The name argument is rarely about names — it's about two people negotiating without a shared list. Build yours, rank it, send the link. When they open it they see both lists with the overlap at the top, which is usually a much shorter conversation than the one you were about to have.
DadPrep editorial · Updated 29 July 2026 · Works offline, nothing leaves your browser
Two rules that save a fortnight
Veto without justification. Either of you can strike a name without explaining why. "I knew someone" is a complete sentence.
Don't tell the family the shortlist. Tell them the name once it's decided and the baby exists. Opinions offered in advance are almost never useful and can't be un-heard.
Nobody hands you a guide for this part.
Arron — a good friend of mine — wrote the one he wishes someone had given him: Things I Wish I Knew Before You Were Born. 59 pages, twelve stages, from the positive test to the first birthday. Birth-plan checklist, swaddle guide, choking-response steps, babywearing positions — plus the honest chapters most books skip: your head, your relationship, your in-laws, and looking after yourself.