To tell nursery to call daughter by nickname

[Halo777]

Wondering people thoughts on this.
My daughter is called Harriet and since birth the whole family including me and my husband have called her Hattie (she is 14 months old now).

I wanted to call her Hattie on birth certificate but my husband wanted her to have a ‘proper name’ so we agree for Harriet on birth certificate and we call her Hattie.

She is starting nursery next month and I don’t know whether to tell her nursery to call her by her nickname Hattie or to call her Harriet.

As of course she will need to know her full name too.
I do love both names so I don’t mind which she goes by when she is old enough to choose.

Of course. Why wouldn’t you?

Or that I should ask them, rather than tell them. Just make sure all her stuff is labelled with the name you want them to call her by.

Nursery will need to know her legal name but you can also tell them she is known as Hattie and that's what you would like her to learn and be called. It's a common situation and won't be a problem

Our dcs nursery actually told us they preferred the full name to be used so they see it written on their coat hook, bag, wall charts etc and learn to spell it ready for school.

But I am sure that was a suggestion rather than a requirement and if I'd wanted to push back I could have.

I work in a nursery and have a polish child with his ‘proper’ name but his parents made it easy for everyone and call him by a shortened name. No problem for anyone

DD was called by her nickname at nursery but was sometimes called by her full name (she shared a name with both the nursery manager and a room leader) which I was happy for them to do as she does need to be familiar with both. When she was learning to write her name in the pre-school room, she learned her full
name. She’s now a teen, still goes by her nn other than at the doctors and sometimes at school when staff are going off the proper register (eg going into the exam hall).
You won’t realise this - I didn’t - but in some ways this is a pfb question. There was never any doubt as to what DC2 would be called at nursery as DC1 called him by his nn so all of her friends and the staff knew him as that. And the question of what name he should learn to write didn’t arise as he was struggling with pencil grip and even recognising the first letter of his nn/name (they’re the same)!

I would tell them to use Hattie.

Both my kids are known by shortened names at nursery. My son was known for a while by a silly name that my daughter used for him and nursery loved using that for him. He grew out of that and then they automatically shortened his name which we don’t do at home. He’s 3 now and has always known all of those names apply to him and has never been confused by any of them.

Of course tell them she's Harriet known as Hattie - why wouldn't you ?

I love Harriet nn Hattie, but agree you wouldn't want Hattie in the bc, it's too nicknamey

If you would prefer her known by Hattie let them know , otherwise saying Hi Hattie bye Hattie missed you Hattie etc may let them know you are ok with that nickname. Personally I would do the form I have an Imogen and I twitch when they call her Imo… so wish I had done known as Immy….

OP, of course let them know both, but make clear she’s normally known as Hattie. My DGS always goes by a diminutive of his name (think Bill for William) and that’s what he’s called at nursery.

Our nursery also asks for preferred name.

We also ask when the children start writing ,what name you want them to learn to write.

We have had a few Charley's and Lottie's who are actually Charlotte's some parents have wanted to learn their shortened name and some have wanted their formal name.

I have two children who have full names and nicknames.
Nursery, school, activities always call them by their full names. Family and friends always by their nicknames.
There were never any issues when the started nursery with not knowing their name.
I have always interchange between nicknames and full names with both children so they were used to that from me. Even in the same conversation I can go from starting with full name and ending with nickname

DS8 is old enough to tell everyone what he prefers to be called and DD4 just goes with full name at nursery and nickname at home. I'm sure she will have an opinion when she starts school.

Thank you everyone, I feel I was over thinking it so I feel a lot better now :)

If you call her Hattie at home, then she should be called Hattie by the nursery workers.

Her records should have her full BC name though.