All about Birth Announcements

A lot of people without children often ask me what a Birth Announcement exactly is. You may think this is a foolish question, but until someone has joined the ranks of those with children, they may never have seen a birth announcement.

Who is getting a birth announcement?

A birth announcement is quite simply a way to inform the "world" or community that your little one has arrived. How you define this "world" or "community " is really up to you. A birth announcement would typically be sent to anyone that you would like to share the happy news with. This could include everyone invited to your wedding for instance. Or just your closer friends and family that do not live in town and may not be able to see your little baby immediately. You may not start to make a list on who should receive the birth announcement before the sixth month of pregnancy. It will give you an idea about how many birth announcements you will need and to start checking out styles of birth announcements and begin with your "window shopping". Once your list is completed, start gathering the correct addresses. This will make the addressing and sending out of the birth announcements less stressful.

When should you send out the birth announcements?

Most moms or dads order their birth announcements in between 1 to 2 weeks after the birth of their child and send them out, as they find the time. Sometimes they order the birth announcements weeks or even months after the birth of their baby. So if you are late, don´t be afraid. Anyone with children will understand, that you had other things to do in between.

Most birth announcements do include the following:

- A short introduction, verse or poem. "Oh Boy!" or "We Joyfully Introduce" are common examples.

- The Baby´s First, Middle and Full Name and some details.

- Date and time of birth, weight and length.

- A closing sentiment. "Joyful Parents" or "Her happy family" are common examples.

- It also is very popular to add any siblings names in this part of the announcement.

What are common and practical styles of birth announcements?

According to our experience the most common style is a flat card or folded card stock birth announcement. This type of announcement is usually available in either 5x7 or 4.25x5.5. European users often prepare DIN A6 or postcard formats. The preferred formats do require no assembly.

Birth announcements with vellum, a translujcent piece of paper, ribbons, die cuts and the like are becoming more and more popular. They often consist of two or three layers of card stock and vellum held together by a bow ro die-cut shape in order to create a beautiful and appealing announcement.

As these types of cards require assembly, some birth announcement companies offer an assembly service. At smallfri.com we charge 25 cents each to assemble layered announcements. However, if you can spend a few minutes you can do assembly at your own. It really is quite simple and can be done on the sofa while watching TV - or feeding the baby...!

Another increasingly popular style for birth announcements is the photo birth announcement. The range goes from photos with baby´s details printed on them to the more elegant photo printed on vellum overlay. When you decide to choose this type of announcement, you should pay careful attention to your camera settings and use a digital picture of at least 1 MB. Also take care that your red-eye filter is enabled.

More Questions?

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