Does sending a birth announcement = asking for a gift?

[Anonymous]

Trying to compile my birth announcement list. There are a lot of people I'd like to include just to share our news, including some people I don't speak to regularly. I certainly don't expect or want all of these people to send gifts. Does it seem like I'm asking for presents by sending the announcement??

[Anonymous]

I never thought so. If I get an announcement and feel like buying a gift, I do. But, the announcement doesn't make me feel obligated. And, when I sent my announcements, I wasn't soliciting gifts - just sharing my excitement about the new baby.

[Anonymous]

same here - the people who want to send gift often do so before the announcement goes out.

[Anonymous]

I always felt obligated to send a gift when I got those. But when I had my first child, I was just so happy and wanted to share the news. So if people aren't clueless like I was, they won't think of it as asking for a gift.

[Anonymous]

No way! It's just a nice way of sharing the happy news. No gift expected.

[Anonymous]

When I was born 40 years ago, it did. My mom was appalled by the length of my birth announcement list in 2003. However, very few people sent gifts in response to the announcement. Most of the unexpected gifts came from folks in my mom's age range, 65 to 70 and up.

I think there is a generational shift in the birth annoucement = gift required. Consider that when you decide how many older folks to put on your list.

[Anonymous]

If you are doing Holiday cards (I know this is late) you can just add the news of the baby in there.

Otherwise a birth announcement is just that. Not a gift request.

[Anonymous]

I don't think so.

[Anonymous]

I was afraid that it was and that's why I didn't do them. Also, we emailed practically everyone who we wanted to tell a day or so after the baby was born, so I felt like it was silly to send something to announce news they already knew.

[Anonymous]

I sent a birth announcement to all 80ish people on my Christmas card list, not at all thinking of it as a gift appeal. Very few of them sent gifts, and that was fine with me -- though I agree with PP's, the ones who did (well, the ones who surprised me) tended to be my mom's generation, now that I think about it.

I don't automatically send a gift when I receive one. I do send an email or card with good wishes (and sometimes a gift depending on how well I know the parents).

[Anonymous]

Absolutely agree. I don't think a birth announcement is asking for a gift at all.

[Anonymous]

Nope. Not at all.

[Anonymous]

No. You should NOT feel obligated to send a gift. It is just a traditional way of announcing a new family member---nothing is expected from it.

Not to say there are the greed monsters out there that have other purposes for sending one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was afraid that it was and that's why I didn't do them. Also, we emailed practically everyone who we wanted to tell a day or so after the baby was born, so I felt like it was silly to send something to announce news they already knew.

We emailed everyone as well. I don't understand why people send the announcements, especially since they had already sent the info and pictures in an email or I had already seen them in person. I guess it's tradition or they think they are supposed to? We didn't send them. It's nice when we receive them, but I hadn't heard about sending gifts. I just put them on the mantle like a Christmas card.

[Anonymous]

According to my mom, yes.

When I get one, do I feel obligated to buy a gift? no. I often do, simply because the announcement is from someone I would have bought a gift anyway, since I tend to get them from closer friends.