How to create baby announcements when you're adjusting to life with a newborn

There’s no bigger adjustment in life than during the weeks following the arrival of a new baby. Physically recovering from birth, learning to care for a baby, functioning on little sleep and dealing with visitors all take their toll. The last thing on your mind during this time is sending out baby announcement cards, and many mums find they later regret missing the opportunity to officially welcome their babe to the world in this way.

So what’s the trick? How does anyone get baby announcement cards sent out in those hazy weeks and months after a baby arrives? We’ve got the answers for you.

1. Plan Ahead

Baby announcements might not seem like something you can plan ahead for, since you kind of need…you know…the baby. I mean, without the picture of the baby, the birth date and time, the weight and length, what is there? Being prepared, though, is actually not as silly as it might sound.

Think about your baby announcements while you are pregnant. Find a design you love and get in touch with the store to find out their shipping times and other details. Ask if you can order and pay in advance, so that you only have to provide the final photo and information after the birth.

Write a list of people you want to send baby announcements to and make sure your contact details for those people are all up to date.

2. Enlist Help

Choose someone close to you who can be responsible for helping you with the announcements. A willing sibling or close friend is the best option. Give them the login information or contact details for your supplier and ask them to add the information when it is available and place the final order. This is even easier if it’s already paid for in advance. You can also let the company know in advance that they will be dealing with your friend to make sure things run smoothly.

You can have your friend simply place the order for you, or you can have them send the cards out too. Just leave them with a complete list of names and addresses, some stamps or even pre-prepared envelopes to make things easy for them.

3. Keep it Simple

Baby announcements are, thankfully, free from most of the etiquette rules associated with other important events. You can keep it to bare facts, and the cards do not need to be personalised for each recipient. Keeping it to a minimum will help keep the task manageable, a huge bonus whether you’re doing it yourself or having a friend help out.

Usually, the information included is:

- Name (usually the full name)

- Birth date

- Weight

- Length

Photo

Sometimes included is:

- Birth time

- Parents names

- Siblings names (if it’s not the first child)

A brief, general thank you message

The card usually also makes clear the baby’s gender. If it’s not obvious by the name, this can be done through the colour scheme, slogans like ‘It’s a boy!’ or the clothing the baby is wearing in the photo.

This is a card you want to try and get out quickly after the birth, as an announcement. If you try to include personalised messages for every recipient, the job can become overwhelming and take weeks or months. Consider waiting until things have settled down a little and then writing thank you cards to family and friends who helped, visited or gave gifts.

It may seem overwhelming, but you don’t have to be super-mum to get birth announcements out after your baby is born. Just a little bit of organisation and preparation can make all the difference, and leave you with more time to snuggle with your new bundle of joy.