Names

Keri Marie

My DH and I are now interersted in adopting a child 0-2 years of age. I know I'd change an infants name (less than 5 months old) and correct any misspelling of a toddlers name, if thats the case. Has any one done this or been through this? Advice? opinions?

Dr.Loretta

I wouldn't automatically change a child's name. It would depend on a lot of factors. Some parents keep their child's name. Some move it to a middle name. Some let their child choose their name.

MrsWallick

It all depends on how attached they are to the name. A lot of times, it is the only connection left to the birth family. I agree with Dr. Loretta, I've seen a lot of people move the first name to the middle name slot and then choose a new first name. This allows the child to hold onto the little connection while you get the fun and exciting experience of choosing a name. Good luck!

Keri Marie

That is great advice guys. I hadn't thought about it like that.

SoSweet06

 Jalara--You might be surprised about how you need to transition the name (you're adopting from EE, right?). I'm sure it depends on which orphanage your kiddo is in, but ours was 5 and had obviously not been called by his name. He was called by a nickname that was based on his surname; my sister was adopted from a different country, but she had only been called things like "baby," "honey," etc. We were a little bit sad that no one had called Kiddo by his name, but a little bit relieved that it didn't feel like we were taking something away from him (we did keep his name as a middle name in case he feels differently at some point). 

mysticl

I used to work in foster care.  We had some parents who automatically changed the name and we had some older kids who requested a name change.  If you do change it then use the new name.  We had some families who would use the new name and old name interchangeably and it was incredibly confusing.  

miss1180

we adopted our son from Korea at 21 months old. He was with a foster family, and obviously had a Korean name that they used. We started calling him by his American name pretty much right away- he learned quickly and there were no issues. Now, he gets a little upset if we use his Korean name.

   we gave him a first name and 2 middle names. his first name is a name we just really like. then, he has a middle name which is my dad's, grandfathers and great grandfather's name ( my dad only had daughters, so the name didn't get passed down). and then his 3rd middle name is his Korean name.

MrsWallick

I agree with mystic, if you're going to change the name, just change it. It can become really confusing for a little one when you go back and forth. She will learn much faster if you stick to calling her by her new name.

Mrs.Slick

We changed LO's name (brought him home from Russia at 2.5). We changed it only slightly to the English/American version of his name. We just made the switch but still used his Russian name in the beginning to soothe him when needed. He transitioned really well and knew his "new" name within a day or two.

AwBeth

We plan to change his name.  Both of our current children have family names, and we want to continue that tradition with the next LO.  We feel like naming is just another way a child becomes a part of our family.  

plus12012

DD was a newborn when we brought her home but BM did give her a name in the hospital and we talked to her and had her support for our name choices. We really wanted her to have a name that represented her cultural background and we used a family name as her middle name.