Who gets a birth announcement?

A birth announcement is simply a way to inform the “world” that your little one has arrived. Just who makes up your “world” is really up to you. Typically, you would send a birth announcement to any one that you might want to share your news with. This could include everyone invited to your wedding or just the out of town friends and family who may not be able to see your new baby immediately. You may want to start making lists of who will receive a birth announcement around your sixth month of pregnancy. This will give you an idea of how many you will need so that you can start checking out styles and begin your “window shopping.” Of course, once your list is complete start gathering your addresses – these steps will make the addressing and sending off of the announcements much less stressful.

When should I send birth announcements?

Typically, most moms order their birth announcements between 1 to 2 weeks after the birth of their child and send them out as they have time. Sometimes we see moms order their announcements weeks or months after the baby has arrived, so if you are late, don’t fret. And, besides, anyone with children will understand.

Most birth announcement companies offer some sort of early or pre-order option. At Smallfri.com we offer our customers the option of receiving their envelopes early, for 12 cents each. This allows the mom who can plan ahead to get their envelopes addressed before the baby arrives.

What should my announcement say?

Most announcements include the following:

· Short introduction, poem or verse. Oh Boy! or We joyfully introduce are common examples.
· Baby’s First and Middle or Full Name and details. Most moms include the date of birth, time, weight and length.
· Closing sentiment. Joyful parents or Her happy family are common examples. It is also common to add any siblings names in this part of the announcement.

What are common and practical styles of announcements?

In our experience the most common style is a flat card stock birth announcement. This type of announcement is usually available in either 5 x 7 or 4.25 x 5.5 and requires no assembly.

Announcements with vellum, a translucent piece of paper, ribbons, and die-cuts are becoming increasingly popular. These are often 2 or three layers of card stock and vellum held together by a bow or die-cut shape to create a beautiful announcement.

Some birth announcement companies offer assembly service for these types of cards, at Smallfri.com we charge 25 cents each to assemble layered announcements. However, if you have a few minutes, assembly is really quite simple and can be done on the couch while watching T.V or feeding the baby!

Another increasingly common style of birth announcement is the photo birth announcement. These range from photos with baby’s details printed on photo paper, to the more elegant photo printed on vellum overlay. When choosing this style of announcement, you should pay careful attention to your camera settings and use a digital picture of at least 1 MB.

More Questions?

If you have questions when placing an order or just checking things out, please feel free to call us. We will be more than happy to assist you during this very exciting time.