What You Should Know When Choosing Your Baby’s Name

Choosing your baby’s name is perhaps one of the first decisions you and your spouse will make for him or her. For many parents, this can be daunting as the decision will stick with them for life.

To complicate matters, Asian parents have to consider their baby’s Chinese, Indian or Malay name, depending on their ethnicity: Should I just give my baby a Chinese name? How do I decide between a traditional Indian name versus a modern one?

The importance of names

In Singapore, names are still regarded with much importance as our culture generally believes that a good name is a blessing to the bearer. Whether you are a parent of Chinese, Indian or Malay descent, or mixed for that matter, this could mean seeking a fortune-teller or the like for advice.

According to Chinese practice for example, the meaning and number of strokes of Chinese characters are taken into consideration when determining a baby’s name. Oftentimes, a baby is named after birth based on the day, month and time he or she is born.

Depending on how traditional you are, the process of child-naming can be simple or as complicated you wish it to be.

The name will be your child’s identity

One of the many things your baby will learn in the first year will be his or her name. Before your baby learns to babble “ma” or “da”, he or she will first learn to identify and respond to a name.

Unbeknown to many parents at the naming stage, a name can be a contributing factor to a child’s sense of self. It can influence how others view and treat an your child, at least for a start.

We are all guilty of forming stereotypes based on someone’s name. Through a name, others may associate a child to someone or even something. Such associations occur subconsciously. But they can have a profound effect on the child.

With regards to this, psychologists found that children with names that are odd or unlikeable could develop self-esteem issues.

So pick a name that is at least pleasing to the ears. Preferably, it is a name that does not become a subject of ridicule in your child’s school-going years.

Better still, choose a name that bears special meaning. Let the name convey your dreams and hopes in him or her. Then share this meaning with your child when he or she is older.

You cannot please everyone

There will always be someone among family or friends who will mispronounce your baby’s name. Or a colleague by the same name whom they dislike.

Understand that you cannot possibly please everyone, nor do you need to. Pick a name that resonates with you and your spouse. Others will have to learn to come to terms with your decision.

You need not have to decide on a name at birth

In Singapore, all births should be registered within 14 days from the date of birth. This gives new parents some time to become acquainted with their baby before deciding on a suitable name.


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