Naming your baby is something that you'll have to live with the rest of your life, and so will the baby. So, keep in mind these hints when picking a name for your new bundle of joy.

Beware, fetal names stick! Jellybean and Ladybug are cute names, no doubt. Remember what you name your fetus will come out of your mouth postpartum!

How does the name sound? Does it roll off of your tongue, or get stuck there? Seth Weiss comes out a garbled mess, Adam Weiss flows a bit better.

Initials! Don't make your child the laughing stock of the neighborhood by naming them Christopher David Player (C.D. Player) or Annie Sue Stiles. (You get the picture...)

Naming for religious reasons. Do you have a religious belief or family traditions about naming your child after a family member? Some religions do, and in fact, some religions require that the person you are naming your child for be deceased. Even though naming an entire name is the most common way of doing this, you can also use the same initials.

Avoid the same name. While I strongly believe in naming children for family lines and traditions. It can be difficult to have a Junior in the house, especially when they start to get a bit older. Keep this in mind and consider giving the baby another name to go by, while still holding up the family tradition.

Chose names for both genders, despite what an ultrasound has told you you are having. Occasionally these are wrong, don't be caught off guard with only one name. And never fear the pink dresses can be returned!

Watch out for nicknames! Unless of course you like them. We have a Benjamin and certainly don't want him to be Ben or Benji. While others will name a child Joey, instead of Joseph, make it your idea of what to name the baby and stick with it. I'll never forget that first pediatrician visit where my doctor kept referring to my newborn as Ben. Benjamin is now 6 and sticks up for himself!

Can you live with it? My mother always told me to scream the name several times out the back door, like I was calling the baby in for dinner. If I could manage to do that without cringing then I could probably live with the name.

Be flexible! Don't get too attached to a baby name prior to birth, consider having a few names picked out. I've been to more than one birth where once the baby got there she or he didn't look like the names the mom and dad had picked out.

Tips for Naming Multiples

If you've been blessed with twins or more, you've got twice the work to do! When naming multiples there are several things to keep in mind.

When medically referring to your multiples you will hear Baby A, B, C, D, etc. Some people chose to give their babies names that correspond to these letters. For example: Alex, Britni, Cassie, Dillon, Emory, and on down. However, remember that siblings will be siblings, this will probably cause a fight because of the constant reminder as to who came first!

Some people prefer to give their children names that sound familiar. Remember that while this looks great on paper, it can be very difficult when when trying to get Cristin and Chris to respond.

You also need to watch out for initials, with an added fact. Mason Andre Smith and Mary Ann Smith have the same initials. This can be a bear when it comes to initialing clothes for camp, books, toys, and everything else on down the line.

Naming Hints for A Baby, Not Your First

Now that you're an experienced parent and you've lived through the naming process before you can learn from your mistakes. Or you can make new ones!

Don't let your older children help name the baby! I've heard names like Big Bird, Broccoli, Kit Kat and many other names come out of little mouths.

Keep your older children's names in mind when naming your new baby. At the zoo we found a family with a Christopher and a Robin, we couldn't help but think of Winnie the Pooh.