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Choosing a Baby Name
Small baby, big decision 10 tips for choosing the right baby name Thinking about baby names can be one of the best parts of pregnancy – or the worst. Some parents agree on a name quickly, while others agonise over popularity, spelling, flow, and family names. Some announce the name early on, others wait to meet their baby before making the final decision. No matter where you fall on the baby-naming spectrum, you might need a bit of help when you’re first starting out. Here are our top ten naming tips: 1: Check the family tree If you’re struggling to find names you love, your family can be a good place to start looking. You could choose to honour a living relative with a namesake or look further back to find an unusual or classic option. Either way, a family name can be a nice way to connect your child with their history. 2: Consider your surname Choosing your future child’s last name can narrow down your options for first names. Whether you go the traditional route and pass on the father’s name, switch things around by passing on the mother’s, hyphenate, or combine the two into an entirely new name, it’s important to have it sorted before you start thinking about first names. When you are considering firsts, write the options down with the surname and say them out loud – some names simply don’t sound right with some surnames, and others can create embarrassing phrases or words when said aloud. It’s better to find out before you name that adorable baby. 3: Don’t worry (too much) about popularity Some parents want a solid, well-known name for their child – others dread meeting another baby with the same name. Remember that popularity isn’t what it used to be. Because the spread of baby names is much broader than it once was, the top ten names are not used for nearly as many babies as they used to be. It’s more about luck and location – if you live in a trendy suburb, your Archie or Lucinda could be one of three in the class, while children with once-common names like Thomas and Lucy stand out. 3: Nickname or not? These days, more and more parents are choosing to give their children longer names without using a nickname. Once you’ve established that you don’t call your child by a nickname, most people tend to accept that decision and move along. But, as he gets older, your child could end up choosing a nickname for himself, so it’s worth considering the possibility. If you adore the name Timothy but hate Tim, it’s probably best to keep looking. 4: Spelling mistakes Many parents choose to alter the spelling of a name because they like the alternative better, or because they want their child to stand out. Although there’s nothing really wrong with changing the spelling, tread carefully – complicated or unusual spelling choices can end up being more trouble than they’re worth. Not only will you end up spelling the name and correcting people frequently, but your child will need to deal with misspellings when they grow up. 5: Ask around When you’re a first-time parent, popularity can be hard to gauge, unless you happen to be a teacher or paediatrician. Many parents make the mistake of thinking a choice is uncommon because they don’t know anyone with the name, but forget that their thirty-something friends don’t represent the current crop of babies and toddlers. If you’re concerned about popularity, ask your teacher and parent friends for help. They’ll be able to tell you whether Mia is really the unique choice you think it is, or whether they already know three little girls with that name. 6: Unfortunate initials For most people, initials are pretty far down the list of baby-name considerations. And in most cases, they don’t really matter. But do have a quick look at your first, middle, and last initial choices, particularly if you’re using a middle name that starts with a vowel. Peter Ian Gibson, Anastasia Sara Smith, and Fiona Amy Thompson are all perfectly lovely names – with not-so-lovely initials. Although it can be hard to give up a beloved name, it’s probably better to find out earlier, rather than later. 7: Future focus The more children you have, the harder it can be to choose names. That’s why, if you’re planning on more than one, it’s smart to consider sibling names at the same time. You don’t have to decide on full names for four future children, just think about your naming style and whether you have enough options to fit. If you love the name Echo for your first, but usually prefer more mainstream choices like Lucas and Mila, think about whether those names will work together. On the other hand, many parents don’t care about sibling name co-ordination, so it’s really a matter of personal taste. 8: Test it out It’s easy to come up with a list of names you like, but harder to imagine whether they’ll work in real life. Once you’re down to a couple of choices, testing the name can be a good way to figure out how you feel about it. Use the name at a coffee shop or when you order takeaways – does it sound good out loud? Do you have to spell it? Do people understand it's the first time? If you’re too embarrassed to even use the name, that’s good information as well. The yell test is another good one: shout the name across your garden or a crowded playground. Is it easy to say? Does it feel natural or odd? It’s not about how other people react, it’s about whether you can realistically use the name yourself. 9: Google it One of the final tests for a baby name is Google. Once you have the first and last choices sorted, it’s worth a quick Google search to see whether there’s a serial killer or other unfortunate association with the full name. Some parents also use a search engine to check out how unusual the name really is – and it’s not about avoiding popularity. In theory, if your child’s first and last names are unique, it can be a negative, as he won’t have the luxury of online anonymity. But, as always, this is a matter of personal opinion. 10: Your baby, your choice Ultimately, your baby’s name is up to you and your partner. It can be useful to get feedback from trusted friends or relatives but don’t set too much store by other people’s opinions. No one name is going to please everyone, and since you’re the ones making the baby, it’s really your choice. Many couples choose not to share names before the birth to avoid unwanted opinions – and once there’s a gorgeous baby with the name, people are far less likely to be negative. Preparing for your baby’s arrival? Check out our advice on everything from sleep to strollers here.
