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Baby names, tips and advice

Most popular baby names for 2013 - NSW

Lauren Ziegler with staff writers While celebrities make headlines for their unusual baby names, the most popular names in NSW are far more conservative.

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Most unusual names of 2013

Melanie Mahoney Brand names, animals, places and seemingly random nouns (Cheese, anyone?) have given some parents inspiration for naming their babies in the US in 2013.

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Baby names inspired by TV and movies

BabyCentre has released its list of the top 100 baby names for the UK and the US, based on details sent to them by more than half a million new parents in 2013. The list suggests that TV shows and movies such as Breaking Bad, The Great Gatsby, Game of Thrones, Duck Dynasty and Girls are all inspiring baby names this year.

Old-fashioned nicknames as baby names

Here's a selection of vintage boys and girls monikers which have traditionally been used as either nicknames or given names, from the 1880s through to the 1950s.

A no-stress guide to baby names

MCT There's no way around it - every baby needs a name. It isn't always an easy decision, but with these tips it can be a fun one.

Bizarre, cruel and strangely sweet Puritanical names

Joseph Norwood Fly-fornication, Humiliation, Dust, and Jolly ... perhaps the Puritans' greatest gift to history is their wonderfully strange taste in names.

Traditional vs unique

Richie Young Are traditional names a thing of the past? Following in the celebs' footsteps, more and more parents are being daring when naming their babies. How do you decide which way to go?

Free: 'The First Year' ebook

Check out our new interactive ebook, part of the brand new SMH Shortbooks series, for free!

Size does matter for baby names

NICKY PHILLIPS Your name may have been chosen by your parents, but a new study says there's a chance evolution had a say too.

Symmetry is the latest baby name trend

Melody McCabe The new word for all I-want-my-baby's-name-to-be-different parents is 'palindrome appellation'. In plain English, that's a name that reads the same backwards as forwards.

Baby names on the rise in 2013

Nameberry.com has released a list of the most searched-for names from the first half of 2013. Will we soon see a rise in the number of children given these names? Only time will tell. Here are the hottest names of 2013 so far.

Celebrity baby names inspired by places

Looking for naming inspiration? Look no further than the nearest atlas (or, in more modern times, Google Maps). Celebrities are leading the charge when it comes to naming children after places around the world; here are some of their picks and their cute offspring.

Top baby name predictions of 2013

Top US baby name site Nameberry has released its list of names that have attracted the most views in the first nine months of 2013. Will the search popularity of these top 10 boy, girl and unisex names be reflected in the official 2013 results?

Baby name checklist

Richie Young Whilst your child can change their name by deed poll in the future, it's probably not what you want to envision when thinking suitable names. Here's six points to consider as you're narrowing down your shortlist.

Most unusual names of 2012

US parenting site Baby Center asked parents of babies born in 2012 what they named their children. More than 500,000 people responded, and the site then compiled a list of the most out-there names. Each name on this list wasn't a one-off; to make the cut, at least two children must have been given that name in 2012.

Beating baby name anxiety

Donna Webeck For some parents, naming a baby is a challenging but fun process. For others, it just brings anxiety and stress. But there are ways to cope with the indecision and decide on a name you're happy with.

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Australia's top 100 baby names of 2012

Essential Baby has compiled the data available from government records around the country to bring you the list of Australia's top baby names of 2012.

My Favourite Baby Names

Create a shortlist of the names you love by selecting the star icon.

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Win a family holiday

Thanks to the release of The Smurfs™ 2 on Blu-ray 3D™, Blu-ray™, DVD and UltraViolet™, get the kids to design a true blue "Aussie Smurf" for a chance to win an amazing family holiday and DVDs.

Mum asked to leave Victoria's Secret store to breastfeed son in alley

For a company that makes billions of dollars a year selling bras, whose ads feature women dressed in nothing but sexy lingerie, you’d think that Victoria’s Secret stores would be breastfeeding-friendly. But one mum learnt that it isn't the case.

Co-sleeping, SIDS and a grieving family

Meaghan's emotions have run the gamut since her three-month-old baby died of SIDS. But right now she is angry.

Pope tells mums to breastfeed in church

Pope Francis baptised 32 babies in the Sistine Chapel on Sunday and told their mothers, including one who was married in a civil service rather than in church, to have no qualms about breastfeeding them there.

Video: ‘You made me a mother’

Yes, it’s an ad, but this is a very sweet clip – one which will probably have most mums tearing up and giving their kids an extra special hug and kiss.

Hernias in babies and toddlers

Although one often hears of hernias in adults, it’s also common in babies. Here are the symptoms, treatment, and risks of different types of hernia.

Brain-dead woman's foetus 'abnormal', lawyers say

Medical records show the foetus of a brain-dead Texas woman being kept alive by a Fort Worth hospital is "distinctly abnormal", attorneys claim.

Can Google Glass help women breastfeed?

New mothers struggling with breastfeeding may soon have the latest technology at their disposal to get expert help at any time of day.

Chrissie Swan launches fashion range

Writer and broadcaster Chrissie Swan has launched her own women’s fashion range ‘The Chrissie Swan Avella collection' exclusively for Big W.

Video: Man catches baby falling from trolley

A security video shows a store employee catching a baby that was milliseconds from falling onto a concrete fall.

The makings of a toddler tantrum

Let me share with you, just from this week only, the apparently completely unreasonable behaviours I have expected of my child that have resulted in full on tantrums. Warning: low amounts of logic ahead.

Hidden mothers of the 1800s

In the mid to late 1800s, mothers went to great lengths to conceal themselves in photos of their children - and no one is quite sure why.

'Our four kids have the same birthday'

In an amazing coincidence, a mum has given birth to all four of her children - a set of twins and two singletones - on the same day of the year.

Young widow speaks out about depression

Elyssa Meynard hopes that by telling the heartbreaking story of her husband's suicide, she can spare others the painful journey she's been forced to make.

Nun's surprise baby 'a gift from God'

A nun who gave birth to a baby boy has described him as "a gift of god" and pledged to take care of him as she faces expulsion from the convent.

Dad's funny parenting Post-Its

Chris Illuminati, a stay-at-home dad to a four-year-old boy and nine-month-old girl, writes about parenthood and family life on his blog, Message With A Bottle. Here are some of the Post-It parenting musings he's shared that have struck a chord with mums and dads around the world.

Dad and daughter still missing

Seven days into the search, there is still no sign of the missing father and daughter from Pottsville.

Why 'outsourcing' parenting is the new village

It may take a village to raise a child, but it wasn’t until I searched the Huggies box for instructions on how to put on a nappy that a horrifying realistion dawned on me: the village had packed up its motor home and left long ago.

Download now: Essential Kids Activity Finder app

Got bored kids? Quickly find the best activities for kids wherever you are in Australia with the Essential Kids app.

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Today's Top 10 Baby Names

No. Girl Names Boy Names
1 Isabella Angell
2 Jessica Lachlan
3 Adele River
4 Haley Herbert
5 Mary Mathias
6 Ayah Michael
7 Belle All
8 Chloe Archibald
9 Marjory Mark
10 Ella Asher

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