Not so Tacky Ways to Announce Registry Without Baby Shower

It’s only natural for your family and friends to expect a baby shower to be hosted when you’re pregnant. But, sometimes this doesn’t work out for a number of reasons (during Covid or afterward) and you may be wondering how to announce a baby registry without a baby shower, without being tacky!

By simply telling everyone you have a baby registry may come across as tacky. If the announcement is poorly done, you risk people complaining about the message leaving a bad taste in their mouths.

To avoid this from happening, here are great ways to word the announcement without upsetting anyone. This is a step-by-step guide on how to do so without being tacky.

Here’s How to Announce Baby Registry Without Baby Shower

It can be done by inserting subtle links to the gift list on social media platforms. Or, you can include it in invitations to virtual baby showers, sip-and-see events, or a simple dinner for a smaller group of guests. Creating a website with a donation button is another smart way of announcing your baby registry while making your friends and family feel part of the occasion. Word of mouth works like a charm too!

Common Reasons For Not Having a Baby Shower

Baby showers have always been used as a way of celebrating the pending arrival of a baby into a family. A close friend or relative of the pregnant mother would normally host the event and traditionally, it would be for women guests. However, this has changed in recent times, with the fathers and their male friends often invited to participate in the fun and celebrations. 

Preparing for a baby includes making sure you have diapers, bottles, pacifiers, clothes, and so much more. The list appears neverending and becomes quite pricey too! Baby showers give relatives and friends the opportunity to shower the mother-to-be (and father) with wonderful gifts for the baby as well as for his or her nursery. 

But, what about those occasions when a baby shower is not hosted? This does happen for a number of reasons: 

• Location: The mother-to-be may be living on the other side of the world from her family and friends making it difficult for everyone to get together. 
• Cost: Hosting large parties can be a costly affair and for some people, organizing a baby shower may be beyond their budget. 
• Pandemic (e.g. COVID-19): The pandemic has changed the way we socialize. Hosting a gathering for a baby shower may not only break local government lockdown regulations but also put both the mom-to-be and guests at risk of exposure to the virus. 
• Early arrival: Sometimes a baby decides to arrive early causing a baby shower to be canceled.

While most family and friends will understand the most common reasons for not having a baby shower, it may seem awkward to ask them for gifts for your baby. This is why you need to find the best way to announce your baby registry without offending anyone. 

Not (so) Tacky Ways to Announce Baby Registry Without Baby Shower

While the way we host baby showers may have changed and guests are more accepting of non-traditional events, announcing your baby registry may not have the same leniency. The dilemma you’re facing is – do I share a link for my baby registry or not?

The other option when announcing your pregnancy is to wait for people to ask for your baby registry. This is often the safest (and classiest!) way to handle your request for baby gifts. Those friends and family who do want to buy you a gift may ask your mother, close friend, or sibling for ideas. This way you could share the link to your baby registry without seeming tacky or greedy.  

Formulating the announcement of your baby registry requires using different approaches. These approaches could include finding unique ways of celebrating your pregnancy with the special people in your life without being challenged by location, cost, or pandemic regulations. 

Virtual Baby Shower

Virtual reality has changed the way most people operate in today’s world. And this is no different when it comes to hosting a baby shower. A virtual baby shower works well for moms-to-be who live far away from their circle of friends and family. 

It’s also ideal for hosting an event during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can rest assured everyone’s health and safety needs are being fully met without any regulations being broken either! Costs are also minimized with no catering requirements or expensive venue hire fees. 

Watch this informative video with all the tips you need to host a virtual baby shower.

Sip-and-See Event

A sip-and-see event is a special way of celebrating your baby’s arrival. This works well for parents who only have a few friends and relatives living nearby and also want to save on the costs of hosting a large party. 

All you have to do is send out an invitation to your circle of friends and family a few weeks after your baby is born. Explain in the invitation that it’s an intimate gathering and that snacks and light drinks will be served. If your guests haven’t already sent you a gift, they will most likely bring one when attending the event.  

Create a Website With a Donation Button 

Online technology makes it so easy for virtually anyone to build a simple website and use it creatively. Parents are opting to announce their pregnancy via a website and share their journey from start to end. This is a wonderful and fun way of including all your friends, family, and even your work colleagues on your pregnancy journey. 

But the other advantage of creating a pregnancy journey website is having the subtle option of including a donation button. This way anyone who wants to donate money towards your baby’s wardrobe, feeding gear, or nursery can do so. You can make it more personal by stating what the money will be used for when including a donation button.

