A baby shower is a chance for your friends and family to celebrate the incoming arrival of the newest addition to your family — and shower you with gifts you’ll need to transition into parenting.
When family comes together to inundate you with the supplies you need to prepare for your baby’s arrival, the least you can do is thank them for their care. Of course, figuring out how to say thank you for a baby gift may be the last thing on your mind when you’re trying to prepare.
Here’s what expectant parents need to know to pick baby cards, write thank you notes, and send them out with good timing.
Baby Thank You Card Etiquette
The first step in baby thank you card etiquette is timing. How long do you have to send thank you cards?
Baby shower thank you cards, like any other thank you card, have an acceptable time frame for you to send out notes. Ideally, you would send out thank you cards two to three weeks after the shower.
That said, preparing for a new baby is hectic, especially if you’re not yet on maternity leave. Your loved ones will be understanding. Up to three months after a shower is acceptable, though new moms will be much busier than expectant ones, so it’s a good idea to write the notes before your due date if you can.
For the procrastinators and busy soon-to-be moms, you’re likely wondering: is it ever too late to send a thank you card? While it’s always best to thank someone promptly for a gift or kindness shown to you, it’s never too late to send a thank you card. After all, it’s never too late to say thank you for a kind gesture.
Plus, if you’re due soon and still have a million preparations to make, your loved ones will understand a bit of a delay. After all, it takes a lot of energy to grow a baby and a lot of time to take care of a newborn!
Thank You Note For Baby Gift Wording
With pregnancy draining your energy and thinking power, you may well find yourself staring at a blank card wondering what to write in a baby gift thank you note. How do you write a thank you note, anyway?
The benefit of baby thank you card etiquette is that it gives you a pretty clear template of what to include in your baby thank you card wording. Your creative wording ideas can come in around the edges, with thoughtful details that show the recipient you are genuinely thinking of the gift they gave (without losing your mind over every individual card).
You should address each recipient by their proper name on the envelope (i.e. Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms., Mx., Dr., etc.) Address them by the name they’re most comfortable with inside the letter.
You can use a general format for each note, such as:
Dear _________,
Thank you for the incredibly thoughtful gift of __________. It will definitely come in handy in the near future. I was delighted to see you at the baby shower and touched that you took the time to attend. I look forward to visiting with you after the baby is born.
Love,
Your name
Mention the gifts by name — if a friend is willing to volunteer, it’s helpful to have someone at the party keeping track of who gave what. Include some sort of meaningful note expressing gratitude for attendance. If you share an in-joke with a loved one about your bundle of joy, include it, but otherwise, you can stick to the format.
How To Sign A Thank You Card
Think you’re done? Not so fast. Thank you is the most important phrase in the note, but signing a thank you note properly is part of thank you note etiquette.
How do you sign a thank you card? That depends on who you’re addressing, which is why the ways to sign a thank you card are variable.
If it’s your sister or your best friend, for example, your thank you card sign off can be casual — they know you, they love you, they’ll appreciate it.
If it’s your boss or coworkers, keep it formal but warm. “Thank you again” is a good choice, but you can also go with “sincerely” if you need to keep it a bit more formal.
For relatives or less-close friends, a simple sign-off will do nicely. “Love” or “With love” are both good options, but you can still use “Thank you again” if you’re more comfortable with it.
When in doubt, think about the relationship between you and the gift-giver. That will always help guide how formal or informal to make your card.
Card Designs and Ideas
Of course, beyond the wording, you’ll also have to think about a different kind of message — the one sent by the card design itself.
The fun part about baby shower thank you cards is that they can be almost anything you want them to be. Welcoming a new baby into the world is inviting a whole new chapter of your life, and thank you cards are part of that.
If you’re looking to stay coordinated, look for cards that are in keeping with your baby shower theme. Is it bohemian? Sweet and colorful? Modern and trendy? Sending thank you cards based around your theme is a great way to tie everything together.
Of course, you’re also more than welcome to find a card design that you love simply because you love it and think it’s adorable. And hey, you’re the mom-to-be — it’s your call!
We offer four styles of baby cards:
Our pink and blue footprints are simple and elegant, designed to create a tasteful impression on the recipient. They’re perfect for new parents who like a clean, stylish vibe. Plus, they’re simple enough to work well with a wide array of baby showers.
Our pink and blue stork cards are for parents who want a card that’s more on the cute and fun side. You get a neat notecard with fine typography, topped off with a cute stork in the colors of your new bundle of joy (not as cute as your new bundle of joy, of course!)
Our cards are all designed on the notion of simplicity and style. You’ll always find a card that fits your personality as new parents, and your words can shine through in these pretty cards. Plus, with high-quality 80lb cardstock, you can rest easy knowing that the cards will look fantastic no matter how far they have to travel.
Preparing Baby Thank You Cards?
If your bundle of joy is coming into the world soon, there’s no time like the present to prepare and send your baby thank you cards. Our cards are designed to suit a wide array of baby showers and new parents.
But most of all, our cards are made with care and attention to detail. After all, when you buy our cards, you’re inviting us to be a part of your experience as a soon-to-be parent, and we take that responsibility seriously.
We hope that you’ll let our cards say thank you for a great baby shower, and wish you all the best as you embark on the next chapter of your life as brand new parents!