The Who, What, When and Why of Sending Birth Announcements

In recent years a new phenomenon has cropped up, the birth announcement.

It’s a letter that draws lots of oohs and aws from recipients all over the globe.  The birth announcement has become very common place, but parents everywhere have taken up the cause to make sure they are anything but ordinary.  From greeting cards to postcards to custom magnets to a personalized photo puzzle, baby announcements are a trend not likely to go away soon. Lets begin by taking a look at why and to whom birth announcements are sent.  We will also cover what information to add to your birth announcement.  Whether they are fun, elegant or sentimental, the key is to make sure that your birth announcements express your personality and sense of style.

• What - Essentially a greeting card to unveil your biggest accomplishment to date, the birth of your baby.  Whether it’s your first or your third, announcing your baby is always a treat for family and friends.  Do your baby justice with an announcement that will grace the refrigerators of family and friends for years.

• Who - There are no real rules as to whom you should send birth announcements to.  Like many proud mamas and papas, you probably want to send them out to everyone on your Holiday list, but maybe skip the barista who makes your coffee every morning.

If your baby is born close to Christmas, Hanukkah and the New Year, you might want to think about designing holiday greeting cards featuring your newborn.  It’s the perfect marriage of holiday card and birth announcement and certainly one family members will treasure.

• When - Having a newborn, especially for the first time, is no walk in the park and people understand.  You don’t need to rush and send out birth announcements within the first few weeks of life.  Some parents like to wait a few months and allow the baby time to show their personality before sending out postcard announcements to their inner circle.

Other moms and dads create a sort of thank you birth announcement which kills two birds with one stone.  Whether you had a baby shower or not, friends, family and colleagues will buy you gifts.  Sending a combination birth announcement thank you card is a great idea and a time saver.

• Why - Why not?!  You’ve been waiting for this day for nine months and you are certainly not alone.  Just as excited as the mom and dad are the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends and colleagues.  It’s your baby’s first introduction to the world.

Birth announcements are perhaps even more popular these days because more and more people find themselves living miles away from loved ones.  A birth announcement is a perfect way to keep friends and family informed and offer a first photograph of your baby.

• Important Info - You’ve taken hundreds of digital photos to capture that special moment, now what do you include on your greeting card or postcard?  Most like to just get right to the statistics:  date of birth, time, length, weight, names of parents and names of any and all older siblings.

Some parents like to take this moment to showcase their family’s personality with either a humorous or sentimental message.  It’s really up to the individual and what kind of tone you want to set.

Want to standout?  Why not take the time to design your own authentic birth announcements.  You can get the whole family in on the act by using your collective imaginations.  We’ll share a few announcements that we found adorable below:

• Most likely to break hearts

• Most imaginative

• Most loved

• Most festive

• Most hilarious

We hope we’ve answered some questions and inspired you to come up with a unique way to announce the most momentous occasion in your life.  If you’ve got some extraordinary baby announcements, please share them with us in the comments below or on our social networks!