How to name your baby in 20 easy steps

Choosing a baby name is a big job. Whatever you decide to name your precious little bundle, they will have it for the rest of their lives. Picking a baby name can undoubtedly be a lot of fun, but it’s a big amount of responsibility too and there are a tonne of things to think about, including:

• Will your baby’s potential name work well with its surname?
• With their middle name, do the initials spell anything potentially embarrassing? For example, SIK or WEE?
• Has the name already been used by family or a close friend?
• Does the name work well with any siblings? Molly and Polly are both great names but rhyming sisters won’t grow up thanking you.
• Does the name work for both a baby and an adult? A name can sound cute and sweet for a toddler but will it still work for a 51-year-old finance manager?
• Is your chosen name the same as someone famous? If it’s someone well respected that’s fine, if it’s a serial killer, less so.

All of that said, choosing a baby name is still likely to be one of the most special parts of the pregnancy and new baby experience. It may feel impossible at times to find the perfect name but we promise you it WILL happen. And to help you along the way, we’ve created this foolproof guide to choosing a baby name, in just 20 simple steps…

How to come up with the perfect baby name

1. Discover you are pregnant. Almost immediately start thinking about what you should name your baby. Being honest, you probably started thinking about your future baby’s name several years ago.

2. Start excitedly discussing baby names with your partner.

3. Within 5 minutes, discover you have COMPLETELY different tastes and your partner hates your favourite choices.

4. Subtly drop your chosen names into conversations at every possible point. A brilliant character in a book, a highly intelligent inventor, a real-life superhero… whatever positive things you can find on this name, throw them out there.

5. It doesn’t work. Take some time to sulk.

6. Eventually accept there is no getting your own way here. You’re going to have to…compromise.

7. Slowly start considering some other choices, like the names your partner loves.

8. …After a brief period of consideration, decide you hate them all.

9. Both come up with some alternatives. All is not lost.

10. Your partner doesn’t like your new favourite name because it reminds him of a child who once stole his sandwich.

11. You don’t like your partner’s favourite name because it reminds you of someone who stole your boyfriend.

12. Seek inspiration from both of your families. Surely there is an ancestor with a beautiful name you could honour? There really is not, but at least you get to have a good giggle together at the unfortunate name choices of many of your past family members.

13. Spend an evening together reading out of the baby name book and what different names mean. You still can’t agree, but you have a nice night nonetheless. 

14. Search online baby name tools at work and bombard your partner with suggestions. Receive a lot of replies with the word ‘maybe’. It is annoying.

15. Carefully watch the credits of every film and TV programme for that elusive, beautiful, timeless name that you’ll both love and which you know must be out there somewhere.

16. Your due date is getting closer but is your name choice? You decide it’s time to get serious about this, let’s name this baby!

17. Draw up a list together of the names you both like and, now you’ve both had time to digest them, there are a lot of lovely ones and your partner perhaps doesn’t have such terrible taste.

18. You now have a list of 5 real potentials. Then you mention them to your mum who shares some negative opinions, which you actually never asked for in the first place. Great! 

19. You’ve trimmed it down to a final two contenders. Assure each other they’re both wonderful names and will do your baby proud. 

20. Your baby has arrived! On the most special day of your life so far, you get to meet the precious tiny human you made together. And very soon know for certain, the name they are destined to have is…

While we can’t pick your baby name, we can help you choose your pram and other essentials for your parenting journey. Visit us in-store, online and if you have any questions, call our friendly team on 0115 9305772 (option 2).