Even though many of your friends will have seen digital photos of your baby within hours after the birth, there’s something special about being able to send your friends a photo of your baby that they will hang up on the fridge and see every day. To make it quick and easy to create your birth announcement, we’ve gathered our best tips for what to include on your birth announcements.
PHOTOS
We recommend that you keep your birth announcement photo simple, to celebrate the beauty of your new baby. A close-up image of your baby’s face is always a classic choice. Close-up images feel intimate and the recipient will get to see the details of your baby’s expression. To get a great image at home, try to take a photo of your baby in a room with great natural light. Generally, the more natural light you have, the easier it will be to capture all of the details that you want, whether you are using your phone to take a photo or your camera.
To get a great photo with a photographer, make sure that you have contacted a professional photographer before your baby is born. Many professional photographers will want to take your newborn’s photos within days after they are born. A good newborn photographer will have a heater in their shooting room and will be able to send you examples of newborn photos that they have taken for other clients. Make sure that you ask them about budget ahead of time.
WORDING
In addition to a photo, every announcement should include the full name of the child, date of birth and names of the parents and any siblings. It is very common for birth announcements to also include the pounds, ounces and inches of your baby as well as the time of birth, although you can leave this information out if you prefer.
Birth announcements should reflect the personality of the family. When you choose wording for your announcement, make it feel natural to you and your family. A few examples of standard wording when announcing your baby’s name include “Introducing,” “Welcome,” and “Announcing the arrival of.” When writing the birth date, you can choose between stating the birth date (August 3, 2013) or including “Born” before the birth date (Born August 3, 2013). A classic sign-off by the parents can include “With Love,” “Proud Parents,” and “Welcomed with Love by.”
TIMING
It’s ideal to send your birth announcement out within a few months of birth. After all, everyone is eager to celebrate with you. However, if you’ve been too busy to send our your birth announcement, the holidays are the perfect time to send out a holiday card/birth announcement combination.
RETURN ADDRESS LABELS
There are great options for return address labels that include photos. When choosing a photo for your return address label, it can be fun to include an image of the entire family or your baby with his/her siblings.
SHARING ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Sharing a photo of your traditional announcement on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter can be creative and classy. You can take a photo of your announcement on the mantle, on the fridge or in a sibling’s hands. Another creative shot can show your baby with his/her announcement.
