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Baby names

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

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Original poster

Transition from nn to real name - how and when?

14 replies

minipie · 14/05/2014 15:21

So, DD has got quite a grown up name. She was born as a 5lb scrap and it didn't suit her so we kep calling her Bean as we had in utero.

18 months later she is still Bean.

I would quite like to start calling her by her real name but not sure how exactly without confusing the hell out of her. She responds to Bean, knows it's her name, can say it. She just about knows her real name is also her (she will point to herself if asked "who is X") but she can't say it and I suspect won't be able to for a while.

If your DC had a nn as a baby/small child, when and how did you start calling them by their real name?

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GooseyLoosey · 14/05/2014 15:26

Could you start running them together?

Eg call her "Olivia-bean" so she knows it's her name?

janie2 · 14/05/2014 15:31

Lots of children can't say their name at 18mths. If she knows and understands its her name call her it more often and she'll probably pick it up. Otherwise I'd do what goosey suggests. Does everone call her bean or just immediate family?

Original poster

minipie · 14/05/2014 15:34

Thanks both. Yes we could try the Olivia-bean idea - bit of a mouthful but could work as a way to transition. We should use her real name more but I just automatically say Bean without thinking! Everyone calls her bean except for doctors and other "official" people.

OP posts:

tallulah · 14/05/2014 15:35

We called DD1 something completely different to her real name, tho GPs etc used her proper name. On her 2nd birthday someone asked her what her name was and she gave the nn. From then we swapped to using her real name.

Later when we told her, she didn't remember ever being called anything else.

Teabiscuits · 14/05/2014 15:52

My brother couldn't say my name when I was born, and his pronounciation of it stuck as a nn, which I still have to this day. My real name (which does not suit me at all!) was only ever used by doctors and so on, but I still knew it meant me! I think the Olivia-Bean idea is a good one, but I don't think my parents ever needed to teach me as such, I just knew somehow. A bit like how kids know about swear words I think - they probably don't hear them very much, but know what they mean and know they aren't supposed to say them! (Or my kids somehow know the meanings anyway...)

Raskova · 14/05/2014 16:55

I actually think that's really sweet and you should keep it going. All her friends and family will have a sweet little name for her that has a lot of meaning. She knows her name so that's really good. I'd go for the suggestion of xxx-bean tho if not

Original poster

minipie · 14/05/2014 17:01

thanks! I guess we will probably try to mention her real name more and more and then switch over altogether at some point.

I think it's sweet too raskova but only for a small child... I know a few people who still are called by their baby nickname at age 20 or 30+... I wouldn't want that to happen not least because I really like her real name! I'd like the transition to happen before school so just wondering if it's easier now rather than when she is, say, 3 yo. But we have plenty of time.

OP posts:

Raskova · 14/05/2014 19:34

I know a few people called bean as nn, which is probably why it's not associated with baby nn for me. All silly reasons. Ones ginger... The colour of beans. One shaved his head and apparently it looked like a bean...

I think that's a really good idea to get her used to her name

drspouse · 15/05/2014 11:44

Our DS was also fairly small and has a very long name that we don't abbreviate. He was just Baby for about 6 months (e.g. "Hello baby! Gorgeous baby! Ooh look at Baby!" or alternatively Little Man etc.

DH started mentioning his full name more as you say but mainly when talking to him/playing with him rather than referring to him e.g. "Ooh it's Fullname! Hello Fullname! Is there someone here called Fullname?" and I followed suit. We still don't particularly use his name when referring to him, especially not when he's not there (it's just "Him" or "Mr Screamy/Awkward/Cuddly" depending on mood).

My cousin has a longer name and her older brother couldn't pronounce it and called her Dodo. She was stuck with that as a teen and absolutely hated it. She eventually got everyone to use her full name but it was a pain.

MrsCakesPremonition · 15/05/2014 11:49

My DC have 5 or 6 names they respond to. Variants on their name, their nickname, their pet names. We've always just naturally swapped between them as the mood takes us. They've never been confused, just took it in their stride.

Frikadellen · 15/05/2014 21:16

dd1 was unable to say dd2s name (Eloisa) so called her Sa and she was known as Sa until she was about 1 1/2 where we made a real effort to start saying " Eloisa" and now age 14 is only known as this she doesnt accept any calling her Ellie either

BikeRunSki · 15/05/2014 21:19

39 years later DSis is known by her baby nickname

Loverofcheese · 15/05/2014 21:29

I agree with Olivia - bean and running names together. It doesn't matter that she can't say it but other people will catch on.

FatherSpodoKomodo · 15/05/2014 21:30

I know a child who started nursery using his nickname as he'd never been known by anything else (in the same sort of vein as Squishy) I really thought that was his actual name to begin with as they labelled all his stuff with that name, then gradually started introducing his real name ready for him to start school.

My DS has a nickname, but I'm really the only one who uses it, so he's known his own name since he was young. He does tell me he only wants to be called just by his nn, but keeps forgetting! Actually I guess he has 2 nn, as he is usually called by the shortened version of his name and that is what he is known as at school.

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