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Baby Showers
BeerBeck
member
Wording for Books instead of Cards
BeerBeck
member
in Baby Showers
I apologize in advance, as I know that this is a question that has been asked before, but I cannot seem to find the answer.
Does anyone have the wording, (ie: poem, etc.), for how to request that books be given at the Shower instead of cards?
I know that there are several different poems out there, and I would love to have a few to decide between.
Thanks in advance!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Wording for Books instead of Cards
I know this is not what you're asking for, but as a shower guest, I really don't like to be told what to buy. Also, you're asking someone to give a gift plus a book (In place of a card). The other thing is that you may end up with 7 copies of "Goodnight Moon" or books that won't be age appropriate for a couple of years.
My advice: If you want books, put them on your registry. BRU here has a great selection of cloth books and board books that are great for infants. Don't make it mandatory, it's kinder to your guests that way.
I agree with this. I created a separate book registry at Target and got about 30 books at my shower, in addition to every single item on my registry. The shower invitation said ________is registered at BRU and has a book registry at Target.
I would definitely cut the cost of the mandatory book off what I had budgeted to spend on the gift...so take that in to consideration. I did a poll on this a long time ago, about if there is a mandatory gift (diapers, wipes, book etc), would you take the additional cost out of your budget and 99% of the people said yes. Keep in mind, that in this economy, some people may only have $15 to $20 to spend on a gift, add a $5 book to that mix and you are getting an outfit and a book instead of something you need from your registry.
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A lot of people use cards as a way of distinguishing who sent what gift.
If you want books, just register for them.
A registry is a great way to let people know what it is you need and want for your baby.
This. Register for books if you want them.
To the PP who said you can find books same price as cards - unless you are buying uber expensive cards or super cheap books, can't see how this is possible.
I used this one for my SIL shower a few years ago and it worked great. If people buy that and sign it like a card, it can be kept forever and not tossed like greeting cards which can cost as much as some simple books.
As (Mother-to-be's name) due date is coming near,
We're inviting friends and family dear.
To choose a favorite story or fairy tale
That you would like Baby ________ to hear.
Instead of a card, please let (mother-to-be's name)look,
At your special choice of a book,
And then to Baby _________ she will read
With all the love a newborn will need.
So with a personal touch, please choose a book
And in it then your name do put.
It need not cost more than a card
Just pick a favorite, it shouldn't be hard.
Author unknown
Instead of card or not, I still think it is sort of pushy to ask for a book on top of a gift. Unless you are getting really cheap books it will still be more than the money you spend on a card.
You may get duplicate books that because you've asked people to write in them, cannot be exchanged. I guess you could give it to someone else but it's been written in and clearly already given to you.
And while people might say "it was a hit", no one will say to anyone's face that to ask for a book on top of a gift is rather pushy.
I say skip this practice, register for some baby classics, and get the rest yourself or from the library.
I love how only 1 person answered your question at all. Anyway...here are some cute poems.
Although cards are nice with their sentiment
and prayer,
They're read once or twice then tucked away
with care.
A book is a treasure, words and pictures unite
Read over and over to teach and delight.
So instead of a card for Baby and
mother,
Please give a child's book with your thoughts in the cover.
Your book will be cherished; God will watch from above,
When it's read they will remember your
kindness and love.
-and-
We can't wait to see you at the shower
When (mom-to-be's name) will be the woman of the hour
We have one request we hope isn't too hard
Please sign your name to a book instead of a card
Then mom and dad will be ready when the baby arrives
To read to their darling for the rest of their lives
Hope that helps!
Here is what we put on our invitation:
"In lieu of a card, please pick out your favorite baby book for the parents-to-be to read to their daughter. Sign your name and write a personalized message inside so she will know it was from you."
