Tips to Help Pets and Toddlers Get Along with Each Other

There is one thing in common between pets and toddlers in your household – both of them crave your love and attention, and both of them require your utmost care. If a pet has been staying in the household much before an toddler has come to stay there, the pet may feel threatened and even jealous of the attention given to the new toddler. It may tend to attack the toddler when unattended.

In another case, household pets may mistake a toddler for a game or an intruder and attack them accidentally. Sometimes, household pets are unable to gauge the strength and limits of a toddler and may unknowingly hurt the toddler while playing with it.

Here are some tips to ensure your toddler and your household pet live in harmony:

* Do not neglect your pet – pay the pet as much (or almost) attention as you did before the toddler arrived

* Let the pet know that the toddler is its friend and not a rival – you may introduce the pet to the toddler and familiarize them in a friendly way

* Train the pet to get accustomed to the toddler’s ways by playing tapes of toddlers crying and other means so that the pet is not frightened when the toddler cries in reality

* Do not leave your toddler unattended with a pet around – the pet may unknowingly (or knowingly, if not properly trained) hurt the toddler or indulge in things that may not be good for the toddlers welfare

* Keep the pet hygienically clean so that the chances of the toddler contracting diseases from it remain minimal

Brainstorming Names for Your Baby

Sure, you can wade through 60,000 names and look for the one that catches your fancy. Another approach is to sit down with a glass of wine ( grape juice for mom-to-be ) and make the following questions into a game. Brainstorm using some or all of these questions and see what kind of ideas they spark. Remember, there is no rule that says a baby can only have one name. If you work together, you might find a few that you both like and respond to at the same time.

• Find out who are your favorite artists ?
• What is your favorite movie? Who are the stars ?
• What is your favorite novel? Who are the main characters ?
• Name every family member as far back or distant as you can remember ?
• Figure out what part of American history do you like ?
• Find out what countries are your ancestors from ?
• What languages do you speak ?
• What is your favorite city? What is your favorite state ?
• Try to remember where did you go on your first date ?
• Where were you married ?
• Where did you go for honeymoon ?
• Your favorite teachers ?
• Your favorite flowers, gems, trees ?

About the Baby

• Where was he or she conceived ?
• Where will the baby be born? City? Address ?
• What do you want baby’s name to say about you ?
• What do you think your baby will look like ?
• What kind of personality will she or he likely have ?
• What color hair or eyes do you imagine ?
• What is the name of your OB / GYN ?

Baby Names – Do’s and Don’ts

Here is a list of some of the important do’s and dont’s related to selecting the right baby name. One example would be – Don’t name your baby with terms that have slang meanings related to parts of the human anatomy.

Dont’s

• Don’t call the fetus Jellybean or Ladybug. Such names stick even after the child is born.
• Don’t name your baby after someone you hate or dislike.
• Don’t name your baby with terms that have slang meanings related to parts of the human anatomy.
• Check your baby name initials together with your surname. Initials of names like Christopher David Player (C.D. Player) or Annie Sue Stiles could be embarassing.
• Don’t make your baby name sound like a tongue twister.
• Consider the confusion involved in naming your child after yourself or someone in the family.
• Make sure to fully research your chosen name, especially if it seems unique and foreign. It would be embarassing to discover later that your child has the name of an infamous character from history or a foreign country.
• Avoid involving your friends in your name search. Their input will only complicate a process that is already difficult with two people. And, in the worst case, someone might ’steal’ your perfect name for their baby before you have claimed it.
• Don’t wait until the delivery to decide on the name if you want to have any say in the matter. If you do, make sure you’re ready to give in to whatever your wife decides. When the baby is handed to you, the doctor or nurse will ask what you have decided for a name. At this point, it is very difficult to argue with a woman who has been in labor for eight hours. Forewarned is forearmed.

Do’s

• Use online naming engines to help you throw a wide net for your name search.
• Select the top 5-10 names you like. After your baby is born, you might find the fifth name more suitable to his or her appearance.
• Let the baby’s appearance dictate the final choice. Of-course, you wouldn’t keep terms like Toothless Wonder or mashed potato in your list.
• Meaningful names or names of historical personalities you admire can help children gain direction in their lives.

Unexpected Baby Naming Issues

Sure, you can wade through 60,000 names and look for the one that catches your fancy. Another approach is to sit down with a glass of wine (grape juice for mom-to-be) and make the following questions into a game. Brainstorm using some or all of these questions and see what kind of ideas they spark.

You may have expended thought and consideration in selecting an appropriate name for your child. However, some things you could overlook may result in your child’s name ending up with an unintentional blooper attached to it.

Consider the following points while selecting your child’s name:

• Avoid names that lead to cruel nicknames: Accepted, kids will always be kids, and almost any name can be twisted to conjure up an appropriately cruel nickname. However, try to avoid names that obviously lend themselves to a negative nickname.

• Consider your child’s initials: While choosing a name, always keep in mind the initials that the name will form along with the middle name and the surname. Write these initials down and check that they do not connote something negative or undesirable. For instance, if your child’s full name is Peter Oliver Taylor, the initials will spell out as ‘POT,’ which may not exactly be flattering.

