The weirdest ways parents choose their baby names

UNIQUE names are all the rage these days and the quickest way to bag one of your own is to start thinking outside the box...

1. Pick up on baby's cues

"We looked up meaning of names because Phoebe did. Not. Stop. moving when I was pregnant. I searched 'active' and got nothing, I then searched 'bright' and found Phoebe (meaning bright and shining) as a possibility. Well, when she came out 'sunny side up' there was no question that she was our little bright and shining one!"

2. Go to the bookshop

"We love books so we went to a bookshop and did that thing where you count to three and open up a random page of a book. Weirdest thing happened - we both got the same name! And so we named her Heather."

3. Movie buff

"I looked through the credits of every TV show and film I watched."

4. Ask the baby

"After weeks of disagreement with hubby over what to call our second son, I went to bed and asked the baby to tell me what he wanted to be called! No joke, the next morning I woke up with Lachlan in my head. Couldn't get it out. So that's what we called him!"

5. Name associations

"We were going to name Hadley, Jeremiah. When we were in hospital, we told one of the volunteers and she said "oh, lovely, a good biblical name". Freaked us right out. So we bought a baby name book, opened it up and I put my finger down on Hadleigh. That was a "girly" spelling, so we went with Hadley like Bradley."

6. Get your other kids to decide

"With Olivia, she was Eleanor for a few days until I realised the boys weren't going to give up calling her Olivia. Samuel actually said 'Doesn't matter what you name her, we'll always call her Olivia'." #kidswin

7. Pull the name out of a hat...

Office sweep eat your heart out. This couple told American baby website 'The Bump' even when bubs arrived they were still chancing around for a name, so they put a whole stack of names into a hat and got the nurses to choose it!

8. One for the political tragics

"We went through a list of every US president and their wives. Didn't you? :)"

9. Meaningful moments

If all the usual names leave you feeling flat, cast that net wider! Parenting website The Bump recommends drawing on some of your best memories - like where you got engaged, a great holiday, your favourite street or even a song or food that you ate together on a first date. Rigatoni, anyone?

How did you choose your baby name?

This article originally appeared on Kidspot and has been republished here with permission.