Have a Simple Dinner with Family and Friends

Hosting a simple dinner with only your closest family and friends is a good way of celebrating the imminent arrival of your baby without splashing out on a large baby shower. The advantage of this kind of event is that you can keep it casual while still giving your close circle of special people the chance to share in your wonderful occasion.

A simple dinner can be a barbeque in your entertainment area at home or hosted at a small and cozy restaurant. There’s no need to stress about party themes or providing large quantities of food and drinks. The key here is to keep it simple and comfortable for everyone involved. 

Create an Amazon Wish List and Share it with Family and Friends Online 

Creating an Amazon Baby Registry is one of the best ways of putting together a baby registry. This is a virtual shopping list that can be shared with family and friends online. The list includes all the gift ideas you would like, making it easier for everyone to buy exactly what you want. Once a gift is purchased it’s removed from the list.

It’s possible to share your Amazon Wish List on Facebook without seeming greedy about having a baby registry. This way, you can announce your list without anyone feeling obligated to ask you or your mother if you have a baby registry. 

Step-by-Step Guide for Announcing Baby Registry Without Baby Shower

There are many ways you can announce your baby registry without a baby shower and still keep it classy! You can pick an online platform or use the more conventional method of including it in an invitation. Use my step-by-step guide below for making the announcement while keeping it polite. 

Take Advantage of Social Media

Social media is one of the most effective, yet subtle ways of getting a message out to your family, friends, and close acquaintances that you have a baby registry. Consider opening a Facebook page specifically to announce your pregnancy and use it to share your nine-month journey. Add the link to your baby registry on Facebook inside your announcement message that you send out to your friends and family.

An Instagram or Twitter account is another great way of announcing your pregnancy if this is the platform most used by your circle of friends and family. All you have to do is insert the link to your baby registry on your profile. If you’ve designed a website, use social media to direct your visitors to the site. 

Include in Your Sip-and-See, Virtual, or Dinner Event Invitation

Craft together a beautiful invitation for your sip-and-see event, virtual baby shower, or the simple dinner you’re planning to host. The invitation can then be sent through WhatsApp message, email, or even posted if you have a reliable postage system. 

If you’re using an online method, you can simply include the link to the baby registry with a few words. You can add a few more words in a posted invitation with the name of the store and the link to use when going online. 

Promise a “Welcome Baby” Party

The COVID-19 pandemic is making it difficult for many people to host large gatherings. This is a good enough reason for not hosting a baby shower before your little one arrives and most of your relatives and friends will understand this. 

When announcing a new baby joining your family soon, mention that a “Welcome Baby” party will be hosted in the year after the birth when it’s safe to do so. Depending on the channel you use, you can include a link to the baby registry in the announcement without seeming rude. 

Rely on Word of Mouth

One of the least tacky ways of announcing your baby registry is through word of mouth. Tell your closest friend, your mother, or your sister that you have a list of gifts and give them all the information they need to share with others. It won’t take long for the message to get out that you have a baby registry!

People who love and care about you will want to give you a gift whether you’re hosting a baby shower or not. They also know who to talk to about finding out what gifts you want if they don’t ask you directly. When one person in your circle knows, the message will be passed on to others as your friends and family talk to each other. 

Wording for Announcing Baby Registry Without Baby Shower

Wording counts for everything when making a classy announcement about your baby registry without hosting a baby shower. Using the right baby registry greeting will depend on the channel you’re using and what gifts you’re asking for. 

Here are some very specific samples to help you get your baby registry out there WITHOUT seeming rude.

Option 1 – Including the baby’s gender and name keeps it personal

“Make it blue or even yellow because our little chap is on the way! You can find Tom’s Amazon Wish List at <insert link> if you want to celebrate his arrival with us!”

Option 2 –  Explain the reason for monetary gifts

“We would love you to be part of creating our beautiful baby’s nursery so instead of gifts please feel welcome to donate towards our exciting project.” 

This wording can be used if you’re including a donation button on your website or opening a GoFundMe page. 

Option 3 – Keep it simple on invitations

“We look forward to having you at our virtual baby shower/sip-and-see event/simple dinner to celebrate our new baby. Sharing this occasion with us is special and all we ask for but, if you’re wondering what our baby still needs please feel free to look at our baby registry <insert link>”

Final Thoughts

Announcing your baby registry when not having a baby shower requires being subtle, taking advantage of online platforms, and using the right words. This way you can have peace of mind knowing your family and friends know what to give your baby without feeling offended or obligated.