Birth Announcements
Ettiquette for Birth Announcements
- Announcements go to anyone who you want to know about your new addition to your family. This usually means all your friends and family. You might also send an announcement to your co-workers since they will also want to see your new bundle of joy. When in doubt, it's better to send an announcement than to risk offending someone by leaving them off the list.
- According to strict etiquette, birth announcements should be sent as soon as possible, usually within the couple months from when the baby is born. But anyone who's ever lived with a newborn knows that may be easier said than done. Don't stress about the etiquette deadline, get your birth announcements out as soon as you can after you get adjusted to your new life and can find the energy to get them together. If it's been longer than three months, consider making the announcement an insert with a holiday card (for whatever card sending occasion is coming up) or make it a family photo/birth announcement combo. Etiquette dictates announcements should really be sent no later than six months after the birth. To make it easier to get announcements out in a timely manner, find announcements before the baby arrives (pick ones to order online or buy cards at the store) and address envelopes prior to the birth.
- Birth announcements do not obligate people to buy presents and are not considered requests for gifts, according to the rules of etiquette. Recipients shouldn't feel like they need to send a gift if they receive a birth announcement. While many people do send presents, the family sending the announcements shouldn't mail them out with the expectation of getting presents in return. That being said, it is proper for the recipient to call the new parents or send a card.
- Etiquette dictates it is not proper to put "no gifts" on the announcement. It's better to leave the decision to send gifts up to the recipient.
- You don't need to handwrite the announcements or include personalized notes in each one.
- If you do receive gifts after mailing out announcements, be sure to send Thank You notes (as you should for any gifts given at any time). Handwritten notes are always the best. Be sure to personalize the Thank You by mentioning the gift given and what you like about it.
- Typically a birth announcement includes a photo of the baby and the little one's birth weight, length, time, date, and location. But these aren't mandatory items. If you aren't comfortable listing the birth weight, length, or other, leave it off. Most likely, people are still going to ask you for those detail though so be prepared. You'd want to include the birth date at the very least.
- Parents names can be included on the birth announcement but are not mandatory. How they are listed depends on how formal you want the announcement to be. Using the format "Mr. and Mrs. Brad Pitt" is more formal than using "Angelina and Brad Pitt", which is more formal than using "Angelina and Brad". If the parents have different last names, both their first and last names should be included, as well as the first and last name of the baby. For example, "Proud Parents Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt introduce their son/daughter Starbaybee Jolie-Pitt".
- In cases where the parents are not married or are divorced/separated, include the baby's first and last name so recipients know whose name the baby was given. If the parents are not together, they may choose to send separate announcements with just their name (and the baby's full name) to their respective family and friends. Or simply don't include the names of the parents on the announcement.
- Birth announcements aren't just for the first child. You can send announcements for each child you have (or adopt), regardless of how many that may end up being.
- The names of siblings can also be included on the announcement. Doing so is a trend that is increasing in popularity. Siblings names could be included with parents names or be listed separately. For example, you might include wording such as "Big Sister Sophia is proud to introduce..." or "Proud Parents and Big Brother Austin are happy to introduce...".
- Grandparents names can be included on the announcement as well. They should be listed below the parents names.
- For twins, triplets, or other multiples, you can send an announcement for each child or you can list them all on one. If they are all listed on one announcement, make sure the name of each child is listed on a separate line.
- For adopted children, announcements can be sent just as they would be for births. The wording may be different, but announcements can be sent regardless of the child's age to announce the addition to your family. If the child is not a baby, you could still include their birth date or might include their birth country if they are not from the United States.
