American Geburtstafel
November 23, 2016 11:21 AM   Subscribe

When my wife and I honeymooned in Switzerland, I noticed a lot of signs on houses announcing the birth of a child. They'd have the name of the child and the birthdate, and usually a cartoon animal. This is a charming tradition, and now that we're a couple of days away from having a child of our own, I'd like to do something similar to call back to our honeymoon.

I found out that word for these signs is geburtstafel, but when you google that, predictably everything that comes up is German. Translating into English isn't terribly helpful, as "birth announcement" means something different here in the US. "Sign announcing birth" isn't specific enough. Do any of you know of anything similar in the US, and where I might be order one? I mean, I could always pay a guy to spray paint some plywood, but I'd like something nicer, you know? Any ideas? I'd prefer not to order from Switzerland.
posted by kevinbelt to Shopping (9 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
I've seen these in the US, but they're almost always storks. Googling for stork baby sign rental should find you some local businesses that do this.
posted by uncleozzy at 11:28 AM on November 23, 2016 [2 favorites]


There are a few Birth Announcement Lawn Signs available on Amazon.
posted by zinon at 11:47 AM on November 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


Buckey Storks: Welcoming new babies all over Columbus, Ohio!
posted by whitewall at 12:14 PM on November 23, 2016


Apparently there's a whole world of "baby door hangers" that might suit your needs. I saw some animal themed ones there.
posted by cabingirl at 12:25 PM on November 23, 2016


I could always pay a guy to spray paint some plywood

Or you could pay your local signwriter to make you something really nice and special, which will later serve as a cool decoration in your kid's room.
posted by Too-Ticky at 2:11 PM on November 23, 2016 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: I'm more interested in buying than renting, and if prefer a wider selection of animals than just storks. I'm afraid that going custom will be more expensive than my budget allows, so I'm hoping to find an American place with some templates like in the link.
posted by kevinbelt at 5:54 PM on November 23, 2016


A cartoon foal for your Sagittarius baby.
posted by brujita at 6:10 PM on November 23, 2016


In case you'd like an alternative, in Italy they tie a huge rosette on the door, blue for a boy (pink for a girl, obviously). You could buy a couple of yards of gift-pack wrapping tape and run up a rosette in no time.
posted by aqsakal at 2:27 AM on November 24, 2016


You can buy single custom-made yard signs from places like vistaprint. A single 18"x27" sign with stand is only $17.

I went to school for graphic design, though that's not what I do now. I would be happy to make one for you, free of charge, seeing as how I'm stuck in the office today until 4:30 est with very little work to do.
posted by FirstMateKate at 7:29 AM on November 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


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