If you’re expecting a baby boy, you have probably started imagining the things you’ll do as soon as he comes. You’re so excited that you we’re able to prepare everything for his arrival: the basic items such as clothes, formulas and vitamins. You also got obsessed with anything that is blue. You painted his nursery blue. You bought teethers, feeding bottles, booties and bibs all in blue.

After all the stressful but rewarding preparations you did, you now come to last details of your life-changing experience in pregnancy. One of those details is to come up with a name for you baby boy.

Since it is a baby boy, you want to have something that sounds strong and masculine hoping that your baby will grow up that way. You browse books about baby names but there are so many of them and you can’t pick the right one. So to make selection easier for you, here are a few tips on how to come up with a meaningful name for your baby boy:

• Pick the one that sounds good

A name is not a name if it doesn’t sound good. That’s the primary reason why parents have too much troubles in coming up with a name for their child. Pick a name that will be appreciated by you and your child later. Don’t come up with a name so hideous that has a great possibility of making your child a laughing stock as soon as he enters school.

• Pick the one that has a positive meaning

Some parents believe that the meaning of the name that they give their child will reflect on their child’s personality later on. It’s not a bad criterion for selecting a name. You can give him the name Ethan which means strong or Aidan which stands for warmth.

• Narrow your choices

If you have too many choices, try to pick your five favorite names. From there, you choose which you think is the most appropriate for your baby boy. An organized approach in coming up with a name avoids confusion. It makes it easier for you to select which name is the best.

• Don’t be afraid to combine

If you have too many names too choose from and you just can’t decide, you may choose to come up with a combination of two to three names. The combination may be based on the way they sound together or the meaning they create as one. For example, Ryan Paul or Sean Kean sounds good when combined. Alex Michael also makes up a good combination. Alex means defender of mankind while Michael means gift from God. Simply put, the name means a gift from God to defend mankind.

• Use the name you’ve imagined

Admit it. When you were young, you used to scribble names that you want to use when you’re about to have a child. Now is the best time to remember and put it to good use.

It may seem that naming your baby boy is a challenging thing to do. Remember that you only get to name your baby once so enjoy the experience and make the most out of it.