New baby cards
What to write in a new baby card for a coworker
For the card the team signs before someone goes on parental leave, or the one that gets sent after the baby arrives.
Congratulations! Everything here is covered. Go and be somewhere else entirely for a while.
HeartfeltSo pleased for you both. Wishing you a gentle few months and much more sleep than everyone is warning you about.
HeartfeltCongratulations on your new arrival. No need to reply to this, or to anything, for quite some time.
HeartfeltCongratulations! You are about to become extremely good at doing things one-handed.
FunnyCongratulations to you both. We will keep your desk exactly as you left it, chaos included.
FunnyWelcome to the world, tiny person. Your parent is very good at their job and is about to get very good at nothing else.
FunnyCongratulations to you both! Enjoy every minute.
ShortWonderful news. Wishing you all the best.
ShortCongratulations! Take care of each other.
ShortCongratulations on the safe arrival of your baby. With very best wishes to you and your family.
FormalWarmest congratulations to you both on your new arrival. Wishing you a happy and restful leave.
FormalDelighted to hear your news. Best wishes to all three of you.
Formal
A new baby card at work is congratulating someone on the single most disruptive thing that will happen to them all decade. The tone that works is warm about the baby and kind about the parent, in that order of volume but not of importance.
The most welcome line you can write is one that takes pressure off: that the job will keep, that nobody expects a reply, that they should not think about work. New parents get a great deal of congratulation and very little permission, and the card is a cheap place to hand them some.
Three things worth getting right
- Congratulate both parents if you know there are two, and use the baby's name if it has been announced.
- Tell them not to reply, and mean it. It is the kindest line on the card.
- Avoid advice, however good. They are already receiving an enormous amount of it.
Common questions
What do you write in a card for someone going on maternity or paternity leave?
Two things: congratulations, and a clear signal that work is handled. "Everything here is covered, go and enjoy it" is the reassurance people actually want. Do not joke about them rushing back or about sleep deprivation, which lands differently depending on how the birth went.
What if you do not know the baby's name or whether the birth went well?
Keep it to the parents. "Congratulations to you both, thinking of you" is safe and sincere in every circumstance. If there were complications, warmth without specifics is exactly right, and asking questions in a card is not.
One card, signed by everyone
You have the words. Card Event collects everyone else in one link, with photos, video and voice notes, and no app or account for the people signing.
Start a cardWriting to someone else?
All card wording guides — lines for a coworker and everyone else