What's In a Name?

Expectant parent Matthew Fox and seasoned parents Mandy Kaplan and Pete Wright dive deep into one of parenting's most personal decisions: naming your child. From family traditions to social media pressures, this episode explores how modern parents navigate the complex world of baby naming while sharing candid stories about their own experiences.

Topics Covered

• Is baby clothing just an expensive marketing trap? Matthew discovers the harsh reality of baby clothing sizes and seasonal mismatches, while Mandy delivers hard truths about those adorable (but useless) baby sneakers that become mere projectiles for developing motor skills.
• How do you actually choose a name that will last a lifetime?
• Should you tell people your baby name choices before the birth?
• How do cultural and religious traditions influence naming decisions? Matthew shares how his Jewish and Southern family backgrounds created different expectations for honoring relatives, while the group discusses the power dynamics and confidence that come with certain names.
• Can you really predict which names will become popular? Pete explains how their choice of "Sophia" seemed unique until it became one of the most popular names of the 2000s, proving that predicting naming trends is nearly impossible.