At a loss for what to name your incoming bundle of joy? Flummoxed at all the suggestions made by friends and family and unwilling to go the route of a celebrity name that will scar the child for life?
Nathan Parks created the 99 cent "Kick to Pick" iPhone app for parents undergoing that conundrum of being responsible for that ultimate act of choosing a name for their child, placing the choice in the hands — and kicking feet — of the unborn child.
As parents, you do have to whittle down the choices a bit, from thousands of names, either by gender or by creating your own list of favorites. (Or, favourites, since Parks is apparently of the English persuasion.)
With list in hand and on the iPhone (or iPod touch or iPad), mama-to-be lies down and puts the device over the baby bump, tapping the start button to activate the countdown. "Watch as Kick to Pick scans through your chosen list of potential names until it detects that all important input from your baby. Once your baby's choice is identified, you can either choose to accept the suggestion or put it down to hiccups and return to your search."
If the iPhone is the device you're using for the app, Parks suggests putting it in Airplane mode for the best shot of no interference from influences other than that baby's kick or punch.
Parks, in his release about the app, said:
"The idea for Kick to Pick came from a discussion about baby's choices and the fact they had no influence over the name they go onto keep for the rest of their lives. What started out as a light-hearted chat soon turned into a series of app ideas and we're delighted with the finished product we've designed. It's light-hearted, good fun and a great way to involve the whole family in what is a key milestone of a child's life.
Although we're far from reading a baby's mind, we can read their movements and our app will use these tiny kicks and prods to bring another opinion into the naming debate, we're just hoping it doesn't cause any arguments along the way!"
At least this way, there won't be any Moxie CrimeFighters or Zumas in this mix — we think.
(via Tecca's Mike Wehner)
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Check out Technolog on Facebook, and on Twitter, follow Athima Chansanchai, who has always wanted to name her future child a gender neutral name, like Alex. (And secretly hope it's a girl!)