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Summer smart, right from the start
Keeping little ones safe this summer After a long, cold, virus-heavy winter, many parents will be looking forward to summer – warmer days, fewer illnesses, and time outside with the kids. But after last year’s record-high temperatures, it’s important to remember that summer has dangers too. Babies, with their delicate skin and inability to regulate temperature, are particularly sensitive to harsh sun and heat. Make sure you’re aware and prepared before summer starts, so you can protect your wee ones – no matter how hot it gets. Here’s our summer safety toolkit: Safer with sunscreen Babies and small children have delicate skin that burns easily, so sunscreen is a non-negotiable in the summer months. Even if your children hate the application process, it’s still something that has to be done. If you make it a regular part of their morning routine, they’ll get used to it eventually. • Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF30+ at minimum. • Apply sunscreen at least 15 minutes before you go outside, and remember to reapply every 3-4 hours. • Use plenty – apply sunscreen thickly, and don’t miss areas like the back of the arms or ears. • Keep bottles of sunscreen everywhere – the car, the baby bag, grandparents’ house – so you’re never caught without it. • Don’t forget sunscreen on cloudy days – 80% of rays penetrate through cloud cover, so you can still get burnt. Buy the Made 4 Baby SPF50 Natural Sunscreen HERE . Shade solutions Sunscreen is a must if you’re out in the sunshine, but it’s not the only way to prevent sunburn or overheating. Staying indoors or in the shade during the hottest part of the day helps you avoid the heat altogether while dressing appropriately keeps you – and your children – safe and comfortable. • Try to avoid the sun between 11am-4pm, when UV rays are strongest. • Dress your children in loose, dark-coloured or UV-protective clothing and swimwear – the sun’s rays can penetrate light, thin fabrics. • Choose long-sleeved swimwear. • Make sure your babies and children always wear hats – full brim is best. • Use a sunshade or cover for your pram – but make sure it’s not preventing airflow to your baby, or she could overheat. • Use a shade cloth or stick-on shade in the car, to keep your baby’s seat out of the sun. Check out our range of Cotton Products Here Overheating and hydration During the summer months, it’s important to keep babies and children hydrated and cool as much as possible. Because they’re less developed than adults, babies and small children can’t regulate their body temperature properly, which means they’re more susceptible to overheating. During record high temperatures, overheating and dehydration can be a real concern for smaller babies. Although it’s less common in New Zealand’s fairly temperate climate, babies have died of heat exhaustion in extreme weather • Keep small children indoors, preferably with air conditioning on, during very high temperatures. • Make sure children drink plenty of fluids – homemade ice-blocks are a great way to get more liquid into them. • Give breastfed babies more frequent feeds – your milk will naturally be less concentrated to keep your baby hydrated. Drink more water yourself. • Bottle-fed babies should also be given more feeds – you can offer small amounts of water if you’re concerned about dehydration. • Dress babies and children lightly for sleep, and use a fan or air conditioning to keep the temperature in their room down. • Never leave a baby or child alone in the car, as temperatures can rise extremely rapidly. • If your baby or child is showing signs of dehydration or heatstroke – including lethargy, a dry mouth, fewer wet nappies, or a sunken fontanelle – seek medical treatment immediately. If it all sounds a bit alarming, don’t worry. Summer should be a time of fun and relaxation, even when you do have small children. As long as you’re aware and well prepared, you – and your wee ones – should be fine. Don't Forget the Sunscreen! Buy Sun Lotion Here
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From Hobby to 'Family' Business
As the first few of her fourteen children came along, our founder Jane Anne McAllister found that store-bought clothes just didn’t have the quality she wanted for her babies. They also lacked the strength to endure being passed from one baby to the next and still look good, or even stay intact. So she sourced the best fabrics and began making her baby clothes, lovingly embroidering each item by hand. That was the start of Dimples. Founded in 1992, today, we still dedicate the same care and time that Jane gave to those first garments. We’re one of the few clothing companies that still manufacture in NZ, which lets us make sure each garment is of the highest quality. It also means that our manufacturing is inherently ethical – no unknown, offshore factories with little oversight of working conditions, wages or environmental issues. So who makes our clothes? Our sewing machinists are part of our family, and all highly-skilled craftspeople. Karen has been with us for about seven years, putting her five decades of experience into every garment. Meet Karen – a Dimples sewer As a teenager, Karen finished school in December and reached school-leaving age in January, with dreams of training as a hairdresser. Her parents had other ideas – the hairdressing job didn’t start until mid-February, and they weren’t having her underfoot with nothing to do all that time. “I had to do what my parents told me to. So they marched me into town and got me a sewing job, and that’s where I stayed. I started in the city – 50 years ago. Yes, it was a craft.” ‘Made-in-NZ’ – an endangered species Back when Karen started her working life, a trained machinist could walk out of one job and into another almost immediately. That’s changed now. Textile, leather, clothing and footwear manufacturing make up only 5% of New Zealand’s manufacturing sector, down from 8% in 2008. [1] The number of jobs filled by paid employees in the clothing and knitted-product manufacturing industry fell nearly 60 percent – from 9,550 to 4,120 between 1986 and 2012 [2] . Taking pride in the quality As a professional machinist, Karen says the shift towards international production might make clothes cheaper, but they’re often very poorly constructed. The difference, she says, is that she was trained to complete a whole garment rather than doing piece-work. International garment factories tend to have a group of people just sewing collars, cuffs or hems, for example. “Everything’s done on the big stitch, no back-tacking. Within weeks the seams come apart.” At Dimples, we can turn out high-quality garments because we employ craftspeople like Karen – they have very high standards and the skills to back it up. Karen, in particular was known for her precision and was often used as a sample machinist. “Everything had to be spot on. It was an example – then other sewers had to make it exactly like the sample.” The Dimples family The inclusive culture we foster at Dimples helps our engaged and committed staff produce their best work in a happy, supportive atmosphere. Karen truly thinks the Dimples ‘family’ are lovely people to work for. “I’ve worked for a lot of people, and some of the other bosses were terrible. But Jane is just fantastic. When my grandkids were born, I got a beautiful gift for each baby. At Dimples, they care about you. They’re just nice people.”
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