like it has to be an instant decision. Even if you have chosen a name before your baby is born, you may feel different once she actually arrives and you are holding her in your arms, so don’t be afraid to change you mind, either.

We see so many gorgeous babies here in the Tiny Posers studio, it’s a reminder every day of how many beautiful names there are out there – traditional and unusual, names inspired by other people and places. Part of the fun of getting to know the little characters that I photograph is discovering what they are called and how they are already growing into their names.

You don’t have to have named your newborn for me to take timeless photos that you will treasure forever – and while I won’t be able to help you with a name, I can make sure you have stunning images to record of this precious time in your and your baby’s lives. Get in touch today to book your newborn baby photography session.