What do you put in a birth announcement

A birth announcement lets your friends and family know all about your precious new arrival.  Traditionally (when birth announcements were posted in the newspaper), a birth announcement included a sweet message welcoming baby to the world, their full name and perhaps some details about their weight, eye and hair colour.

Fast forward decades and the birth announcement has become something to share on social media and with that, it’s a lot more creative and in our opinion more beautiful, than it used to be.

But getting the perfect image of your baby to announce their arrival to the world can be tricky.  Lucky for you, we know a thing or two about photographing newborns and we’re sharing our tips for creating a picture perfect birth announcement for your little one.

Tricks of the trade for creating the perfect birth announcement

• Newborn photo shoots are best done in the first 15 days of your baby’s life. A baby is still sleepy in the first 2 weeks and this will make it much easier to get beautiful photos of your newborn.

• To help you get a great photo in those first few days of your baby’s life, plan ahead.  We recommend that you pack your Milestone Cards and Snuggle Hunny products including a snuggle wrap and baby topknot headbands or beanies into your hospital bag.

• Gather your supplies before you start and avoid dressing and undressing your baby during the shoot.  Make a decision about how you will dress them ahead of time.  Our Snuggle Swaddle Sack with matching Beanie or topknot is a lovely way to present your baby to the world in their birth announcement and has the added benefit of helping them to feel safe and sound throughout the shoot. You can also use a muslin or jersey swaddle wrap, baby topknot headband or hair bow.

• Get your baby cosy and comfy by warming the room up before you get started and wrapping them securely in their swaddle wrap.

• Use a thin permanent marker when filling out the details on your Milestone Cards to ensure they are readable when photographed.

• Natural light will help you to create a beautiful picture.  Choose a time when the room is filled with the most sunlight and make use of blinds to adjust the light if needed.

• Keep the background of the photo and/or the space around your baby clean and uncluttered. Use a basket, rug, blanket or sheet to create a blank canvas.  When choosing which swaddle wrap to use, consider which colour or pattern best reflects the style of picture you hope to create.

• Experiment - try different angles, heights and viewpoints.

• Use props that relate to your baby. Try a soft teddy or toy from their nursery, or flowers or leaves from your garden.

• Remember that your baby needs to be supervised by an adult at all times during a photoshoot.  For this reason we recommend that there be two adults present at all times during the shoot.

Sharing your birth announcement

Once you have your baby’s birth announcement go ahead and share it with the world. Your family and friends will be thrilled to see it and so will we.  You can share your birth announcement photos featuring the Snuggle Hunny products with us on instagram at @snugglehunnykids

And you don’t have to stop at your birth announcement.  Use your Milestone Cards to create a special memory of each month of your baby’s first year.  Our tip for getting a great photo as your baby gets older?  Have fun! As your bub grows, your best photographic asset is their personality. Be silly, make them laugh, give them a toy, their favourite food and let them have fun and even make a mess!