There are a lot of ways to go about birth announcement nowadays ? the time when fathers hand out cigars to their friends is long gone past. Though the cigar were really cute with a blue or pink ribbon wrapped around it for a whimsical touch ? of course, pink for the girls and blue for the boys. Consider giving baby announcements to inform your family and friends that your baby is finally here. Give them to people who you think will want to share in your exciting news. Include a picture on your announcement to show off your cute little baby. Hand out the announcement as close to birth day as possible.

Also, you can email your baby's information to your family and friends as soon after your child arrives. Their birth date, time of birth, their measurements and you can even scan their footprint and include that on the message. The picture of your newborn could come later ? but not later than six months. Ready-made cards that are for baby announcements are available at your local store, but if you want it to be extra special, you can order customized cards that are made especially for your baby. You can also print your own cards -- all you need is a publishing program, board paper, colored printer and a dash of creativeness.

You can also submit your baby announcement to your local newspaper and let them publish the arrival of your precious baby. A lot of people do this, though the process is a little impersonal and costly.

Unless the newspaper prints your announcement for free. Another way is to make online announcements and your baby's own cyberspace. You can make your baby an account to social networking websites and include their photos and information for your friends and family to view. The great thing about this is that you can update their site from time to time add pictures, videos or anything special that is happening to your little one.

If you throw a party ? make sure that the theme of the party reflects the arrival of your baby. This may cost you money but you can just have a simple get-together with your family and friends for a chance to play with your baby. Of course there will be no alcoholic drinks and smoking in the party. And do not let your guests stay too late as to not overwhelm your baby. You can also announce our baby's arrival by handing out candies. You can order online for candies that are wrapped in personalized wrappers. You can also give away something that reflects your personality. If you are in a restaurant business, then you can give out colored spoon or if you are a dentist you can give out toothbrushes that are wrapped with a colored ribbon.

There are a hundred and one ways to do baby announcements, but if you still prefer to hand out cigars ? it is okay as long as you remember that what matters most is sharing your little joy to other. Have a great birth announcement!