Letting Your First Kid Name the New Baby Is the Best Idea Ever

on September 23, 2011 at 1:15 PM

big sister Big parenting question of the moment: Should you let your older child or children name the new baby? To me, the answer is an obvious "yes."

Or perhaps I should say the answer is yes, but be sure to read the fine print.

My daughter was 4 years old when my son was born; I know the crazy rollercoaster of emotions older siblings go through when the spotlight shifts to the new kid on the block.

But if I had to pick, I'd say that more than anything, big sisters and brothers struggle with feeling left out.

So giving them such a major role to play in the life of this new addition to your family is, in my opinion, a brilliant way to foster the bond between them. They're too young to really help take care of the baby (apart from handing you the occasional diaper) and they're too old to get the same level of attention as a newborn. Choosing a name is a big, important job they can actually handle.

I know, I know ... you don't really want to name your son Thomas the Tank Engine. Naturally. That's where the fine print comes in. Tell your kid that he might have to think of lots of names so mommy and daddy can vote for their favorite. You can even look at baby name books together and steer him in your preferred direction.

The coolest thing is, this connection will last for your children's entire lives. And for the younger one, it's a great answer for the ubiquitous "Why did your parents choose your name?" question. ("Uh, I guess they liked it?")

Anyway, no matter what your kid comes up with, it won't be as weird as Moroccan Scott.

Would you let your older child name the new baby?

Image via Big Ben/Flickr

About the author Jacqueline Burt

has written for numerous magazines, newspapers, and websites. She is easily bored and often tired, so she requires constant entertainment to keep her awake. Dance, Monkey! Dance!

Filed Under: siblings

Comments (53)

meagansmommy07

on Sep 23, 2011 at 1:20 PM

I'm 36 weeks pregnant and my daughter is 4. She picked the name Libby for her baby sister. We have no idea where she got it from but one day she came up to me and said "the baby told me her name is Libby." And it just stuck(her real name will be Liberty but we'll call her Libby). My daughter is thrilled we're using the name she picked.

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Nonmember comment from me

on Sep 23, 2011 at 1:21 PM

my daughter is 10. I'm not letting her pick the name, but she's involved in the process. but since she's reading some futuristic novels, she wants a futuristic name. but she has more suggestions than my husband.

Facebook comment from Leanne Carnegie

on Sep 23, 2011 at 1:23 PM

Yea, my best friend was named by her older sister (5 years apart). She named her after her best friend in Kindergarten, Jennifer. So... Jen got to be one of the ZILLION "Jennifer"s we went to school with.

Marjchaos

on Sep 23, 2011 at 1:33 PM

This reminds me of a Dennis Leary bit where they asked the kids to come up with a name for their new dog. They individually came up with Pizza, Fish, and Doghead (not sure about that last one). Then, after all those were rejected, they came up with a single name. Pongo.

I wouldn't want my kids to name the new baby Pizza.

L1558

on Sep 23, 2011 at 1:41 PM

My younger brother would have been named one of the following: ALF, Gonzo, or Elmo, if it had been up to me. Possibly, My Little Pony names would have been included in the mix.

MommyofDestiny

on Sep 23, 2011 at 1:49 PM

My oldest daughter was 7 when I was pregnant. Because she had been an only child for so long I really wanted her involved in the process so my husband and I told her she could pick the baby's name only not her first name but her middle name. My daughter thought it was the coolest thing in the world to pick out her baby sister's middle name. She picked Rose by the way. So her little sister's name is Winter Rose

buffalove23

on Sep 23, 2011 at 2:02 PM

I helped name my babysister(picked spelling for middle name and chose between the two final names). My cousin just let her son name their baby (given a choice between two names and he chose)

Nonmember comment from MrsRiz

on Sep 23, 2011 at 2:09 PM

When I was pregnant with my second child, my firstborn would kiss and hug my belly and say "I love you" he was ten months at the time, so I love you sounded like "ally" so that kinda stuck as her name. We came up with Alexys Nicole, but we still call her "Ally" to this day.

BobbieKay29

on Sep 23, 2011 at 2:10 PM

I'm 29 weeks and my from the beginning our son has wanted to name his brother Trash Truck. Needless to say it's been lots of fun joking about but no way would I let him make this kind of decision. Cute idea in thought but in reality a kid's name is much more important than my 3 yro son's favorite toy. On the other side there is 7 yrs between me & my brother and I was the one that originally picked his name but again I was 7 not 3.

Facebook comment from Magen Kauffman

on Sep 23, 2011 at 2:14 PM

buffalove23: I love the idea your cousin had, letting her child pick between 2 possible names. Then the older child feels included in the process and you're not worried about explaining why 'Spongebob' (or whatever) is not an appropriate name for the baby.