Whether you've got kids, you want them, or you just like thinking about baby names, you'll probably have a mental list of your top 10 names. Whether they're modern, traditional, or quirky like celebrity baby names can often be, you have to remember that these monikers are going to be with them for life.
A baby name expert says parents should remember "we're naming adults, not children" before choosing a shortened 'nickname' as a first name.
Jessica Paquette, 22, thinks it's "important" to think about giving your child a formal name - and not just a nickname so they have "more options" later in life.
When discussing names, she uses photos of adults - not babies - next to the names because then "if it sounds silly then it probably is silly".
Jessica says she would use the more formal name in situations such as weddings and job applications, allowing the nickname to be used in formal situations.
She shares her thoughts on her TikTok page, where people ask her for help with naming their children.
Jessica, a social media manager from Nashville, Tennessee, US, said: "I don't necessarily think every parent should do it, but I think it's important to at least think about it.
"This is a little stranger that you don't know yet and you're making decisions about how society perceives them. First impressions are very real, whether we like it or not, and giving them the option to sound as formal as they like, is desirable in my opinion.
"I would hate to give my baby a name that could hinder any path they want to go down. We have to think about their whole lifespan and how a name impacts them.
"Maybe the nickname you love doesn't feel right to them and they might have more options with a full name. I think it has a better scope on naming children."
Although many nicknames have in themselves now become names, Jessica says people still seem to ask what a name might be short for.
Jessica - who is pregnant with her first child - is planning to name her baby with a name that doesn't have a nickname.
She said: "I don't think every name needs to have a nickname. My child's name won't have a nickname possibility.
"However, my friend Abbie, I have only ever called her Abbie her entire life and suddenly she's getting married as an Abigail.
"And I'm like 'this sounds silly' but it was the most formal and it felt so beautiful to me and that reinforced everything. Think about your child in every possible major life scenario, if there's ever a time it doesn't sound right, maybe think about that.
"My main goal if anything, is for people to take an extra second to think about it."
What do you think about her advice? Let us know in the comments.
