4 pieces of stationery every expecting parent needs

A new baby is one of the most joyous occasions in a parent’s life, and friends and family members love to be a part of celebrating the new addition to your family. However, it’s up to the expecting parents to include their loved ones in the happy times! I’ve found that a few key pieces of stationery are important for getting your closest friends and family members involved in your celebrations. Here are the four pieces of stationery any expecting parent needs:

1. Baby shower invitations
Baby shower invitations are an obvious stationery essential for soon-to-be mothers and fathers. Hosting a baby shower is a great way to get family and friends involved in the celebration, so make sure the invitations are ordered and sent at least four to six weeks before the shower so everyone can plan to be there (showers are usually held about two months before the due date). Baby shower invitations can be as fun, informal and adorable as you want – just make sure to indicate whether the event is women only or both men and women.

2. Thank you cards
Be prepared to start receiving gifts, congratulations cards and other nice gestures as soon as you make the pregnancy public – not just during your shower and after sending announcements. In fact, it’s a good idea to have thank you cards on hand as soon as possible so that you can stay on top of thanking everyone for the gifts, well wishes and any other kindnesses, rather than letting the thank yous pile up.

Consider an app like Day One to keep track of each moment in your baby’s life – including all of the individual gifts you receive. That way, when it comes time to write your thank you cards, you’ll be able to remember every present you received from friends and loved ones and won’t leave anyone out.

3. Birth announcements
Baby birth announcements are the best way to tell all of your nearest and dearest about the arrival of your new little one. Traditionally, birth announcements include the baby’s name (including the middle name), birth date, weight, length and the names of the parents and siblings. If the newborn’s grandparents want to send announcements, include their names underneath the rest of the family’s.

Send birth announcements out as soon as you can after the baby is born. Don’t worry about handwriting messages if you don’t have time – everyone knows how busy you are! Whether you include a picture of your new family member is a personal preference, but many parents choose to wait to send pictures until the baby is a few weeks older.

4. Personalized stationery
Personalized stationery for the baby is a really fun way for new parents to send thank yous and other notes to their friends and family members. Give your baby his or her own design, and sign your thank you notes with the baby’s name instead of your own. You can even use the baby’s personalized stationery to send gifts or greetings to other babies or expecting couples.