Choosing and Sending the Perfect Birth Announcement

Photo or no? That is the question. On the one hand, your long-distance friends and family will probably be hounding you for baby photos. On the other hand, you may not have the time or energy for a do-it-yourself baby photo shoot or the bucks to hire a professional photographer.

Additionally, you may not be ready to share a photo of baby just yet. Looking back at some of the earliest photos of my baby, I wonder if I should have included them in my birth announcement email. Although my little girl was absolutely perfect and gorgeous to me, she may have appeared a little squishy, bald, and cone-headed in the eyes of others.

For this reason, some parents like to wait until their baby is at least two or three months old before sending a photo announcement. By that time, Baby has transformed from a barely-out-of-the-womb fetus to a plump, rosy-cheeked newborn.

If you do decide to include a photo of baby, you have (you guessed it!) boundless options. Once you snap a good shot of your baby and order prints, you can simply toss the photo in the envelope with your birth announcement or pick an announcement that has special tabs to "frame" the picture. If you choose a vellum announcement, you can have the stationery company print Baby's photo on the vellum sheet. Some companies even emboss Baby's photo onto the card.

Another simple and affordable option is the photo card. With the onset of photo websites such as Shutterfly and Snapfish, photo cards are becoming increasingly popular. Here's how it works: First, sign up for a free account with a photo site. Then, simply upload Baby's photo, choose a birth announcement design, and enter the text you want printed on the cards.

It typically takes one to two weeks for these companies to complete the printing of your cards. (In many cases you can pay extra to expedite your order.) Once your order is complete, the company can either ship the cards directly to you or send them out to an address list that you supply (not a bad choice for busy, drowsy parents).

Or, take a tip from parents who've been through a holiday season or two: Drugstores and supermarkets with photo kiosks or developing centers can offer quick, simple announcement options if you've got family and friends clamoring for pictures and info.