how long is too long?

{lovebird} · July 2010

I have a girlfriend who still hasn't decided on a name for her baby. he is 4 weeks old. I say she she needs to hurry up and name this baby but we have another friend who says she should take as long as she needs since "the baby doesn't know his own name anyway." WDYT, how long is too long?

Masonsmommy54 · July 2010

Wow my brother in law and sister in law waited a few days and I thought that was a long time! I think the baby needs a name immediately after its born...thats just me though!

HAFranklin · July 2010

I have a friend (in her 30s) who was not given a name until she was almost a year old. She didnt have any long term damage being referred to as simply "the baby" for a year.

Not sure how it works though...dont you have to file a birth certificate before you leave the hospital? Do you have to file as "Baby Boy Lastname" until you decided, and then have it changed?

Brags0607 · July 2010

I used to think that baby had to have a name before leaving the hospital! Four weeks is a long time to wait to name your baby. What do they call the baby, "It"? "You There"? I understand that it is a big decision picking a name for the rest of your child's life, but you can't exactly wait until they are old enough to have a say before picking a name!

Emjay221 · July 2010

{lovebird}:
I have a girlfriend who still hasn't decided on a name for her baby. he is 4 weeks old. I say she she needs to hurry up and name this baby but we have another friend who says she should take as long as she needs since "the baby doesn't know his own name anyway." WDYT, how long is too long?

In Florida, you have 5 days. 4 weeks is ridiculous.

Allie30 · July 2010

The folks at the hospital work really hard to make sure you name that baby before you leave, because it's a totally pain in the butt to change the birth certificate from "Baby Girl Whatever" to the real name.

But I say if you're ready for that PITA, then wait. Better to wait than regret.

We'll decide on a name before we leave, but not necessarily "immediately after birth."

UnderAtree · July 2010

Brags0607:
I used to think that baby had to have a name before leaving the hospital! Four weeks is a long time to wait to name your baby. What do they call the baby, "It"? "You There"? I understand that it is a big decision picking a name for the rest of your child's life, but you can't exactly wait until they are old enough to have a say before picking a name!

I always thought the same thing.

strangebird · July 2010

That's really dangerous, they could end up calling him something ridiculous because they became too comfortable with it. Have them watch The Namesake: )

Personally, I think you should have at least a short list picked out when baby is born and should select from the list or something else within the first few days. Four-weeks is a bit long. I bet they feel as though they'll just "know" when the "perfect" name comes up and that will be it, but it doesn't happen that way for everyone.

BLykins16 · July 2010

4 weeks is ridiculous. My husband and I didn't name our baby until the day I was discharged (he was 2 days old) and I felt like that was a long time. The woman who was in charge of filing the birth certificate application came by at least a couple of times a day everyday looking for that application. LOL

juniper19 · July 2010

I think in some Scandinavian countries it is a tradition to wait a few months.

hhhmmm · July 2010

Like another said, most hospitals won't let you leave without naming the baby. I think it's wise so it's on record and everything is squared away with documents before you leave. 4 weeks without a name.......too long.

soon-to-beamrs · July 2010

That seems ridiculous! You have 9 months to discuss names and at least develop a short list. I understand if you need to take a few days after baby is born to see which name fits him best but 4 weeks seems way too long.

HappyMrsK · July 2010

Wow! I could see taking a couple of days after the birth because there's a lot of excitement and whatnot, but 4 weeks is absurd! Make decision already!

They have to some name ideas already (I hope) just write them down and pick from a hat if you have to!

Wish Upon A Star · July 2010

I dont know if anyone remembers that Olympic medalist, Picabo Street. Her parents wanted to let her pick her own name. So they just called her "little girl". When she was about 2, they wanted to get her a passport, but she needed a name. They named her Picabo after a town in Idaho. They told her she could change it when she was 4, but she kept it Indifferent

gotchagomo · July 2010

I say that if a couple is having that much trouble agreeing/deciding on a name, then they have way bigger problems and probably need counseling. Seriously, my hubby and I took 4 days to name our first daughter and it brought out some ugly arguments between the 2 of us. We really had to step back and look at our relationship to see what the REAL problem was. Everything's fine now, but at the time it forced us to look at our communication styles.

ademc05 · July 2010

Yeah, one should have a pretty good idea of what name to give their baby before it gets here. I know meeting the baby for the first time really helps, but four weeks is a long time. I would have felt so bad that I couldn't essentially give my child a place in the world with a name, and at that point would have just had even my MIL pick a name (yikes!). Awful strange. It seems weird to not be able to connect with your child (especially after four weeks) and give it a name.

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