• Consider how the name will be shortened: Almost all names having two or more syllables invariably get shortened to an informal abbreviation. Consider what the most obvious shortened version of your child’s name will be. For instance, its fine when Timothy becomes Tim and Daniel is shortened to Dan, but remember, Madison will be Mad, and Fatima, Fat!

Unusual Baby Names

Parents, increasingly, are thinking up unique names for their children. An exotic association apart, there is at least one constructive advantage to this. An unusual name helps to confer exclusivity, helping the owner to stand out and be recognized more easily. Think about how easy it is to remember a ‘Terranova’ from a crowd of Marys and Janes.

However, choosing an unusual baby name requires some care. How can you choose a name that is distinctive, yet does not end up sounding ridiculous? Of course, you don’t want your child to be at the receiving end of all the Waynes and Dylans in his school. Here are a few tips:

1. Check what’s out there. Start by looking up popular baby names listed in parenting books and websites. Along with the more familiar ones, you will also find some unusual baby names that you have rarely heard before, and that will catch your fancy.

2. Old is gold. Many old names that were quite popular until recently have now fallen out of favor. Research names in historical archives or literature, or dig up some of the unusual names from your own family records.

3. Read the glossies. Celebrity baby names are another good source for distinctive names. The advantage here will be that though the name will be unusual, it will have built up some level of familiarity and acceptability because of the media coverage. The disadvantage, of course, will be that the name may end up becoming too popular, thereby losing its novelty factor.

4. Get the spelling right. Be careful about using an unusual baby name that is simply a popular name cached in a new spelling-such as ‘Jaysonne’ or ‘Jayesun.’ This will of course sound phony, considering that the pronunciation will remain plain old ‘Jason.’ More importantly, your child may even have to face ridicule from others on this account.

5. Avoid strange combinations. Also, resist the temptation to create an unusual baby name by stringing together two or more names, such as ‘Branjelina’. Unless done sensibly, such a name will probably sound outlandish or gawky.

Naming Children After Celebrities

Naming children after celebrities is hardly new and the names of movie stars, sportsmen, and people in the news, have spawned generations of children with common names. This is because parents like to give their children names of people they admire. Also, they hope that by sharing the name of their idol, the children will also be assured success, fame, and fortune in their lives.

While there is nothing wrong with naming children after celebrities, there are many reasons why this need not be the sole criterion for selecting a name.

• Naming your child after a public figure will mean that people will always associate the name with that person. This is not fair to your child.

• The image conjured up by the name may not match the personality of your child.

• Some celebrities enjoy only a brief moment in the limelight. You may even grow over your fascination for a star. In such circumstances, it may not be appropriate to name your child on a momentary whim.

• All too often, celebrities are associated with controversies. If this happens, your child may become an innocent victim of someone’s scorn.

• Some star-struck parents, who name a baby after a celebrity, tend to set high expectations for their child. This benefits neither the parent nor the child.

• Often, one of the parents may decide on a celebrity name, which the spouse dislikes.

Naming Children after Presidents

Parents looking for a name for their newborn baby draw inspiration from various sources. This includes political figures, such as presidents or presidential candidates. In fact, new presidents often spawn naming trends and many past presidents’ names have been on the popularity lists of the time. At various points in history, scores of parents have chosen to name their children Abraham, Andrew, Dwight, Franklin, and Woodrow.

Today, parents are somewhat more cautious now about naming children after presidents. Nevertheless, presidential names remain more popular than ever before. (In comparison, however, instances of children named after vice presidents seem to be rarer—for instance, there are not too many Hannibels or Spiros around.)

What, one wonders, is the attraction of naming babies after presidents? Is it about political affiliation or inclination? Yes, but only to a certain extent. Actually what is attractive about a new presidential name is that it soon becomes a household name. Most Americans choose presidential names because they represent America and its essential spirit.

Brainstorming Names for Your Baby

Sure, you can wade through 60,000 names and look for the one that catches your fancy. Another approach is to sit down with a glass of wine (grape juice for mom-to-be) and make the following questions into a game. Brainstorm using some or all of these questions and see what kind of ideas they spark. Remember, there is no rule that says a baby can only have one name. If you work together, you might find a few that you both like and respond to at the same time.

* Who are your favorite artists?
* What is your favorite movie? Who are the stars?
* What is your favorite novel? Who are the main characters?
* Name every family member as far back or distant as you can remember?
* What part of American history do you like?
* What countries are your ancestors from?
* What languages do you speak?
* What is your favorite city? What is your favorite state?
* Where did you go on your first date?
* Where were you married?
* Where did you honeymoon?
* Favorite teachers?
* Favorite flowers, gems, trees?

About the Baby

* Where was he or she conceived?
* Where will the baby be born? City? Address?
* What do you want baby’s name to say about you?
* What do you think your baby will look like?
* What kind of personality will she or he likely have?
* What color hair or eyes do you imagine?
* What is the name of your OB/GYN?