https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 10 Apr 2026 23:43:33 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-names-or-categories#post-2282665 Fri, 04 Sep 2015 08:40:00 +0000 littlebug 2282665@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>D has always called our cat by her name, Padfoot. Well, at first she was just "Ah-wah," but we always referred to her by name. Any other animal we encounter is just dog or cat. Oh, but actually he calls our neighbor's cat by her name, Bella. So I dunno. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-names-or-categories#post-2282645 Fri, 04 Sep 2015 08:31:41 +0000 Alivoo01 2282645@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Categories. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-names-or-categories#post-2282365 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 21:47:38 +0000 Mrs.KMM 2282365@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD is way too young to be be learning words yet but I speak to her using categories for everything but the dog (where I use both category and name). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-names-or-categories#post-2282343 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 21:23:55 +0000 nana87 2282343@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Both. My 17 month old calls our dogs by their names or she says "boppa," which is her word for dog or other animals lol. Sometimes she repeats "dog" too </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-names-or-categories#post-2282327 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 21:11:37 +0000 Caly 2282327@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: yup, same here! And yet I continue to say "dog" like they just wouldn't get it I said his name! Heh </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-names-or-categories#post-2282319 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 21:02:52 +0000 jape14 2282319@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@skipra: same here! Besides mama and dada, the first word was our dog's name (Ellie - kind of hard for a baby to say and usually sounds more like "Eddie"). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-names-or-categories#post-2282318 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 21:02:24 +0000 runnerd 2282318@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For the most part categories - like I try to use cat for most animals in the cat family so as not to present too much into.</p> <p>Our dogs are the ones that trip me up the most because I both use their names and dog. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-names-or-categories#post-2282317 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 20:59:54 +0000 Mae 2282317@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Caly: lol despite our just calling the pets dog/cat I think she knows their names anyways just from us talking to them/each other and picking up on it. Even though we always say dog/cat to her if we say Stew, Cali, or Milo she definitely looks around for them! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-names-or-categories#post-2282296 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 20:47:00 +0000 jhd 2282296@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I do some of both. For example I usually refer to our dog by name but my parents have several dogs and we just refer to them as puppies. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-names-or-categories#post-2282295 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 20:46:22 +0000 skipra 2282295@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Well my mom's dog's name was the first and second words of my two guys so I guess that pretty much says it! For a while they did call any dog by her name so I guess maybe not the best approach. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-names-or-categories#post-2282290 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 20:44:29 +0000 Caly 2282290@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I actually thought of this a while back...we have a dog and refer to him as "dog" instead of his name. I spose it's because I want them to know what they are more than the dogs actual name? The girls do now recognize the dogs name since they hear us saying it but I still refer to him as "dog." </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-names-or-categories#post-2282286 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 20:42:50 +0000 twodoghouse 2282286@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We pretty much use categories, although lately I have been telling A and B that Helo is a dog and his name is Helo. But they only call him dog. Alex and I have names for everything though! We refer to all their stuffed animals by their names (Doug, Dan, Sebastian, Fin, Duck - ok we asked Alice what her penguin's name was and that's what she said, so I guess she named that one!). But the kids don't know one from the other, other than Doug because that's how Alice says dog. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-use-names-or-categories#post-2282280 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 20:39:27 +0000 Mae 2282280@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>That is an awkwardly phrased headline. Sorry :) </p> <p>Anyways. Our LO doesn't talk yet so we spend a lot of time talking to her and naming everything. But we don't actually use "names" we use what things are. For example we call our dog "dog" not his name. Both of the cats are just "cat" and not their names. We haven't named any of her stuffed animals or dolls. Her baby doll is "baby doll" and her stuffed bunny is "bunny." I guess it just seems easiest for her to learn what things are if we call a bunny and a bunny and not ted ;) But it seems like most people maybe just use things names/gives toys names and their LO catches on just fine haha. </p> <p>What do you do? </p>