Tell Your Grandparents You're Pregnant

Having a baby is a big deal, and it’s something that the whole family can discuss and enjoy. At some point, it will be time to break the news to your grandparents. Since you’ll have plenty of time to plan, focus on setting the right mood for a good conversation, and telling them that you are pregnant. If you rarely see them or they live far away, you can still make a point to involve them in your big news.

Steps

Making an Event of the Announcement

1. Meet for dinner. Telling close relatives in person that you are pregnant can be really exciting. Take your grandparents out for a meal at their favorite restaurant. They will appreciate the thoughtfulness and enjoy getting to celebrate your big news together.
2. Throw a party. Invite your grandparents over for a party at your home and make your announcement to them while all of your family is together. With an advanced ultrasound or gender blood test, you could also reveal the baby’s gender.
   • Decorate with baby-related decorations. This can help set the tone for the conversation. It makes breaking the news to your grandparents particularly easy if you’re nervous or don’t know what to say. This way, your grandparents are likely to just ask you about it.
   • For example, you could have a diaper cake, bottles, pacifiers, baby clothes, etc. out where people can see them.
3. Wait for a holiday. Family holidays can be a great time to announce your pregnancy. If your announcement will happen near a big holiday anyway, hold off until you meet up with your grandparents for the holiday. Announce your pregnancy to them at dinner, or in private during the visit.

Breaking the News

1. Come out and say it. Telling anyone, even your grandparents, that you are pregnant does not have to be an elaborate event. You can just come right out and tell them the next time you call or visit their home. They will be surprised to hear the news any way that you break it.
   • For example, you could simply say “I have some big news. I am pregnant.”
2. Surprise them with a message. There are several ways to deliver the message to your grandparents. If you meet them for dinner, or have a family gathering, you can choose any vessel you’d like to deliver the message. Some common examples are:
   • Put the message into a fortune cookie.
   • Write it on the label of a wine bottle.
   • Make a greeting card (e.g. Christmas card) for them.
3. Put a clever spin on the announcement. Aside from a straightforward announcement, you can always create a clever message or puzzle to surprise your grandparents. This could be a riddle on a greeting card, a suggestive message, or picture. You could also show them an ultrasound picture or baby clothes that say something like “World’s Cutest Baby.”
   • One example of a clever riddle is to put a hamburger bun in the oven and find a reason to show them your oven. This plays off of the common phrase that pregnant women have a “bun in the oven.”
4. Start referring to them as “great grandparents.” If you refer to your grandparents as great grandparents, they are going to surprised. This is a subtle way to get their attention and let them come to the conclusion that you are going to have a little one. Just be prepared for a lot of questions after you say it!
   • For example, you could say something like “So, how have the world’s best great grandparents been lately?”
5. Decorate a coffee cup. If your grandparents enjoy coffee, this could be a perfect announcement gift. This allows them to take home a souvenir and look back on the day of your announcement. You can have cups printed with pictures or words like “Great Grandparents.”.
6. Decorate a picture frame. Just like decorating a coffee cup, giving them a picture frame allows them to display the announcement. To top it off, put a picture of the ultrasound in the frame. This will be their first look at their great grandchild.
7. Have “Great Grandparents” T-shirts made. Printed T-shirts are a fun way to tell your grandparents that they are going to be great grandparents. You can go as simple as having “Great Grandparents” printed on the shirt, or you can have pictures designed for the shirt as well. Your grandparents will appreciate the thought that went into this announcement.

Communicating from a Distance

1. Utilize social media. Revealing a pregnancy with a clever photo or social media post will get everyone’s attention. Though your grandparents may not be avid social media users, many people in the older generations do use it to keep tabs on friends and family. If you are worried that they may not catch it on their news feed, you can send the picture to them in a private message.
   • Another way to use social media would be to send your grandparents an ultrasound picture.
2. Send a greeting card. Greeting cards are a great way to share your big news. When your grandparents get it in the mail, they will almost certainly call you. This can be a big surprise around the holidays when they are used to getting cards anyway.
3. Make a phone call. One of the easiest ways to tell your grandparents that you’re expecting a little one is to call them. Try to catch them in the evening or another time that they aren’t likely to be busy. Set aside time to talk to them about the news, they may have questions or congratulations to offer.
   • For example, you could say something like, “I wanted be the one to call and tell you, you are going to be great grandparents.”

Sources and Citations

See also

• Exercise Safely During Pregnancy
• Tell the Position of a Baby in the Uterus
• Manage Pregnancy Food Aversions
• Plan a Postpartum Beauty Routine
• Find Out Your Baby's Sex
• Tell Coworkers You're Pregnant
• Determine How Many Weeks Pregnant You Are
• Treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder During Pregnancy
• Make Your Water Break
• Emotionally Prepare for Pregnancy

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