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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Change baby name at 8 months - please help!!!!

34 replies

May06 · 25/02/2010 10:36

My ds is about 8 months and for a few months I've been regretting his name. I always had doubts over the name but thought I'd get over it when he was here and for the first few months I felt fine with it. However for the past 4 months I've been agonising over it to the pojnt it's starting to become an obsession and I find it difficult to even call him by name. Has anyone actually changed their child's name? Was there any impact? I know under 1 it can be changed on the birth certificate so presumably he would never know how indecisive his mother is??! In a way I'm desperate to change it but part of me feels guilty about doing it as if people will think I'm changing him??? Please help me!!!

Thanks

M

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SpawnChorus · 25/02/2010 11:00

And I'd go for it now if I were you. I have mild regrets about DD's name. It's lovely, but I would have liked to have given her a v uncommon long version of her name on her birth certificate, rather than just the short version (which is in the top 50 names).

SpawnChorus · 25/02/2010 10:58

Youe wouldn't have to get rid of the cards! There's no reason to keep it secret from him. It would just be an interesting story to tell him, and might be a reason for him to be extra proud of his "new" name. e.g. "we were going to call you James, but it became apparent very early on that you were a Cuthbert through and through."

Original poster
May06 · 25/02/2010 10:57

Hattee - I thought they just changed the birth certificate completely?? Is it just the extract that shows the new name? Does that mean your little one will be known as his original name on official docs like passport etc?

OP posts:
Original poster
May06 · 25/02/2010 10:55

I have mentioned how I feel to dh a few times but he just thinks it post pregnancy hormones and me being a bit crazy so he's always persuaded me to keep the name. I just don't know what to do - if I change it I'll have to get rid of all his birth cards and he was given a few gifts with his name on which would make me sad - but that's not reason enough to keep a name is it???

OP posts:
hattee · 25/02/2010 10:54

I changed DS's name just before he turned 6 months. It sounds like you feel the same as I did - didn't want to call him the original name to start with, but agreed after the birth. It didn't bother me too much for the firth few months, I suppose because I had so much on my mind becoming a mum for the first time, but then it became an obsession. I'm glad I changed it.

Both names are on the long birth certificate by the way, so he will know. I added a new name to the front and kept the original name as an additional middle name.

piratecat · 25/02/2010 10:46

oh go on whats the name?

what don't you like about it, does it just not suit him?

Eglu · 25/02/2010 10:45

If you are really struggling to call him the name then it is obviously a serious problem for you.

Do you know what you want to change it to? DO you have a DP/DH to help you deicde?

birdofthenorth · 25/02/2010 10:40

I suspect he would know, relatvies will mention it. Up to you but I think at 8 months trying to learn to love his name is probably easier -but it's your call of course. Congrats on you're boy!

AllieW · 25/02/2010 10:40

Does he have a middle name by which he could go that you would be more comfortable? That way you don't need to worry about altering the birth certificate at all.

Other than that, I've changed my own name, by Deed Poll (and had been going by my middle name, which has now become my first, for some time before that). I found that gentle prompting each time someone mistakenly called me by my old name was all it took. Everyone is now thoroughly used to my new name (it's been 9 years) and some people have only known me by that name anyway.

You will not be changing him. I think you will feel far better once you have changed it. I certainly did when I changed my name (I'd been umming and ahhing over it for some time before I finally took the plunge). Far easier that you do it this way than going through all the palaver of Deed Poll and so on.