Baby Announcements

The newspaper birth announcement is just as important to the new parents as the custom printed announcement. The newspaper provides an historic record of your child’s birth. Take a moment to review the main components of the newspaper birth announcement.

Name. Baby’s full name is usually preferred but a nickname is okay too. When we announced our son’s birth we wrote out his full pretentious embarrassing but ultimately character filled name in full and then wrote underneath: “aka baby Nik.” We received a ton of positive compliments on this and it made it okay for everyone to recognize our son’s long winded name. It’s okay to be informal in your local paper.

Birth statistics. In case anyone is still unclear about what birth stats are they include the date, the time, the weight, the length and the gender of the child. Everyone wants these details or at least thinks they do (especially other moms so the comparison chatting can begin) so double check the baby’s wrist band and the hospital bill and scribble these details down.

Location. Location is more important for the newspaper birth announcement than for the custom printed one you mail to friends and family. Local people read the local paper and if you live in a populated area there may be several hospitals or birthing centers. Avoid having people ask you this question a hundred times over by putting it in your newspaper announcement.

Parent’s name. This is a must and if the parents are not married be sure to include both last names so both families feel represented. Some new parents get engaged upon the birth of their child and you may want to put the married name in the paper to let everyone know your intentions.

Grandparents name. This can be a difficult choice for some especially if some grandparents have already passed away, there are a number of divorces in the family or a great grandparent is closer to the child than the grandparent. If in doubt leave it out.

Good wishes or expressions of joy. Have fun with this. If I never read another: “so and so are proud to announce” for the rest of my life I can die happy. Make this interesting or leave it out. Your child is special so make their birth announcement special. What about: “so and so can hardly contain themselves as baby Mia has arrived” or: “Exhausted but happy so and so announce…” or even “She’s here! She’s finally here!” after a long or exhausting pregnancy.

Life’s too short not to be interesting people. Make your baby’s newspaper birth announcement something everyone will want to read.

Filed under: birth announcements, new parent life on July 23rd, 2010