How We Name Our Kids

We started the due process to name baby girl Slosberg on Sunday. Since neither of us has a name that we dreamed we've give our child one day, we had to find a method that would satisfy our analytical natures. We came up with one that worked really well two years ago, so we employed it again. The entire process takes about a month to complete, but it's worth it.

How to name your baby, Slosberg style:

1. Go through the entire baby name book and write down all the names you kind of like, without too much discussion. The only rule: if one of you hates the name, then it doesn't get written down.

2. Names get typed up.

3. Print a copy of the list for each person, then go in separate corners, and start crossing off names.

4. Come back together and discuss the names that were crossed off. This is when you can make your case for a name, if it's been eliminated by the other person.

5. Refresh typed up list.

6. Repeat steps 3-5 until you have three names left. You're in a good place once you've gotten to this point. Put the list away for several days or weeks and reconvene on an agreed upon date.

7. Your homework during this incubation period is to think hard about the name. Say it out loud, often. Imagine what it would look like on stationery. Do the initials spell out something obscene? In our case, does the name mean something bad in your in-law's native tongue or when pronounced in broken English? Also, does the name conjure up images of an athlete, scientist, stripper, or doctor? You know what kind of genetics you're passing along to this kid, so be realistic.

8. When you get back together, it's time to really buckle down, talk, and hopefully, decide.

By the time we got to step number 8 with Peanut's name, we had thought about it long enough where it didn't take us too long to agree. I actually think we both came to the table with his name as our first choice. Some parents like to wait until they're at the hospital to see the baby and get inspired, but honestly, all newborns look like puffy aliens. I'd be afraid what I'd name my baby if I waited for her to pop out and inspire me. E.T. comes to mind.