Choosing Baby Names in a Multi-Cultural Family

Despite the fact that choosing baby names can be exciting project, and one to which most pregnant women give much thought during their pregnancy, if the woman is in a multi-cultural family, then the choice of baby name takes on a life of its own. Once the initial joy of consulting a book of possibilities wears off, dread and fear of never finding something that will make all family members happy takes over! Although the choice of a baby name does fall to the parents, there are a number of additional problems that can fall on a family which has more than one nationality to consider, and which are in addition to the pitfalls of choosing a name which none multi-cultural families need to avoid.

The first thing that must be thought about is the country in which the child will be raised. Baby names on the top 10 most popular names in the USA may not appear on a similar list in Europe or Asia. There are sometimes reasons for this, the most important of which is that the country will not have names on it which are difficult to pronounce for the people who live there. Not all countries who use the alphabet pronounce the letters of that alphabet in the same way; this means that the way you write the name can also decide how the baby name sounds when spoken by the people in the country in which you live. Some names fair better in translation around the world than others!

Some cultures have a need for baby names which have some form of religious significance, and this will greatly influence the opinions of some family members. Another factor will be a cultural trend towards always naming a child after a family member from a previous generation - a name passed down through hundreds of years. If you are a person who believes firmly in following traditions, then this probably won't be a problem, but if you have a preference for modern names, then this could create friction within the family that is still an issue when the baby graduates college! Even if the tradition within the culture/family is to give the same middle name to each child, this too will raise issues as the first name will have to be something that easily connects to this imposed second name.

When faced with a situation of needing to please everyone, including yourself, do your homework. Find baby names that are going to be acceptable to both respective families and cultures, and are ones which you can live with. If you feel that you don't really like any of them, check the family tree on each side and see if anyone did stray off the traditional path and pave the way for you to do the same. If this fails, see if you can reach a compromise where the baby will have the traditional first name, but a non-traditional middle one so that everyone can be happy about the baby name and look forward to greeting the baby when it arrives, this way the baby will have a right to choose which name to use when it becomes an adult.

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Choosing an Activity Center For a Baby

At about three months of age, your baby is considered ready for an activity center. At three months your baby is beginning to reach for things, they are also shaking rattles and seem to be busier than they were just two months ago. This is the perfect time for you to give your baby something to do to keep them entertained. Moreover, giving your baby something to do will allow you to have a few moments to yourself to get things done.

Here are the steps you should follow when choosing an activity center for your baby.

Step one: Look for centers that have adjustable legs. Adjustable legs are needed on these toys because it allows you to raise or lower it as your baby grows. Some will start off as something that you put baby under and allow the toys to dangle from above and as your baby gets older, you can raise the legs. Others will start on the floor and have legs that can be adjusted to turn the activity center into a table. Allowing a toy to grow with your baby will increase the time that your baby can use the toy.

Step two: The more toys that a baby center has the more expensive it will be, which is great if you can afford it. Babies love having several new toys and experiences to explore, the more there is for them to do to stay interested. Toy centers will often have toys that light up and sing, which adds to the final cost of the toy.

Step three:Activity centers will come with toys that can be adjusted. This means that you can raise and lower toys or even change their position, which helps keep your baby interested in the toy longer. The toys that can be moved from one position to the next are going to be more expensive than the activity centers that allow you to raise or lower the toy levels.

Step four:You do not need to spend a lot of money on activity centers you can buy a basic one that comes with the basic toys and it can still keep your baby entertained. You can also place toys that your baby already has on it, which can help you obtain toys that light up and make music.

Step five:No matter which style of activity center you are going to be choosing you want to make sure that the toys that come with the center are bright colors. Young babies cannot see fine detail; their eyes are not able to focus well yet. Bright colors draw their attention. You also want to make the toys interesting. For example, when they grab a rattle it can make different noises or have different textures.

Step six:Activity centers require your baby to lay underneath toys that dangle from above or sit in the center, so most come with a type of pad for your baby. When choosing a baby center you want to make sure that the material that your baby will be sitting or laying on is soft and durable. You also want to make sure the color does not show dirt easily. Machine washable is a good option to look for because it will need to be washed on a weekly basis.

Step seven:
If you have an extremely active baby, you can look into purchasing an activity center that comes with springs so that your baby can bounce. If you go this route, make sure it has flip-down braces that will keep it firmly in place once your baby really starts to bounce. If getting an activity center that comes equipped with a seat make, sure the seat spins freely from side to side with no possibilities of fingers being stuck or pinched.

Beverly Frank is mom to two young kids and a writer. Visit http://www.surfnetparents.com for more parenting advice and ideas.

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