deally, birth announcements should be sent to family and friends immediately following the birth. However, with the added demand on the parents' time, remembering to send birth announcements on time can be forgotten easily. The latest baby announcements should be sent is six months after birth. If your newborn arrives around the holiday time, combining the birth announcement with a holiday greeting is acceptable and quite popular.

To reduce the stress of sending birth announcements on time, it is best to plan ahead. Read the following section on what you can do before the birth to ensure the least amount of work to get the birth announcements in the mail. 

There are many ways to make progress on your birth announcements prior to the baby's birth.

Two months before your delivery date
Start compiling names and addresses of the recipients. Tiny Prints has made this simple through an online address book that allows you to easily collect contact information of your family and friends in one place. You can use this address book to store all updated contact information that can be readily used when sending out invitations for baby showers, birthdays, baptisms and more. 

One month before your delivery date 
In the last month of your pregnancy, determine exactly what you would like to send and get organized.

• Pick out the design and wording of your birth announcement. Next, look at Tiny Prints' selection of unique birth announcements and find your favorite design, layout and colors (considering gender, your style, and personality). Submit your order to allow ample time for printing and delivery.

• If you need samples to choose the perfect announcement, be sure to plan a few weeks ahead to order the samples. If you do not know the baby's gender, be sure to have one of each gender-specific design chosen if you do not want a unisex announcement. 

• Many parents-to-be choose to preorder and address the envelopes prior to their baby's birth. This frees up some valuable time after the baby is born. Tiny Prints offers this option to preorder envelopes for any of our announcements. 

• Also, purchase enough stamps from the post office, so you do not have to worry about this after the birth.

After your baby arrives 
Be sure to send the announcement as soon after the birth as possible. Of course, given the demands on your time, if you slip a few weeks, that's quite alright. It's most important to send the news to your loved ones and colleagues to show them you care - after all, for many this will be the first in a lifetime of communication with your newborn. 

Etiquette
Most birth announcements include standard information, like the parents' names, baby’s name, birth date, birth weight, and length. Tiny Prints' easy personalization process provides an intuitive step-by-step way to fill out and preview all of your information. You can either choose to use our suggested wording and layout or create the entire birth announcement yourself. 

It is not necessary to hand sign the announcement or include a personal note in each card. Receivers understand that Mom and Dad are extremely busy, and they will appreciate just hearing from you and you sharing the news with them. If there is time and the energy, you could include a short note to certain close relatives, but again, it is not necessary. It is proper for receivers to call you or send a note. 

Typically, it is not proper to explicitly state a no gift policy or direct recipients to a gift registry. Leave the decision in the receiver's hands, and let them contact you at their discretion. When you do receive a gift or thoughtful note, send a thank you card as soon as possible to convey your gratitude. Tiny Prints offers a unique selection of thank you notes and personal baby stationery. For a coordinated look, you can choose a birth announcement with a matching thank you card.