In recent years we have seen a rapid rise in 'gentle parenting', a style which aims to prioritise empathy, understanding and respect. Its goal is to raise confident, independent and happy children without shame, blame, or punishment and it is centred on a partnership, with both parents and children having a say.
It's different from more traditional parenting styles and instead of focusing on punishment and reward, it puts a spotlight on improving a child’s self-awareness and understanding of their own behaviour.
This year we've seen some surprising baby name trends come through, including Disney-themed names after influencer Molly-Mae named her little girl Bambi, and cowboy-themed inspired names like Butch proving popular. But what happens when the parenting style becomes a baby name trend in its own right?
More and more people are adopting gentle parenting - so much so, it's set to influence 2024 parents' baby name choices. A soft and sensitive approach to a child's feelings can lead to high emotional intelligence. So parents are looking at mellow and softer sounding names.
According to the experts at Nameberry, these include:
Alba
Alfie
Casper
Clement
Ellis
Faye
Koa
Liana
Luan
Oona
Oisin
Rhea
Willa
At times, interpretations of gentle parenting can prove controversial and it's not for everyone. Earlier this year, one mum who follows the method came under fire after revealing that she lets her toddler choose her own bedtime and never punishes her.
Zoe Ayre, 36, has said she discovered the "respectful" parenting technique after reading The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read by Philippa Perry when she was pregnant with her daughter Hattie, and explained the book made her re-evaluate the "traditional" upbringing she had originally wanted to give her child. And although not everyone agrees with her technique, Zoe insists she almost never has an "overtired, upset child" because she allows Hattie to sleep whenever she wants - which can sometimes mean a bedtime as late as 9:30 pm if she's had a nap in the afternoon.
The mum said: "I rarely have an overtired, upset child because she's been able to sleep whenever she needs to. It's really helped me emotionally because I don't have the added stress of expectations and fitting our lives into a set routine." Zoe also doesn't make her daughter share with others, and has said that while some might think the process would make Hattie more selfish, it's actually had the opposite effect - as she's learned that it "feels good" to do something nice for others.
She added: "I don't force her to share with others either and I will stand up for her if another child takes away something she's playing with. This tends to elicit reactions from parents who are very pro-sharing and are usually surprised that another parent is going against the norm. I do take the same approach if Hattie were to try and take something from another child to ensure that I'm giving her a consistent message."
Do you agree? Let us know in the comments section.