You’ve waited nine months for
your little bundle of joy to arrive, and now that your baby’s here, you want to
shout it from the rooftop. However, sending birth
announcements is probably a more efficient way of sharing your good news.
When should they be sent, and to whom? Fortunately, new parents are given some
leeway when it comes to getting their baby’s birth announcements into the hands
of adoring family and friends.
Even the experts disagree about the proper timeframe for birth announcements. In Etiquette for Dummies, Sue Fox notes that a “joyous phone call made by the new father or proud grandparents” immediately after the birth and informal e-mail announcements can suffice in the short term. However, printed announcements should follow as soon as possible, preferably “before the baby is three months old.”
Etiquette expert Letitia Baldridge, a syndicated columnist and author of 15 books on the subject, agrees that, “In a perfect world, birth announcements would be sent out almost immediately.” She concedes, however, that, “a perfect world rarely happens.” And that is doubly true for new parents. If weeks and months pass by in a blur of midnight feedings and stinky diapers, people will understand. Baldridge says birth announcements should be in the mail by the time the baby is six months old. “You don't want the baby growing up and getting married before you announce its birth,” she warns. Parents who do wait a little longer to get the announcements out might consider adding a special note about the baby’s first months or including a more recent photo of their child to make the announcement as up-to-date as possible.
If the three-to-six-month birth announcement window seems daunting, try to prepare ahead of time. Before the baby is even born, decide whether you want to purchase or make the announcements, choose a design or buy necessary craft supplies, and even pre-address the envelopes and add attractive stamps. When your baby is born, you just need to drop in a cute photo and add some vital stats and, voilà! You and your baby are ready to drop them in the mailbox.
Compiling a birth announcement mailing list in advance makes sending the announcements easier, but who should receive an announcement? Here, the experts are pretty much unanimous: send one to everyone! Close friends and family are a must, but many new parents include long-lost school chums and business associates on their mailing lists as well. What better way is there to get back in touch or reach out to colleagues than by sharing such joyous news? Sue Fox cautions, “You can tell the whole world about your new baby if you wish, but remember to address envelopes to out-of-town grandparents, aunts, and uncles first…”
If you wonder whether you should include someone on your mailing list, go ahead and send them an announcement. It’s always best to err on the side of fewer hurt feelings in the long run, and there really can’t be too many people celebrating the birth of your child. Perhaps Miss Manners says it best when she advises parents to “announce the birth to anyone you think will be interested. Or perhaps to anyone you think will be not just interested, but pleased."
Even the experts disagree about the proper timeframe for birth announcements. In Etiquette for Dummies, Sue Fox notes that a “joyous phone call made by the new father or proud grandparents” immediately after the birth and informal e-mail announcements can suffice in the short term. However, printed announcements should follow as soon as possible, preferably “before the baby is three months old.”
Etiquette expert Letitia Baldridge, a syndicated columnist and author of 15 books on the subject, agrees that, “In a perfect world, birth announcements would be sent out almost immediately.” She concedes, however, that, “a perfect world rarely happens.” And that is doubly true for new parents. If weeks and months pass by in a blur of midnight feedings and stinky diapers, people will understand. Baldridge says birth announcements should be in the mail by the time the baby is six months old. “You don't want the baby growing up and getting married before you announce its birth,” she warns. Parents who do wait a little longer to get the announcements out might consider adding a special note about the baby’s first months or including a more recent photo of their child to make the announcement as up-to-date as possible.
If the three-to-six-month birth announcement window seems daunting, try to prepare ahead of time. Before the baby is even born, decide whether you want to purchase or make the announcements, choose a design or buy necessary craft supplies, and even pre-address the envelopes and add attractive stamps. When your baby is born, you just need to drop in a cute photo and add some vital stats and, voilà! You and your baby are ready to drop them in the mailbox.
Compiling a birth announcement mailing list in advance makes sending the announcements easier, but who should receive an announcement? Here, the experts are pretty much unanimous: send one to everyone! Close friends and family are a must, but many new parents include long-lost school chums and business associates on their mailing lists as well. What better way is there to get back in touch or reach out to colleagues than by sharing such joyous news? Sue Fox cautions, “You can tell the whole world about your new baby if you wish, but remember to address envelopes to out-of-town grandparents, aunts, and uncles first…”
If you wonder whether you should include someone on your mailing list, go ahead and send them an announcement. It’s always best to err on the side of fewer hurt feelings in the long run, and there really can’t be too many people celebrating the birth of your child. Perhaps Miss Manners says it best when she advises parents to “announce the birth to anyone you think will be interested. Or perhaps to anyone you think will be not just interested, but pleased."
No comments:
Post a Comment