!8: Marpac Sleep Save

!±8± How to Pick Out a Great Baby Name

You've got the nursery decorated, the car seat purchased, and the baby monitor in place. Have you chosen a name? Have you chosen a name people can pronounce? Have you chosen a name your child will have to spell aloud every time he or she meets someone new?

Your baby's name is probably the most important thing you'll choose for the precious bundle, so choose carefully. Unless you KNOW you're giving birth so Winthrop, Heinzmann, Larkenshire VI, the sky's the limit, but keep your head out of the clouds.

It's a name, not a spelling quiz for the teacher

Most often, your child's name will be spoken or heard, so an off-beat spelling isn't going to set him apart. If you want a girl named Caroline, don't name her Karolin or Carylyn or Karalin. Complicated spellings only complicate life.

Will it stand the test of time?

A baby named Flower is a charming little tot, but will Flower command respect as the Dean of the school of architecture? "Ma'am, I'm Officer Kamrei Miller and I'm here to impound your Camry."

You're named after a breakfast cereal?

Recently, it's become common to use names that started as actual nouns, like Wren, Drake, Kestrel, and Falcon (like the "balloon boy") Most are not BAD names, but don't give in to your sugar coma and name your baby "Cola" or "Kiwi" or "Daiquiri." Likewise, don't forget your last name in the mix. Baby Coco Lombardy is passable: Coco Wheat is trouble.

So, where can you find inspiration?

Climb your family tree

While you may not want to name your child after a grandparent or cousin, you should look further back, four or five generations. Names go in and out of fashion, and back in, so the great-greats might have some great names!

Go to the movies

Well, not Rambo. But look through some cast listings from movies 30 or 40 years ago. You might find names in the characters or actors that have been forgotten for a while. How about Audrey? Or Spencer?

Well, yes, there's the internet

There are enough baby name sites to keep you busy browsing for weeks. Narrow your focus to a certain theme: ethnicity or names associated with nature, or famous inventors, so you can try out a few at a time.

Don't be surprised if you change your mind. Plenty of babies get named AFTER they're born, because they "just don't look like a Phyllis!" Keep an open mind, keep an eagle eye, and keep your head. Your child, the future Nobel Prize winner, will thank you for it.