Most parents look through books that contain long lists of names to find one they both "like." But choosing a name solely on their personal likes and dislikes could create many problems for their child: The name may be unfamiliar to most people, it may create an unflattering first impression, it may not have clear gender association, it may be difficult to spell or pronounce, it may have an unfortunate nickname, or it may not be appropriate for both formal and informal occasions.
Lansky calls 5-Star Baby Name Advisor "revolutionary" because it enables parents to consider whether the names they like will make positive or negative impressions and whether they will be comfortable or uncomfortable for their child to live with. He says parents often don't think about how annoying it can be for a child to be teased about a name with an unfortunate nickname (e.g., Dick), unfortunate famous namesake (e.g., Paris, Britney, or Lindsay), unflattering image (e.g., Bertha = big and fat), gender confusion (e.g., Leslie or Carroll for boys), spelling or pronunciation confusion (e.g. Alicia, Alisha, Alysha), or versatility problems (e.g., Suzi versus Susan).
The most unique aspect of 5-Star Baby Name Advisor is the star ratings Lansky gives to 1,750 of the most popular names. "Star ratings take some of the guesswork out of selecting movies, restaurants, hotels, and mutual funds. So I thought it might be helpful to use star ratings to take some of the guesswork out of selecting a name for your baby," said Lansky.
To come up with the star ratings, Lansky objectively rated each name based on six factors: first impression, gender clarity, popularity and trend, risk of misspelling, risk of mispronunciation, and versatility. The cumulative score for each name is reflected in a star rating (5 stars is the highest rating; 1 star is the lowest). Lansky also offers a brief piece of commentary or suggestion about each name-another revolutionary idea.
If you order online, Meadowbrook Press is offering 5-Star Baby Name Advisor at the internet-exclusive price of $8.95!
Posted:
4/24/2008 1:30:10 PM
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