Why Do We Have Birth Announcements?
According to the most recent numbers, about 4 million babies are born in the United States each year. For every baby that enters the world, a mom and dad welcome them with open arms. After giving birth to their child, proud parents want to shout it from the rooftops by sharing their wonderful news.
Once they have developed a name for their infant, it’s time to share the good news with family members and friends through pregnancy announcements.
So why do we make pregnancy announcements? The main reason people share this special information is that they are excited! They are also proud of themselves. After all, it can be quite an accomplishment to carry a baby inside you for nine months without knowing what gender it will be or even if the child is healthy.
When parents want to announce they are pregnant, there are several ways they can do it:
- In-person.
- With a phone call or text message.
- With a small gift such as onesies with a funny saying on them.
- And most popularly these days: through an e-vite pregnancy announcement (e-vites).
Why Are Birth Announcements Important?
Birth announcements are important because they begin a family’s history. They are a public declaration of a child’s birth and typically include their full name, date of birth, weight, and other identifying information. They often also have a photograph of the baby.
Most birth announcements also include the names of the parents and sometimes grandparents. Announcements may be sent to friends and family via mail, email, or social media. They can also be published in newspapers or online.
Announcing a baby’s birth is a tradition that dates back centuries and is a way to share news of the new arrival with loved ones near and far.
Birth Announcement Templates
If you decide to use an internet template or free web design programs to create your picture announcing your new baby news, here are some tips to help you craft the perfect birth announcement.
First, decide if you want to use a picture of your baby in the announcement or not. If so, make sure to take it with your camera or smartphone when the baby is sleeping soundly for optimal cuteness.
Second, be sure that any photos are free from copyright infringement by looking at the site’s terms of usage. Also, most sites have guidelines on what they allow and don’t allow to be displayed on their platform.
For example, Instagram claims no responsibility for material posted by users and asks users to post only content they create themselves (in other words: don’t steal images).
Third, check out some examples of websites’ policies on settings before sharing personal information like your full name with a template you choose.
Fourth, when in doubt about whether or not an image will work on the site’s platform, try it out using Canva’s “placeholder” tool.
Telling Family and Friends Through Your Announcement
Now that you’ve chosen a template for your announcement and have a sweet photo of your baby or babies, it’s time to tell everyone else in your life! Here are ways to spread the good news:
Option One: Write a personal message on your announcement website.
To do this, you can add text boxes where you would like them on your announcement (most templates allow up to nine). Once done, type away and get creative!
Some parents write short little stories about how they found out they were expecting, how long their pregnancy was, funny anecdotes about the baby’s movements, or what the baby looks like in utero. You can also add pictures of your ultrasound or share an old photo of yourself when you were pregnant with one of your other children.
Option Two: Email your announcement to family members and close friends (the cuter—the better!).
Many parents like to use email announcements because it allows them to personalize them by adding their style or flair. To do this, use an online graphic design tool to create cute little icons for titles and fun embellishments. Then copy and paste these images onto your template in just a few clicks!
Option Three: Send a birth announcement postcard (the traditional way!)
If you want to stick with the standard and send out printed announcements in the mail like your parents did when they became parents themselves, then here are our best tips:
- Find a template within your budget. However, keep in mind that good-quality paper might cost more than that font you like.
- Add an image of your baby (if possible) and play around with the different fonts until you find one that fits you and your style.
- Have fun customizing it!
If you don’t have time for this yourself, ask someone close to hand draw things for you or use online tools to feel how your postcard will look before you finalize it.
Printing Your Birth Announcement
At this point, you’ve written up a draft for your announcement and have chosen which type of format you’d like to use. Now we’ll show you how to get your birth announcements printed so that they can be sent out ASAP:
Option One: Have an online printer do it for you.
This is definitely the easiest option but also comes at a higher cost. You can get announcements printed in bulk by using an online printing service. Just choose your template and send them your information through their site. They take care of the rest!
The only downside to this method is that most sites don’t allow for photo editing without charging extra fees. If you have Photoshop, you should be able to manipulate images quickly enough on these printers’ websites.
Option Two: Have a local printer do it for you.
This way is more labor-intensive on your part but usually ends up being cheaper in the long run if done correctly.
First, ask friends and family members for their unused invitations so you can use them as a template. If you can’t find any cheap or free options, you could always purchase a few from the dollar store and do it that way.
However, if your budget is tight and time is a luxury, online printing might be the best choice. Just make sure to read all of its terms and conditions carefully!
Second, once you have your template ready to go, print out copies on good quality paper (not cardstock) at home or ask someone around to help with this part.
Third, cut out each announcement by hand using small scissors (you may want an extra pair of hands for this, too!). Finally, fit each announcement into envelopes and seal them closed.
So now that you have your announcements, don’t just send them out and forget about them! Prove to everyone that this is a new era of social media by sharing pictures of your baby on all forms of online media.
Just think, the next time people decide to give birth, they might be using you as inspiration for their birth announcement posts on Facebook or Pinterest!
