Shocking number of parents have baby name regret: ‘I can’t help but cringe’
It’s a … mistake!
A new study conducted by BabyCenter revealed that nearly one in 10 parents say they wish they had chosen a different name for their child.
Out of the 450 respondents, one mom revealed on the parenting site that she has “major regret” naming her daughter Cleo.
“Every time someone calls her by her name, I can’t help but cringe. I just want to cry because I don’t know what to do,” she confessed online.
The new mother isn’t the only one who resonates with this feeling, according to BabyCenter’s survey.
Most mothers have second thoughts on the moniker because they’ve felt that a short nickname has a stronger presence, with 20% preferring their child’s nickname to the legal alias.
Another reason they consider the name change is because of the criticism people give them. The report shares that 15% of the respondents claim people have teased their child’s name.
Although middle names are often not shared amongst people, about 15% of parents prefer their child’s middle name to their first name.
Respondents also shared that 11% use English nicknames for their child’s culturally distinct legal moniker.
“My husband and I have seven children, [and] four of them have names that are more obviously Hispanic than the other three,” admitted a BabyCenter user. “I don’t regret their names, but I do wish that they were a little more familiar.”
Some parents prefer to wait to name their baby until they lock eyes to ensure the alias matches the baby’s personality. But for those who don’t, 10% say the name just doesn’t suit their child’s real-life attitude and mannerisms.
“I tried calling him MJ for several months after he was born. It just doesn’t fit him,” another mom, who goes by@PickleP23, on BabyCenter wrote. “I eventually started calling him Maverick Dean (Dean is his dad’s middle name) and to us, it fits him better.”
Though many parents choose their child’s name months before arrival, many have said they weren’t 100% sold on the moniker until the child’s first birthday.
Within the first year, 21% of moms feel regret over their baby’s name; meanwhile, 15% experience a dislike of the name within the first month.
However, only 6% claim that they have doubts about the moniker after one year.
Reluctant mothers can be so repulsed by their child’s original name that 6% of them legally change the name after birth.
Experts suggest that parents who plan on changing their name should do it before the baby can recognize their name, which is usually between 6 and 7 months, according to BabyCenter.
