Adoption announcement cards: what to write and what to include
An adoption announcement card needs your child's name and a date, and the date is yours to choose: the day they were born, the day they came home, or both. Add a line or two from you, signed with your names. Below are the dates to consider, wording examples you can copy and the details to keep for yourselves.
What goes on an adoption announcement card?
Treat it like a birth announcement with different content. That is the advice of the French stationer Rosemood in its guide to adoption announcement texts: follow the usual rules for writing a birth announcement, knowing that what you say will differ. It adds that there is no rule here, and that you can tell the story of meeting your child and their arrival.
Another French card shop, Faire-part Émotion, gets more specific in its own guide. It suggests presenting the child with their full name, the arrival date and, if you like, the meaning of their first name. It also suggests a brief look at your journey: what the adoption means to you, without going into detail.
So the card has the same two layers as any announcement:
- The facts: your child's name and the date or dates you choose.
- The words: a few lines from you, about your child and your family.
Which date do you put on the card?
Rosemood names three candidates: your child's birth date, the date they arrived home with you, or the date you learned the good news. You can print one or several. Its own sample texts show each of them:
| Date | How a Rosemood sample text uses it |
|---|---|
| The birth date | "Paul est né le 3 mars 2022." (Paul was born on 3 March 2022.) |
| The day they came home | "arrivé à la maison le 15 septembre 2024" (arrived home on 15 September 2024) |
| The day you got the news | "Lorsque le téléphone a sonné le 20 avril 2024" (When the phone rang on 20 April 2024) |
| Two dates at once | Paloma "est née le 8 juin 2022 en Chine" and "partage notre vie depuis le 29 avril 2024" (was born on 8 June 2022 in China, and has shared our life since 29 April 2024) |
That last shape suits a child who arrives months or years after their birth. The birth date tells people how old your child is, and the arrival date is the one your family celebrates.
Adoption announcement wording examples
These are short enough for a card. Swap in your own names and dates, and leave out whatever you would rather not share.
Simple and warm
We are delighted to introduce our son, Noah, who came home on [date]. He has already taken over the sofa and our hearts. Thank you for waiting with us. Love, Sam and Noor
With both dates
Mila was born on [date] and has shared our life since [date]. We are a family of three now, and very happy about it. Love, Anna and Tom
With a big brother or sister
Big brother Finn has been counting the days. His little sister Lina arrived on [date], and our family of three is now a family of four. Love, Jess and Mark
A thank-you for the long wait
The wait was long and you were there for all of it. Thank you. Our daughter Sara is home, and we can't wait for you to meet her.
Short
Welcome home, Leo.
The adoption site Adoption.org's guide to adoption announcements lists one-liners such as "Worth the wait.", "Welcome home (child's name)!" and "Love makes a family."
The birth date tells people how old your child is. The arrival date is the one your family celebrates.
What should you keep off the card?
Keep their story private. In its advice on telling people you have begun the adoption process, Adoption.org says to keep the private details to yourselves, such as the paperwork, why the birth parents chose not to parent and your child's background story. That caution suits the card as well. If you are adopting an older child, it suggests considering their feelings about the announcement: some might want the birth information kept private.
That applies to the birth date and birthplace too. Rosemood's sample texts name places of birth such as China and Ukraine, which is a fine choice when your child and family are happy to share it. If you are unsure, leave the birthplace out.
Then there are the words for the birth parents. Wikipedia's article on the language of adoption describes "positive adoption language", which replaces "give up for adoption" with "place for adoption" and "real parent" with "birth parent". The same article calls the language of adoption a controversial issue since the 1970s. Some adoptees and some birth parents, it records, object to positive adoption language. A card is the wrong place to pick a side, and you can avoid it by writing about your child and your family, and leaving the birth family out of the text.
Can you use a birth announcement card for an adoption?
Yes, with a different text. Rosemood says all its birth announcement cards can be personalised and that you can of course adapt the text to make an adoption announcement. Before you order one of ours, check these four points.
- The date field is the birth date, and it is required. Our editor asks for a "Birth date" and refuses a date in the future. There is no separate field for an arrival or adoption date.
- On designs without photos, the print reads "Born". On our folded card, the inside right of those designs prints the date under the word "Born". Enter your child's birth date there, not the arrival date, or the card will state something that is not true.
- Your message carries the arrival date. The folded A5 card's inside left takes your own text, up to 60 words and 400 characters, printed as one paragraph. The "With both dates" example above fits easily.
- A flat A6 postcard has no message panel. It prints a front and a back, so only the folded card has room for a second date in words.
If you want the arrival day printed as the main date, or no birth date on the card at all, our cards are not the right fit. If the birth date with your arrival date in the message works for you, our guide to birth announcement wording has more opening lines, and our guide to addressing the envelopes covers the next step. You can write your message on the folded card in the card editor.