How long is too long?

pinkpear · February 2011

Friend had her baby on Sunday night (at 39 weeks). She knew at 20 weeks it is a girl. They are being released from the hospital today and they still can't think of a name for the baby.

We are going to wait to name the baby until after we meet him/her but we will go into the hospital with a list to choose from. We just want to meet our LO before we pick a name.

So what do you think- how long after birth should a baby have a name? How long is too long to wait to name the baby?

tokenhoser · February 2011

Personally, I think it's weird to bring home an unnamed baby.

My sister knows a couple that took 6 weeks (post-birth) to name their daughter. Indifferent That is too long.

deo · February 2011

I know that here you need to give your baby a name before you can leave the hospital (for birth certificate paper work). You can change it later, but there are fees and more paper work if you do that. If you don't pick out the name, they just use "Baby LastName" as the baby name on the paper work.

I plan on going to the hospital with a few names in mind, but will decide on the final name when we meet the baby.

Lisa102304 · February 2011

I don't think there is an "acceptable" length of time. It depends on the family. I, personally, would not be able to leave the hospital without a name. But I can understand how others can be okay with it - and struggle with finding a name.

theaustins05 · February 2011

tokenhoser:
Personally, I think it's weird to bring home an unnamed baby.
My sister knows a couple that took 6 weeks (post-birth) to name their daughter. That is too long.

This, totally!

pinkpear · February 2011

tokenhoser:

Personally, I think it's weird to bring home an unnamed baby.

My sister knows a couple that took 6 weeks (post-birth) to name their daughter. That is too long.

6 weeks!? Yikes. What do you call your child until you come up with something?

theaustins05 · February 2011

pinkpear:
tokenhoser:

Personally, I think it's weird to bring home an unnamed baby.

My sister knows a couple that took 6 weeks (post-birth) to name their daughter. That is too long.

6 weeks!? Yikes. What do you call your child until you come up with something?

Baby Wink

kjbarber86 · February 2011

I definitely wouldn't want to be bringing baby home without a name. I think a few days is too long to wait. Names are really important--I wouldn't want a nameless child, even for a day!

mrs pH · February 2011

Personally, I felt like as soon as we found out the sex of our LO, we had to choose a name. It just seemed weird to keep calling LO "the baby" when we knew the sex. I was OK changing my mind later if we felt something better would fit her, but I wanted to call her by name.

But really, to each his own. I know quite a few people who wanted to meet their baby first before deciding on a name. I don't know anyone who didn't name the baby until AFTER the baby was home... let alone 6 weeks after! That's crazy. I definitely can't imagine calling my LO "baby" for that long.

mcwhittaker · February 2011

I'm too freaking lazy to want to fill out the Birth Certificate, Social Security, etc paperwork on my own due to leaving the hospital with an unnamed child.

We're going in with a list, coming out with a named child and paperwork completed o>O

LegalLadyBug · February 2011

I would want my baby to have a name before leaving the hospital. I don't know how it works in other states but here you have to fill out the paperwork before leaving. If you don't name your baby before you leave, the birth certificate will read "Baby Lastname" for the rest of their life. You can file additional paperwork as an addendum to the birth certificate to update the name, but still. I think it would be weird to have that on my birth certificate for the rest of my life.

tlxh7 · February 2011

That's crazy. We're team green, and having a short list of names for each gender, but baby will be named before we call parents to tell them what it is. I can't imagine not having a name after a few hours, let alone a few days or 6 weeks!

jazzyag · February 2011

I think a week, maybe a a day or 2 extra is tops to be nameless.

Where I live, BC Canada, we have 30 days after birth to register the birth and the name. I think my youngest brother was nameless for 3 weeks. My parents were having a hard time finding a 3rd boy's name and it didn't help having 3 older kids (11, 10 and 7) who made fun of everything they thought of.

With DD we were team green and were stumped for a boy's name, it was very lucky she was a girl or it may have taken a few days.

I we'll go in with a list, but this babe may come home nameless as I plan on going home within a few hours of the birth unless there is a reason to stay.

EJensify · February 2011

I think it's weirder to name your kid a name that you're not 100% certain of than to bring LO home without a name.

alliejoe · February 2011

My cousin almost went home nameless, but that HAD to name her something before they left, so she got a name that my Aunt still doesn't like.

Also, one of my friends worked at a soccer camp and the coach for the other team kept cheering for "baby girl". They all thought it was weird that the coach was calling this one kid baby girl, but they found out her name was actually baby girl. Mom and Dad couldn't come up with a name so she went home Baby Girl Lastname and it never changed (allegedly.... I feel like all these stories are urban legend type stuff...).

mcwhittaker · February 2011

My mother in law is a grade school teacher in S. Florida, she told my husband this story about a girl in her class named Female (pronounced Fem-ale). It would appear that her parents left the hospital without naming her, the hospital gave her a birth certificate with Female in the First Name field, so they thought that's what they had to call her.

How's that for funny/sad?

BetchySprout · February 2011

Neither of my cousins had names for 2 weeks after they were born.

kndeckar · February 2011

I just don't understand having an entire 9 months to think of a name for your baby and then having to come home from the hospital with a nameless baby!!!

Don't get me wrong, I do understand bringing a list of names to the hospital and wanting to wait until you meet your baby to name them. But at least have somewhat of an idea of your options before going in, so the decision is easier!

akklotz0810 · February 2011

you have around 40 weeks to think of the name. the name should be picked out when you get to the hospital. but that is just me.

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