Nicknames?

[fsadler]

Hi everyone! I am new to Mumsnet and would like to ask you all a question:
Is it okay for one child to go by a full name if all the others go by nicknames?
DH and I are expecting our fourth child. We already have DS1 Theodore, DD1 Eleanor and DD2 Catherine, who go by Theo, Ellie and Kate. We introduced Theodore and Catherine as Theo and Kate from when they were born, but Eleanor kind of morphed into Ellie when she was a few months old. She still goes by Eleanor a fair amount of the time.

If our baby is a boy, he will be Alexander and can go by Alex.

If baby is a girl, we love Harriet. However, we aren't very keen on Hattie. We do like it, but much prefer Harriet. Would it be okay to have a Harriet with no nickname alongside a Theodore, Eleanor and Catherine who all mainly go by nicknames?

No, of course it doesn't matter! You might find it gets shortened at school anyway, whether you like it or not, but can't see any reason why it would be a problem to call her Harriet with no nickname.

Speaking from experience, if you choose a name with an obvious nickname and don't use it, other people will. That didn't bother you with Ellie, but it would with Hattie.

If there's a nickname you dislike, in my view you have three options:

1. Use or at least designate a preferred nickname (Harry? Etta? Bunny?) so people who want to use a pet name don't choose for themselves.

1. Choose another name entirely.

1. Suck it up when others fuck it up.

She will end up being Hattie or, more likely from THREE I have known - Harry -just as Eleanor morphed into Ellie.

So I really would say that unless you can live with those, find another name!

Not unusual at all. I am the opposite, my siblings all go by the full versions of their names and I got mine shortened. No one seemed to think it was strange.

Lovely names, by the way!

Really lovely names.

I think as Harriet is three syllables there is a good chance it'll be shortened. Do you like Harri or Hettie?