Baby Names
BabyBoyH92016
member
When did you start calling your child by their nickname
BabyBoyH92016
member
in Baby Names
Hello!!
I have an 11 month old named Arthur. One of the reasons we choose the name is because we liked the full name, as well as the potential nicknames Art and Artie.
We've always called him Arthur...in the beginning I think it was to get used to his name (instead of saying "the baby"), and also so he would learn his own name. I know people that start using their LOs nickname right away, but to me, using his nickname just feels odd right now. Is this something that might naturally happen when he's older, or will it just get more difficult to start calling him by a nickname.
I have an 11 month old named Arthur. One of the reasons we choose the name is because we liked the full name, as well as the potential nicknames Art and Artie.
We've always called him Arthur...in the beginning I think it was to get used to his name (instead of saying "the baby"), and also so he would learn his own name. I know people that start using their LOs nickname right away, but to me, using his nickname just feels odd right now. Is this something that might naturally happen when he's older, or will it just get more difficult to start calling him by a nickname.
Re: When did you start calling your child by their nickname
ETA: autocorrect sucks
My daughter goes by Lit, Lissi, Baby, and Sister, and often also just her full name. Started basically at birth.
Part of the reason we chose the name is because he will have a lot of options when he's older. We actually encourage people to use whichever nickname they like best (or his full name, of course), so that he isn't stuck with one he doesn't like when he's older. His cousins and aunts and uncles call him Theo, his grandmas call him Teddy, grandpa calls him Theodore. We just figure when he's old enough, he can tell us what he wants to be called.
LOVE the name Arthur by the way - it was one of our top contenders!
My son's name is Timothy, so it's similar to your son's in that it shortens to Tim and Timmy. He introduces himself as Timothy and always uses it in writing. I usually call him Timothy, but sometimes Tim for convenience. His friends and teachers almost universally use Tim, especially as he's gotten older. Hardly anyone uses Timmy, unless they're joking around. For instance, I refer to him as "Little Timmy" to our cats for some reason -- I'm not sure why I do this. It's just how I think the cats think of him, although he's almost 13 and as tall as his older sister now.
However, over and above the shortened versions of his name, he has other nicknames that have evolved over time in funny ways that family members and his buddies often use. I call him "Po" because he was obsessed with the phrase "the great grey-green, greasy, Limpopo River" from The Elephant's Child story when he was little. For a while, we called him Timpopo, then just Po. My dad calls him "Roscoe" for some reason. His two best friends call him Timbuckaroo or just Timbucker. I have to say, he won in the nickname lottery between the three of them, because the other two get to be called "Simey-Wimey-Poo-Poo-Head" and "Fart-Face." Boys. I can only imagine what Timbucker will evolve into when they're older -- eyeroll. Hopefully they'll only say it when I'm not around.
So, I would say, as Arthur gets older, you may find yourself naturally shortening it to Art or Artie -- but maybe not. I would just play it by ear and see what seems to fit as he grows. I think that kind of evolution is what makes nicknames fun!
Also, my daughter just turned 2 and when you ask what her name is she says Gianna, not Gigi.
Alexis got called "Lexi " pretty early but we call her both interchangeably. She knows her full name is Alexis and nn is Lexi.
My son will be Stephen and since by husband and FIL are both Steve he will stay Stephen until his buddies at school decide to shorten it to Steve. My BIL and his son are also Steve so I can't handle another "Steve" in my life haha.
DD2: 9/12/13
Baby #3: Due January 2018
Other kiddos have personal (family) nn that they hear just as often, if not more so, than their given names....just sort of happened, they never were planned (B, Pal, & Banana).
I have a nephew named Arthur and he still goes by the full Arthur at age 5.
I completely agree with you! Nicknames often emerge organically, and it's important to call your son what feels natural to you. The beauty of names like Arthur is that they offer a variety of nickname options while still having a strong full name.
I completely agree with you! Nicknames tend to develop naturally over time, and it's important to call your child by whatever feels most natural and comfortable to you.
> I think this is something that evolves naturally over time, and it baffles me when people prioritize a nickname over the actual name or get bunched up about nicknames.
>
> My son's name is Timothy, so it's similar to your son's in that it shortens to Tim and Timmy. He introduces himself as Timothy and always uses it in writing. I usually call him Timothy, but sometimes Tim for convenience. His friends and teachers almost universally use Tim, especially as he's gotten older. Hardly anyone uses Timmy, unless they're joking around. For instance, I refer to him as "Little Timmy" to our cats for some reason -- I'm not sure why I do this. It's just how I think the cats think of him, although he's almost 13 and as tall as his older sister now.
>
> However, over and above the shortened versions of his name, he has other nicknames that have evolved over time in funny ways that family members and his buddies often use. I call him "Po" because he was obsessed with the phrase "the great grey-green, greasy, Limpopo River" from The Elephant's Child story when he was little. For a while, we called him Timpopo, then just Po. My dad calls him "Roscoe" for some reason. His two best friends call him Timbuckaroo or just Timbucker. I have to say, he won in the nickname lottery between the three of them, because the other two get to be called "Simey-Wimey-Poo-Poo-Head" and "Fart-Face." Boys. I can only imagine what Timbucker will evolve into when they're older -- eyeroll. Hopefully they'll only say it when I'm not around.
>
> So, I would say, as Arthur gets older, you may find yourself naturally shortening it to Art or Artie -- but maybe not. I would just play it by ear and see what seems to fit as he grows. I think that kind of evolution is what makes nicknames fun!
I completely agree
> Kiddo #4 is Eva. At age 2 she began calling herself Vevie (like VV). Now we call her that, too. It was a nn we hadn't ever considered until she began using it for herself!
>
> Other kiddos have personal (family) nn that they hear just as often, if not more so, than their given names....just sort of happened, they never were planned (B, Pal, & Banana).
Love it.