Ten Popular Ways to Announce the Birth of Your Baby - Part 2
#5 Cigars
Send smoke signals
Whether from movies or actual experience, many of us are familiar with the custom of new fathers handing out cigars upon the birth of their child. This form of birth announcement, which some say originated with the ancient Mayans, usually takes place at the hospital at the first news of birth. To share his excitement and joy of new parenthood, the father passes out some cigars to family, friends, and even strangers. Although any cigars will do, many select a box of the best for this very special occasion. Nowadays, you can find gender-specific cigars with a blue band for boys and a pink band for girls. As hospitals generally prohibit smoking within the building, remember to wait until you’re outside to light up.
#6 Edible Treats
Short and sweet
If you’re not a smoker, a twist on the cigar tradition is to give out edible cigars, which are wrapped to look like the real thing, but are actually made of bubble gum or chocolate. Along the same theme, you can also order birth announcements in the form of personalized candy bars with familiar labels like Hershey's and Nestle Crunch. Your baby’s name and birth statistics are incorporated into the candy bar wrappers. By performing a search on the Internet you can also find templates for printing your own candy bar wrappers using your home printer. Unless you plan on mailing the individual candy bars in boxes, it’s best to pass them out by hand since they’ll most likely not remain intact after a trip through the post office’s sorting machine. If you intend on mailing the personalized candy bars, be sure to avoid the summer months or use cooling gel packs to prevent the candy from melting.
 #7 Newspapers
Read all about it!
In addition to announcing the birth of your baby to individual family members and friends, you may also consider placing a baby announcement in a local or national newspaper. Made to the general public, newspaper birth announcements usually appear in the Birth/Engagement/Wedding section. In smaller towns, where the residents are acquainted with essentially everyone in town, a newspaper birth announcement is all but a social requirement. Depending on how many submissions your newspaper receives, it may take a week or longer before the actual announcement appears in print. Most newspapers restrict each birth announcement to a certain number of lines, so simple wording is advisable. The information included in the typical newspaper birth announcement are the family name followed by the date of birth, first names of the parents, and the name of the newborn. The names of grandparents may also be included especially if they’ve been given the honor of making the announcement. Many parents keep a copy of the entire newspaper containing their child’s birth announcement as a keepsake and as a way of remembering the current events around the time of birth.
#8 Forums
Post it
If you can’t wait a few weeks for the newspaper to print your baby birth announcement, you can get instant gratification by posting an online announcement in one of the forums that you frequent. If you’re not already a member of a forum, it’s easy to sign up and begin posting your message immediately. You’ll be surprised how many congratulations you’ll get from members – often time total strangers - of the forums. And unlike the more restrictive newspaper announcement, you can be as verbose and creative as you’d like when you post your announcement online.
#9 Lawn Storks
Special delivery
A great way to let the whole neighborhood know that you have a brand new addition to the family is to rent a lawn stork and proudly display it on your front lawn. Typically made of wood, lawn storks are anywhere from six to eight feet tall and can be rented from a number of local and online companies. As a surprise for the lucky parents, friends and family can order the lawn stork in advance to be delivered to the home while the couple is at the hospital. When you rent a lawn stork some companies also offer a keepsake bundle personalized with the baby’s name and birth statistics.
#10 Telephone
Phone home
Immediately following the baby’s birth, close friends and family members are informally informed by telephone from the maternity ward. The personal announcement is typically kept brief and usually delivered by the proud father. At the top of the list of people to call (if they’re not able to come to the hospital) are the baby’s grandparents, aunts, and uncles, and the parents’ close friends. For couples with extended families who are comfortable about not “personally” delivering the news, there are automated calling services that will simultaneously and instantaneously deliver your birth announcement to everyone on your pre-determined phone and/or email list. There’s usually a toll-free number to call to record your message and initiate the automated calls.
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