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I feel ridiculous posting this. Our daughter is 4 months old and I don't like her name.
We chose it late, in a panic, in the hospital. It's a perfectly nice name. But every time I say it, it feels like I'm talking about someone else. In my head I call her by the other name we nearly chose.
My partner is fine with the name and thinks I'm being silly. Has anyone actually changed a name after registering? Is that even possible?
It's possible! You can change it in the first year through the register office, it's not as complicated as you'd think. Ring your local one and ask.
Could you use the other name as a middle name and call her by that? Lots of people go by their middle names.
I felt the same at 4 months and by 8 months the name suited her perfectly. Sometimes it just takes a while for a baby to grow into it. Not saying that's definitely the case for you, but it's worth knowing.
My cousin changed her son's name at 6 months. Family was a bit confused for a few weeks and then everyone forgot he'd ever been called anything else.
The middle name idea is clever, she doesn't have one at the moment. I'll talk to my partner about it. Thank you for not laughing at me.
Nobody's laughing. Names matter. Better to sort it now than spend 18 years feeling odd about it.
Just a practical note, if you do change it, change it on the NHS records and the red book as well, otherwise you'll have appointment letters coming to the old name for years.
Let us know what you decide! Personally I love a baby who goes by their middle name, it feels a bit secret.
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