Do you have to send Thank you cards after a Baby Shower?

Your baby shower has ended and you've been lovingly showered with everything you need for the arrival of your new baby. It's now time to send thank you cards, but do you have to? Get the answer and even more baby shower thank you card etiquette below.

Your baby shower is meant to be the time where your family and friends can join you in celebrating the upcoming arrival of your new baby. It’s also the time where the ones that love you most can “Shower” you with all the supplies you’ll need as you begin this new chapter in your life.

Maybe you’ll have one or more baby showers planned by different people in your life. Regardless, at the end, you’ll likely be stocked with everything you need and have a long list of baby shower thank you cards to write and send.

do you need to send thank you cards after a baby shower?

I’m old school and believe that there is never an excuse to skip out on sending a thank you card especially after an event such as a wedding or baby shower.

The guests that attended and “showered” you with gifts, took time to travel, gave up a day, spent hard-earned money to buy a gift, spent time seeking out a gift and often more, meaning they care enough about you to do all those things. For all those reasons, the least you can do is take a couple of minutes to write a simple thank you card and drop it in the mail.

I was recently talking with a client who said she never gave much thought to thank you cards until she got married and had babies. She said that after her children arrived, she stressed a lot about getting behind on sending thank you cards and to this day there are cards she’s never mailed. Knowing how she felt herself, she tells friends at their baby showers to not bother sending her a thank you card in return. I was kind of stunned at this but it’s always interesting talking with my clients to see what is most important to them.

I get it. Writing out a list of thank you cards generally isn’t a task any of us look forward to or enjoy. Sure, we all love receiving gifts but the thought of adding yet another task to our never-ending to-do list when we work, have a house to take care of, children to feed, pets to care for and all those other “life” things, simply feels arduous. Then, we all know that the longer you put tis task off, the easier it is to not do it at all.

So, should you send thank you cards after a baby shower? I emphatically say YES for all the reasons I said above. IF your family and friends took the time, spent money and gave up the day to shower you, then you can find two minutes to write a thank you note to thank them and then drop it in the mail. Need I say more?

When to Send Baby Shower Thank You Cards

Life is hectic and getting ready for the arrival of your new baby is a lot of work. In a perfect world, you should plan to send your thank you cards within two to three weeks of your baby shower. You can however take up to three months because typical baby showers are planned to take place around 8 weeks before the due date.

As much as there is to do in the weeks leading up to the baby’s arrival, there will be even more once the baby is born.

Late is always better than never and while writing a traditional thank you card sent in the mail is always best, texting a photo of your baby in their new outfit or using the gift is better than never showing your gratitude at all.

how to word your baby shower thank you cards

Regardless of the event or life stage, it can be difficult to know just what to write in a thank you card. The formula is the same but today I’m giving you a few hints for writing your baby shower thank you cards.

If you want even more detail, you can also check out “How to Write your Wedding Thank you Notes – Plus Examples”. Even though we’ve written it for weddings, it’s the perfect guide for writing any thank you. To read, click the graphic below.

They biggest key is that there is no need to write a novel. No more than two or three sentences is all you need. That’s not too bad, right?

The easiest formula is as follows:

An opening sentence
Mention the gift
acknowledge how you’ll use it, how it goes with the nursery, etc. in a personal way

If you need a little kickstart for the opening sentence or phrase, try one of the following:

Thank you so much for the thoughtful / beautiful / lovely / sweet / generous gift!
I am so excited to use [mention the gift] one the baby arrives. I’m sure it will come in handy all the time.
It was so special to see you at the baby shower and I cannot thank you enough for coming.
I really appreciate all the support you have given me throughout my pregnancy. It has meant a lot.
I cannot wait for you to meet the baby!
For the baby shower host: Thank you is not enough for all the effort you put into creating such a special day…mention specific details about the shower that stood out to you.

Some of our favorite baby shower thank you cards

Now that you know all about baby shower thank you cards, it’s time to find the perfect stationery to write those heartfelt thank yous on! If you are still on the hunt for thank you cards, below are a few of our favorites from the shop to consider. Click on the photo to shop the design.