Announce birth with full name or nickname or both?

[3boysgirlontheway]

Which would you do?

We are having a little girl who will be called Florence (It's okay we are in Ireland it's not popular here at all - 14 in the whole country last year!) However I know I want to call her Floss.

So how do we introduce her? When we send out the text announcing her birth, what do we say?

Thanks x

PS personally, I find it annoying if someone gives their child a traditional name with a common shortening but I don't know if I'm "allowed" to use the shortened version or not. A friend called her son Samuel but always refers to him as "Little Man" and I don't know if I can call him Sam or if it has to be Samuel. To be safe, I try & stick to Samuel but do worry that I may have caused offence when I call him Sam. Same with another friend who has a an Alexandra who she refers to as Beanie. I'm not going to use Beanie but can I use Alex?
By the way, if sending a text with the name, make sure there's room for all of "Floss". A friend called their child Katherine & wanted the shortening to be "Katie" but the text ended at "Kat" for some reason so that's what we all called the baby for ages until it was politely explained to us. All of the cards referred to "Kat", various name things all had "Kat" on them etc. If you've decided on "Floss", you don't want to end up with "Flo" on everything.

We announced our daughter's nickname. We didn't intend to ever use her full name but wanted to give her the option of a more grown up name.

Well to update, we announced her as "Florence Beatrice Primrose" no nickname. She was two weeks old yesterday, and as much as I was sure I would call her Floss, I am finding myself calling her Florence all the time.

Thanks for all the advice :-)

Congratulations! I think you have done the right thing. Florence is a beautiful, beautiful name. I am in Ireland too and I think people might not recognise Floss as a nn for Florence, but get great mileage out of being silly about Floss (dental etc)

Male Florences are very much a Cork thing - also, it's pronounced 'Flurrence' in my bit of Cork, anyway! Usually shortened to 'Flor' (pronounced 'Flur') or 'Flurry'...

We said "delighted to announce the arrival of DD1, Bess, born at X o'clock weighing X. Full name Elizabath Babybird Birdofthenorth" (NB, not her actual middle and surnames )

Oops! Just seen OP update. Hurrah for Florence, notsomuch Floss! Big congrats x

Beautiful name, by the way I'm interested to know how you know that there were only 14 in Ireland last year. Is there a list on the internet somewhere? Dying to check it!!
To answer you question, I'd put either in the announcement, but not both, whichever you prefer people to call her when they meet her.

Try, Florence, Floss to her friends. It make people feel a bit more special that you're willing to share a name that is special to you.

Ooops, just seen update too, beautiful name however you say/shorten it.