I admit that after sending them out, I was a bit nervous about the sign-inside part, concerned that I might get duplicates. However, that didn't end up being a problem. One person even though ahead and wrote the greeting on a piece of paper carefully taped inside the front cover (and she wrote it in poem form), so maybe you can work that into the explanation (something about writing on a piece of paper and placing it in the front cover...worded more elegantly)
I really don't see what the problem is. Books can be expensive or cheap. Some of our books were up to $18, but several were below $5 (one even has a MSRP of $1 printed on it). Yeah, some people will be thrifty and only spend $1 on a card (but they'll probably be able to find the $1 books, too). The truth is, most people are going to spend $3 to $5 on a card that gets thrown away (or stored away as a keepsake). For the same price you can get something that will serve an actual purpose.
And if you REALLY don't like the idea, or you REALLY can't find a book in that price range, or whatever reason....the invitation doesn't say you HAVE to get a book. A few people didn't give us a book or a card. They simply signed the tag attached to the gift bag. Several people gave us a card anyway. A couple people gave a book AND a card. There was no ill will towards ANY of these groups of people. We thanked them all for their gift just the same.
When I first saw such a request on an invitation, I thought it was an incredibly cool idea. After putting the request on our invitation, many people told us (out of the blue, and completely unprompted) that they thought it was a really great idea. In fact, this thread is the first time I've ever seen anybody react negatively to the concept.What is "cool" or "neat" about this idea? I really don't get it. Either register for some books that you want, or people will take it upon themselves to buy books for you as a a gift, even if they are not on the registry.
And to all the people that say, "you can buy a book for the same price as a card" I am not looking to buy some cheap ass book just to fulfill the directive of the host, I am going to buy a book that has some sort of meaning. And these books do not cost 2-3 dollars.
A pox on the person that came up with this gift grabby idea.
"Either register for some books that you want, or people will take it upon themselves to buy books for you as a a gift, even if they are not on the registry."
But that's the thing...there is no specific book I want. A book is a book to a kid. Any book is going to capture their attention. By leaving it open ended you are giving people the flexibility to make their choice from literally hundreds of book available.
" I am not looking to buy some cheap ass book just to fulfill the directive of the host, I am going to buy a book that has some sort of meaning. And these books do not cost 2-3 dollars."
Some sort of meaning? We're talking about books that are for little kids. You don't need shakespeare quality material here or anything. Kids just like to see colors and shapes and pictures and words that go with it, and their imaginations will go buck wild with the rest. The kid couldn't care if it was 2 pages or 400 pages. My niece (under 3 years) has a 4 page book, and she absolutely LOVES it. And because it is so short, she has memorized every word from the book. You can say any 2 or 3 words from anywhere in the book and she'll recite the rest from memory.
If you think a 2 or 3 dollar book can't be a worthwhile present, you are seriously overthinking things.
"A pox on the person that came up with this gift grabby idea."
Should there also be a pox on the person who came up with the idea of a gift registry? I mean, the NERVE of you...trying to tell ME what sort of present to buy you. I don't care if you are trying to decorate with an ocean theme. I'll get you pink butterfly sheets if I please, and you'll like it.
Seriously...it's alright to say "if you'd like to get me some sheets, here are the ones I'd really love to match the room", but it's not alright to say "if you are going to get a card, please consider an inexpensive book instead so that my baby will be able to learn from it as she grows"? I don't see how the 2 are even the slightest bit different except that one is already an established tradition where as the other yet to establish itself as a tradition. That's the only difference between the two.
A gift registry is a list of suggestions of what is needed and desired. It is not mandatory and you aren't a douche for not buying a gift off of it.
Once you actually write on your invitations that your guests should not buy you a card, you have stepped over a line into Shameville. It's one thing to request something you need on a gift registry, but you are now full out telling your guests what they can't get you.
Then, you take it one step further and write.. again on the invitations, BUY ME THIS! And, if they dont' buy you a book, they will look like fools at your shower who didnt' read the invitation properly and follow very specific instructions.
If you want books, register for them or make a note on the registry that books would be appreciated, if you dont' want to register for specific ones.
But leave off the book request on your invitations.
A cutesy poem that is all rhymey doesn't make it okay.
