After all the agonizing hours spent trying to find just the right name for your baby, the last thing you want to hear is, "You're naming the baby that!" And whether it's your mother, best friend, or neighbor who's recoiling at the magical moniker you've settled on, the response can be upsetting, disappointing, and even hurtful.

Experts say facing opposition to the name you've given, or are planning to give your baby, puts unnecessary stress on parents-to-be. But they also say that there are a few surefire ways to put baby-name naysayers in their place.

Mum's the word
Keep your mouth shut. That's the advice of Jill Adams, who, along with her husband, opted to keep their name choices a secret from family and friends until their baby was born. "We didn't want to hear people's negative opinions," says Adams. "And, it's much harder for people to say "Oh, yuck" when there's a baby in your arms."

Thanks, but no thanks
"We politely, but firmly, told everyone we weren't asking for their opinion when we told them what his name would be," says Lisa Chappell. With their first child, the Chappells changed the name of their impending bundle several times. "One name insulted my mother and another one upset his aunt. One was a name his sister hoped to someday use and another my younger brother kept making fun of. It was overwhelming."

When they were expecting their second child, the Chappells made it clear that they were not taking suggestions, requests, advice or any baby name input of any kind. "We told our families we love and care about them, but this was our child, and our right to name him or her whatever we wanted. We gracefully but assertively said we were picking the names," says Chappell.

Faced with 'the face'
"I'll never forget the look on my mother-in-law's face when we told her our choice for a girl's name," says Hillary Nagle. From the time she was a child, Nagle loved the name Elizabeth and dreamed of someday giving it to her little girl. "But my husband's stepmother is named Elizabeth, and when we announced our name choice, the look on her face was complete horror and disgust," Nagle says.

Acknowledging a family member's feelings toward a name can pave the way to harmony. But that doesn't mean you have to give in to the pressure.

Despite threats to not speak to them, the Nagles held steadfast in their choice. "Once she had a chance to cool off, we explained, to the whole family, that I wanted this name long before even meeting my husband - let alone his family," says Nagle. "Eventually everyone adjusted, and today our daughter has a wonderful relationship with all of her grandmothers."