Quick answer
A new baby congratulations card needs 2 to 4 sentences. Name the baby if the parents have shared the name. Wish the parents well. Sign your full name and the names of anyone in your household. Mail it within 2 weeks of the birth, or bring it to the first visit.
Timing
Parents get most cards in the first 3 weeks. A card that lands at week 6 still helps. USPS First-Class Mail takes 2 to 5 business days inside the 50 states. Send by week 2 to arrive inside the first month.
Cards for adoption follow the placement date, not the birth date. Cards for a baby in the NICU should skip the line about a healthy baby. Write "thinking of you all" and offer one task, such as a grocery run on Saturday.
A four-line formula
- Line 1: the baby's name and a welcome. "Welcome, Maya."
- Line 2: one detail about the parents. "You two waited a long time for this."
- Line 3: one wish. "Sleep when you can. We will bring food on Thursday."
- Line 4: your name.
Handwrite the note. Print the address in block letters. Parents keep these cards in a box, and ink outlasts a group text.
What to leave out
Skip advice about sleep training, feeding, and birth plans. Skip comments about the parents' age, weight, or the number of children they have. Skip "get your sleep now." Parents hear that line in the hospital and at every visit after.
Skip jokes about the cost of college. Skip questions about a second child. If the pregnancy was not public, let the parents lead the announcement.
Twins, second babies, and older siblings
Twins get 2 names on one card, or 1 card for each baby. Second babies get their own card. Parents keep the first child's cards and notice when the second child gets none.
Add a line for the older sibling: "You are a big brother now." A small gift for the sibling, under $10, keeps the card from feeling like a demotion.
Formats and gifts
Folded cards run 4.25 x 5.5 inches (A2) or 5 x 7 inches (A7). An A7 envelope holds a gift card, a photo, or cash. First-Class Mail covers a standard envelope under 1 ounce. The rate sits at the counter and on usps.com.
Cash and gift cards lie flat. A check works. Registry gifts ship to the house with a packing slip, so write the card anyway.
Numbers
CDC data record 3,596,017 births in the United States in 2023. The Greeting Card Association reports that US buyers purchase about 6.5 billion cards each year, and baby cards sit among the top everyday categories. Group texts and photo apps have not replaced paper at the door.