You don't have to say to "not" buy one on the invitation (and you most definitely don't have to put it in bold print). You can say "instead of....please consider".
WTF? I never shamed anyone. Despite what I put on my invitations, people brought cards anyway, and NONE of them looked like fools. There was no shame.There are no ulterior motives to weasel more gifts out of people or anything. Why does it seem some people make the worst assumptions about everything.
You don't have to worry about looking like a fool because you ignored a simple suggestion. If you get so indignant about a simple suggestion, then there's probably plenty of other ways that you already do a fine job of that already.
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This is getting absurd. "Not" versus "instead of"? Its the same thing. You are specifying or asking for one thing instead of the other. And i am sorry but do you really need books that bad that you are willing to accept cheapie $2-3 books and risk annoying your guests at the suggestion of a cheapie book instead of a card?
I have gotten these 'suggestions' before from good friends and I do a big eye roll at them. I take great pride in purchasing needed things off of the registry and get annoyed that someone goes one step further and 'suggests' a book instead of a card or asks for a book as well. Justify it all you want by saying your kid learns more from a book than a card, but still to suggest it outright on your shower invite is just tacky. If books are really really important to you, I would see that by virtue of them being on your registry! I'll get the hint!
And to all those people who say - oh but you don't need to get a card - I personally am still going to get a card. And as a mom, I have saved every single card I received (as did my mother) and I love looking at who cared enough about me to buy a nice card and write a nice sentiment.
And as for building your book library - it will happen. Seriously there is NO need to actually go a step beyond and come up with some dumb cutesy poem that basically asks for books. There will be people that will give you books (without even asking!), you will get book gifts at holidays, when you have the baby, etc. and if you still don't think that will be enough, register for a few books. And here's a really crazy idea - buy them yourself! Shouldn't be a problem since you're advocating that cheap ones will do.
I'm not sure I'm clear how you feel on this matter. Could you clarify a couple more times please.
If you are worried about offending someone, you can very easy just say something like "if you are considering getting a card, consider getting a small childrens book instead...etc".
You know, if my guest were going to be annoyed over something so trivial, I'd probably be just as happy for them to stay home. No telling what else they'd get bent out of shape over.
Faulty logic. Clothing is pretty darn important to my child too, but you won't find those on my registry. A book, on the other hand, is much more often overlooked as a shower gift, and I think it's pretty reasonable to help make the suggestion.
And if I am suggesting to you to get a book instead of a card, that might suggest to you that I'm NOT going to be the type to treasure a card and reread it over the years. At best, it's probably going to get stuffed into a folder somewhere, sit there for 20 years, and then if it hasn't got lost in a move, thrown out when the basement flooded, or eaten up by rats in the attic, then I might give it to my kid once he/she is an adult, at which point it probably stands a really good chance of getting tossed by them.
Yeah you're probably right. Between the rats in the attic or the flood in the basement, that card is useless. Definitely better off going with the book. I hear the rats and the flooding avoid books at all costs.
Next time before trying to be witty, you might want to give a couple seconds of thought to it first to be sure it makes sense. While the cards will be packed up by the time the baby is born, with nobody looking at them for who knows how long, the books will be read to my child on a regular basis from the time they're born. By the time they are 1 year old or so they'll be looking at them on their own. By the time they are 2-3 years old, they'll be pulling them off the shelf on their own and pretending they can read. By the time the books get packed up, the kid will likely have enjoyed them for years. As for the card, they'll be lucky if they know the cards exist. I am absolutely amazed you can't see the difference between the two.
Obviously you can't detect sarcasm. Good luck with the books.
Obviously you failed to comprehend my writing (or you forgot what it was you even said). You sarcastically said the books were safe from flooding and rats. In other words, what you really meant (with sarcasm removed) was that books were just as susceptible to floods and rats as the cards are. Addressing that was the entire point of my post...to address how a kid would get years of use out of the books before they even got packed away and subjected to the possibility of floods and rats.
Anyway, all of this arguing aside, I hope the OP got at least a little bit of help from the few of use that answered the question by provided wording.