Baby Names

As an adoptive parent of an infant, there's a good chance you'll get to name your baby after it's born. Some women keep lists of first and middle names before they're even married or making plans to start a family. Other women plan to wait until they have the child in their arms and a name comes to them.

Finding the perfect name for a child takes a lot of thought though. Things to consider: What the name rhymes with, how it sounds with the last name, what the child's initials spell out, and whether it's a common or unique name. Baby names are a matter of taste, of course, but family names can be a sensitive topic for some families. Passing down a family name is a great way for the child to grow into a sense of identity with the family, but other family members may at first be opposed to it as the child won't be biologically related to the namesake. As with most other adoption advice concerning extended family, it's suggested that the adoptive couple do what they want and the family will grow to love and accept their decisions.

Some people believe that children grow into their names, so putting thought into the name meaning or other people you've known with that name isn't an uncommon practice and may in fact affect who the child grows to be in some small way.