Birth Announcements Spread the News with Style!
(1 votes, average: 1 out of 5)
Loading ...If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
More options exist than ever before to spread the word after your little one is born. I’ve received text message birth announcements, announcements through e-mail… I even recall getting one through a social networking site recently.
Online birth announcements are easy, convenient and, in many places, can be sent straight from your hospital bed. But for close friends, family, and your non-Web-savvy associates, conventional birth announcements are still the way to go.
Like a handwritten thank you card sent through the post, there’s something special about a custom-printed birth announcement; it will be treasured, posted on a refrigerator, and shown to other friends, especially if it includes a picture of your newest family member.
There are tons of choices available and, for stationery junkies like me, shopping for birth announcements (and thank you cards) is just another fun part of pregnancy. To narrow your selection, here are some questions to consider when you start shopping:
- With a photo, or without?
- Single page, or folded?
- Classic design or contemporary?
- Handwritten (such as the kind you’d purchase in a card store) or custom printed?
Then, you must decide where you will order them. Some options include:
- Local card store
- Drug store with photo center, such as CVS or Rite-Aid.
- Big-box retailer with photo center, such as Wal-mart or Target
- Online
For convenience and selection, you really can’t beat purchasing birth announcements online. And if you shop around, you’ll find prices to rival any big-box retailer, too.
Before you go surfing the Web, however, I encourage you to take a look at the birth announcements offered at BabiesOnline through TinyPrints. Their choices include both classic and contemporary designs, folded or flat, with photos or without. They also have thank you cards, baptism and christening invitations, and even “pregnancy story cards,” to announce your expectant status in a fun way. There are cards designed for boys or girls, or gender neutral designs in case you want to select the style before you know what you’re having.
You may think of birth announcements as “just one more thing” to do when you get your new baby home. But if you plan ahead, mailing birth announcements can be nearly effortless.
- Select your design in advance. Of course, you can’t include the photo, birth date or weight, but if you know what you know the baby’s gender and name, you can select your favorite design and set up most of the text. Save the file online, so all you have to do is plug in the photo and additional info and place your order when the time comes.
- Compile your mailing list. If you are one of these organized people who maintains your holiday card list throughout the year, this will be easy! If not, your shower invitation list is a good place to start. Gather all the names and addresses of friends and family who should receive birth announcements and confirm that the addresses are current. You can do this any time in your eighth or ninth month of pregnancy.
- Print address labels. You won’t receive the envelopes until you place your order, but you can pre-print address labels and return address labels in advance. Tinyprints also offers the option to have your return address pre-printed on the envelopes, which saves time.
- Buy stamps. If you didn’t stock up on “forever stamps” before the price went up, buy enough stamps now to send out all your birth announcements, along with extras for thank you cards, baptism invitations, etc. If your birth announcements will be mailed in oversize envelopes, be sure to purchase enough postage.
With all these steps completed in advance, filling in the details and photo on your order, stuffing the envelopes, and mailing your birth announcements will be a breeze. The hardest part may be picking a birth announcement from all the great styles available!