How to Craft The Perfect Birth Announcement
1. Begin with, “We are happy to share.” or “We are excited to share. It’s a boy/girl!” If you want someone to read every word of your announcement, then be very direct about what sex your baby is. If it’s not known through prenatal testing, skip this step!
2. “We’ve been blessed with the addition of.” Indeed, family members have already gotten used to being outnumbered by half, but no one likes being reminded. This isn’t great manners, but the parents-to-be could probably use some reassurance that it’s okay if their baby has a significant impact on the family.
3. “We are thrilled to announce that.” or “We’re so excited to share.” This is an excellent time for you to drop some superlatives and adjectives about your baby because there’s no risk of this sounding like bragging. You haven’t met the kid yet!
4. Share the due date along with, “We can’t wait.” Then at least people won’t ask when you will have the baby because everyone knows it’s not up to you! The parents-to-be should include how many days until they meet their child instead of listing off every week since the last period without context.
This information is helpful to those who might want to send a gift but aren’t sure if it’s going to arrive in time. It’s also beneficial for friends and family members who might have plans on the same day because no one wants to be stuck at a baby shower across town when it’s time to go into labor!
5. You can share a fun fact about your pregnancy like, “We had some trouble deciding on.” This is where you can note what happened during your pregnancy, like previous miscarriages or difficult decisions about prenatal testing. This shows that the happy news is part of some context, not just selfishly tacked onto any old post!
6. Share who has been helping out. It will make this announcement more meaningful than if you shared that Grandma is eager to babysit. People will appreciate hearing that the whole family has been pitching in to prepare for a new arrival!
7. Be sure to thank everyone for their support and excitement before you let the teaser loose of “We’ll be updating our social media pages with more information soon!” This way, people won’t be stuck refreshing their browsers every day waiting for updates because they know how to stay tuned in to your announcements!
8. End with, “The most important part is that we’re healthy and happy.” The last thing parents want people thinking is something negative about their pregnancy or whether or not this baby being on the way is right for them. Plus, unless someone shares miscarriage or infertility struggles, it’s highly unlikely they will have anything negative to say!
If the parents-to-be need a little encouragement, then this is a great time to note that it’s more important for everyone to remember that their baby has been wanted and loved from the very beginning.
9. Limit links between social media accounts and your announcement because more links will turn people off from reading more of your updates. This is especially true if you have a long list of birth announcements on Facebook, which get lost in all your other posts!
10. A courteous final touch is, “Thank you for following along on our journey.” This tells people that they don’t have to feel an obligation to follow up with questions or congratulations when the baby finally arrives and can be replaced by something like, “We look forward to sharing more about our little one after they’re born!”
This last line is a bit coy, but it will help you avoid being bombarded by unsolicited advice from friends and family!
Birth Announcements Best Practices
You might not know this, but there are specific guidelines for creating the perfect birth announcement because even something as innocent as a card can become an integral part of someone’s personal history, yours included! With that in mind, let’s take a look at what makes the perfect birth announcement:
The Title: Your Baby Is Here!
While this might seem like an obvious statement, it will help set up any expectations people already have about what tales your baby’s arrival will bring (so try and keep it lighthearted!) This also helps establish that your baby is just that: a baby!
For some reason, there’s this idea out there that young families with children who aren’t yet walking or talking are somehow incomplete. Maybe it’s because we’re so used to seeing infants as adorable bundles of joy rather than people in their own right?
Whatever the case might be, you can help put an end to these negative connotations by making it very clear at the outset that your family has indeed welcomed a new addition into its fold.
The Details
Now comes the best part, the details! Letting mum and dad show off their newest little one(s) is one of the best things about birth announcements because they get to announce where everything happened (for example, stating whether or not their child was delivered via C-Section) as well as their child’s birth weight, length and time of arrival.
It’s a great way to give everyone the skinny on what went down right from those who were there!
The Tag Line: Bringing Up Baby!
Remember all those other little things you’re going to want to include in your baby’s birth announcement? Well, it should go without saying that this is where they belong because let’s face it: Your baby is going to do a ton of growing before they can even walk or talk!
So once you’ve given the world your most adorable just-born photo (and don’t be afraid to put one in an envelope addressed ‘To Be Opened By Addressee Only’ as long as you’ve got a sense of humor), don’t be afraid to brag about their future potential!
The Signature: Yours Truly!
Oh, and what would any birth announcement be without a signature? Maybe this is just where the onus lies for those who are into tradition but signing your name at the bottom of your baby’s first photo op certainly helps create a memento that’ll last a lifetime.
Besides, it’ll give everyone something to look out for in photos from now on. It may even lead them to find new ways of saying hi down the line! In addition, having an adult sign off on your newborn’s photo will help enforce the idea that they’re indeed humans of flesh and blood rather than just being seen as little dolls.
The Closing: Why We Love You!
You might not know this, but birth announcements are valuable tools in a baby’s first years because they help create a paper trail that will be crucial down the line when your child is finally able to start school, apply for social services or even get legally married.
That being said, you’ll want to make sure it closes with some love from the parents involved. It could go a long way towards endearing them to all of their future prospects too!
