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8 ways to give your baby a creative name
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Giving your child a creative name can be a blessing or a curse. Here are 8 ways to express your creativity while respecting your childs lifelong experience with your decision. - photo by Georgia Lee
Creative baby names are more popular than ever. Coming up with a unique and attention grabbing title for your child can be fun. But many times moms and dads choose names that make their kids lives more complicated than creative.

Here are eight great ways to give your kid that interesting edge without alienating them from positive life experiences:

1. Gender swap and unisex

Gender swapping on names have become so acceptable nowadays, its almost impossible to assume the sex of any child based off his or her name. And this is a good thing.

While girls often take on boyish nicknames, boys rarely adopt girly nicknames on their own; this is often used by bullies as a way to degrade or humiliate boys. But when a boy is given a unisex or even traditionally female name there is power and confidence that comes from this choice. Consider Sasha, Shannon, Dana, Leslie or Kelly for your boys. Jordan, Danny, Jo, Lee, Frankie and Darrel are great for girls. And Robin, Avery, Skylar, Rain, Francis and Asa would do just fine for both.

2. Surnames

Surnames have long been passed on and preserved through given names for centuries. Usually this happens when the mothers maiden name is taken over by the tradition of keeping the husband and fathers last name. So many boys grow up with first names like Jackson, Johnson, Anderson and Farley. Even some girls get in on the action, like pop superstar Beyonce Knowles.

3. Feelings and faith

Feelings and faithful names are classic choices that are making a comeback. Names like Grace, Faith, Hope, Joy or Love are simple and lovely, and provide a positive, peaceful message.

4. Titles

There may not be many to choose from, but titles like Prince, Princess, King, Queen, Duke, Duchess and Pharaoh are staking their claim as given names. Feel free to give one a try.

5. Flowers and plants

Rose, Lily and Daisy are a few more classics making a comeback. But dont forget Ivy, Fern, Orchid and other garden blooms.

6. Minerals and gems

Ruby and Pearl are names from a simpler era, but are again just as modern as Jasmine and Opal. Take care with names like Sapphire and Diamond, as they can come off flashy and sound like stage names.

7. Jobs

Names often mean something. Fisher, Hunter, Mason, Smith and Baker were occupations before they were names. Giving your child a productive and industrious job for a name just might give him a head start.

8. Cities, states and countries

With so many to choose from, its no wonder more and more people can find their names on a map. From Maryland, Virginia, Carolina and Georgia to Dakota, Indiana, Tennessee and Texas, state names are getting quite the fan following.

Try America, Egypt or Israel for a country-inspired name. And cities like Milan, Paris, Florence, Austin, Camden and Brooklyn are being used more than ever for baby names.

Creative baby names are fun and interesting. But remember to take care and give your child a name they can live with for the rest of their life, and not just something thats fun for you to say.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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