Having a new baby is a big deal! Everyone loves finding out that there friends or loved ones have a happy and healthy addition to their family. Here are some guidelines if you choose to send out birth announcements.

What is the proper information to be included on a birth announcement?

Baby announcements are a wonderful way to introduce your baby to friends and family. Birth Announcements should provide the name of the baby and the baby’s nickname (in quotation marks under the full name, if applicable). Other details you may wish to include are: date of birth, time of birth, parents’ names and place of birth.

If it is not evident from the name you’ve selected, you may also want to indicate the gender of your baby. The best way to do this is to make your baby’s gender evident in the announcement text “Beth and Tom Miller announce the birth of their baby girl Payton Austin.”

When should baby announcements be sent out and when is the latest that it can be sent out?

Ideally, birth announcements should be sent out within a few weeks of birth. This might seem like a daunting task to complete with a brand new baby on board, but there are several things you can accomplish before the birth to simplify the process. These include buying stamps, picking out the announcement design and addressing the announcement envelopes.

If your child has already reached the 6 month mark and a birth announcement has not yet been sent, you may want to wait and send a more timely 1st birthday party invitation or announcement.

Is there a special way to write birth announcements for twins?

Though there is no standard way to write announcements for twins, you may want to emphasize the fact with playful wording like “our house has grown by four feet” or “twice as nice.”

Is it necessary to write a personal note on each birth announcement?

No, writing a personal note on each birth announcement is not necessary. The joy that comes with learning about your precious delivery through your printed announcement will be enough. You may opt to write a short, simple note to close friends or family members including aunts, uncles and grandparents, but one line will certainly suffice.

Is it necessary to include a photograph with my birth announcement?

No, including a photo on your birth announcement is not necessary. People are naturally curious, and so a picture is a nice addition. However, traditional text-based announcements are just as beautiful and also possess a certain timeless quality.

Are people who receive birth announcements expected to send gifts?

Recipients of birth announcements need not feel pressured to purchase a gift. There is certainly no rule that says you must. It is simply a kind gesture that illustrates your happiness for the new parents. A quick note or phone call conveying your congratulations would be just as nice.

We have adopted a child, is it appropriate to send out adoption announcements, and what is the best wording?

Yes, an adoption announcement is the perfect way to introduce your new son or daughter to friends and extended family. A good way to word an adoption announcement would be:

We are happy to announce
a wonderful addition our family
John Issac Miller
born on November 3, 2005

Susan and Joseph Miller

If the child you are adopting is from out of the country, you may want to make mention of this as well, for example:

We are happy to announce
a wonderful addition to our family!
John Issac Miller
born on November 3, 2005
has come to us from South America.

Susan and Joseph Miller

May grandparents send out birth announcements?

Ideally, the parents of the baby should be who sends out birth announcements. If the parents plan to send announcements to only a small circle, and you would like to send announcements to your own friends and extended family, the best thing to do would be to ask the parents of the child to order additional announcements, with you paying for the additional cost incurred from the larger order.

You may then add a note on the announcements that you send out so that the recipients will know it is your grandchild such as, “presenting my grandbaby” or “feeling wonderfully ‘grand’ these days, please help us welcome my new grandson.”

If the parents do not plan to send announcements at all, the proper thing to do would be to ask for their permission to purchase and send announcements. If this is the path you decide to take, order enough announcements so that they can also send them to their own friends and extended family and be sure to list their names as the proud parents first, as well as the names of all the living grandparents (not just your own).