Is it a Good Idea or Bad Idea Let Your Older Child Name the New Baby?

The anticipation of a new baby brother or sister, for an older sibling, can come with mixed feelings. Some big brothers or sisters don't want a new little one encroaching on their territory, but others can't wait for a new playmate. You might want to think about this when asking your little one to name your newest bundle of joy. You might come out with some interesting suggestions.

At the time I was pregnant with our daughter, our son was 6. He was quite interested in the baby and what we were going to name her. My husband and I decided on family names, his Mother's middle name and my Father's middle name, respectively. It was very fitting for our newest and we are very proud.

I am afraid if I would have asked our son, he would have named her after his favorite toys at the time. Can you imagine a little girl named "Thomas Percy James Ferguson"? Yes, those are Thomas the Tank Engine names. Or even "Pikachu Ponita Ferguson"? He began his Pokemon phase shortly after we found out we were pregnant. Then there could always be "Batman Avatar Ferguson" or even "Princess Jasmine Aurora Ferguson". (Hey, that last one wasn't so bad, but no, still not going to do it.) He also came up with a female version of his name, and was quite sure we were going to go with that. Let's see... Nope! He was agreeable after we convinced him he was not naming the new baby. Instead, he could continue to name our pets. He agreed to that.

The old question comes up when a new baby is going to arrive: Should I let me son or daughter help name our new bundle of joy? Will it help them bond better? If your child wanted a baby brother and instead got a sister, that sister might end up resenting him for such a terrible name.

One other item to think about when allowing your older child to name your new baby, is reminding them that once it is done, it is done. In other words, they cannot change it after two years when they have a new favorite name. It is a big responsibility. Again, I would let the kids name the new pets, not the other kids. "Pikachu Ponita" can be our next fish, not baby. Can you imagine roll call in the third grade?

You then ask yourself, "What good could come of this?" Well, for some families, it has worked just fine. If you feel that the children will respond positively to it, and then I say go for it. Some names might just end up being very beautifully unique, or have some family heritage.