It may be hard to believe, but after growing a whole new person inside your body for the last 40 weeks, your gorgeous infant has finally arrived. Of course, you’re no doubt over-the-moon in love and want to share your joy and excitement with a birth announcement.
To ensure you share your exciting news in the most meaningful and appropriate ways possible, check out these tips on the ins and outs of birth announcement etiquette.
When Should You Send Them Out?
As you’ve likely already noticed, taking care of and caring for an infant can feel like a time warp, where the days all blend together. And while you planned to get your newborn’s birth announcements ordered and sent out right away, weeks may go by before you’re able to finish this exciting task. No worries, experts say.
Even if your baby is already two months old, it’s not too late to send out your birth announcement. Regardless of your timeline, get them ordered and sent out when you’re able, as friends, family, coworkers and others will be thrilled to receive one whenever you mail them out.
Although technically you don’t need to send your baby’s birth announcement to those with whom you’ve already shared your joyous news, your close friends and relatives might still want to display it on their refrigerator, so certainly include them as well.
Who Should Get One?
In general, birth announcements should be sent to close friends and family members, as well as anyone else to whom you feel a significant connection. For example, if you adore your OB/GYN and her staff, feel free to send one to your doctor’s office, as they may have a “baby wall” where they post announcements and pictures of newborns. You may also wish to send your next-door neighbors an announcement, too. As a bonus, you can save on postage and hand-deliver them while out on a walk with your infant.
What Should be Included?
Ideally, your birth announcement should include basic information about your newborn, including his or her full name, birth date, birth weight and length, and also your name and the name of your spouse or partner. Including your baby’s name right above his or her photo and then listing their “stats” below is an effective way to organize the card.
It also allows the star of the birth announcement — your precious baby — to take up the bulk of the card. One additional word of advice: Don’t include birth registry information. If people ask where you’re registered, it’s certainly fine to tell them, but adding it to your announcement may come across as needy, even if this isn’t your intention.
What About Social Media?
Once you’ve sent out your birth announcements — and have allowed a reasonable amount of time for everyone to receive one in the mail — you can then follow up with a social media post if you wish. Not sure how to word a baby announcement? For starters, simply state, “We are thrilled to welcome [your baby’s name].”
This way, if you’re feeling any pangs of guilt that you didn’t send out an announcement to friends and acquaintances who you primarily connect and converse with on social media, they will all still receive your happy news. For the photo, use the same one that’s on your announcement. Or, you could also take a photo of the actual announcement card and post that on your social media pages.
Enjoy Your Little One
The birth of your newborn is definitely a cause for celebration — and the announcement is an outstanding way to share your incredible news! By taking these pro tips into account, you can rest assured knowing you’re sharing your big news in the most appropriate fashion possible.
