How to tell your parents you're pregnant when they live far away
Send them a link they have to scratch to read the news, and ask them to open it while you're on FaceTime: you see their faces, nothing gets lost in the mail and nobody finds out from a post. You can make the scratch-off card for free in a few minutes, and they open it in the browser on their phone.
By bemypresent · Updated
The example
You can change all of it before you send it. Free, no sign-up.
How to tell your parents you're pregnant long distance
- Start from the example on this page and change the names. Theirs is what shows up in the link preview, and the news stays hidden.
- Write the line on the envelope. “Call us before you scratch this” does two jobs: it builds the suspense and it makes sure you're there.
- Add a short letter, up to 400 characters, for after the reveal.
- Publish it by confirming your email with a 6-digit code. No password, no app for them.
- Call them, and send the link while they're on the line. They scratch, you watch.
Long distance pregnancy announcement ideas for the hard parts
The questions in the pregnancy forums are rarely about the idea. They're about the logistics: the package that might get lost, the parents and in-laws who see each other every week, the six-hour time difference.
Telling both sets of grandparents at once
If one side finds out first, the other will hear about it. With the Pro plan ($9.99, one payment per gift), the same card goes to up to 30 people and each one gets their own link with their own name. Set up a group FaceTime and send both links at the same moment.
When the time zones don't line up
If they wake up as you go to bed, leave the envelope line doing the work: “Call us before you scratch this.” The card stays covered until they scratch it, so they can wait for you. With Premium ($19.99), you can also keep the link locked until a date you choose.
Instead of a package that might not arrive
Mail that crosses an ocean doesn't always show up on the day you planned. With Pro you get a QR code that opens the card: print it inside a regular letter or have someone local slip it in the mailbox. A letter is cheaper to resend than a box.
A long distance friend, or your sister
The same card works for the people who aren't parents. Change the line to “You're going to be an aunt!” and add a question at the end, like “Will you be there when the baby comes?”, with a Yes and a No.
Ideas for long distance family that don't need a link
Just call them
The most upvoted answer on the BabyBumps thread about this is simply calling and saying it. If your mom is going to cry no matter how she finds out, a phone call is enough.
A local delivery with a note
A florist or a bakery near them can deliver something with a card from “Baby (your last name).” It needs someone at home and a phone call timed to the doorbell, but it doesn't cross a border.
A box from a cousin who lives nearby
If someone you trust lives near your parents, they can drop off a gift and stay to film the reaction. It works best when that person already visits often, so it doesn't look suspicious.
What to write in a long distance pregnancy announcement
We wish we were sitting at your table for this. Since we can't, scratch slowly. We'll be on the phone.
We told my parents this morning and you two are next, because we wanted you to hear it from us and not from a group chat. Baby Miller arrives in May.
Remember when you said you'd only visit Denver if there was a really good reason? I have one. It's due in May.
I've known for three weeks and you're the first person outside of family I'm telling. I hate that we're 2,000 miles apart for this. FaceTime tonight?
Before you send it
On the Free plan the card opens once, within 24 hours of publishing, and whoever opens it can save it to keep. Don't drop the link in a family group chat: only the first person to open it would see it. For one link per person, or a card they can open again whenever they want, it's Pro. If you're telling them at Christmas, there's a Christmas pregnancy announcement page with ideas for the tree and the stocking.
How to make it with bemypresent
Pick how it opens
A birthday, an anniversary, Christmas, a memory album or a box with a surprise inside.
Make it yours
Add the names, your photos and a message. You see it exactly as they will, and it saves as you type.
Publish it
Confirm your email with a code, no passwords. We send you the link and its QR code, and you'll find it in your account on any device.
Share it
By text, on WhatsApp or with the QR code printed inside a card. They open it on their phone, no app needed.
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell my parents I'm pregnant if we live far apart?
Call them and send a scratch-off card while you're on the line, so they find out with you watching. If you can't call at the same time, write “Call us before you scratch this” on the envelope.
Will I know when they open it?
If you send the link yourself, no. You do get their reply: at the end they can leave a reaction and a short message, and it reaches you by email. With Premium you can have it emailed to them, and then we let you know when they open it.
Do they need an app or an account?
No. It opens in the browser on their phone or computer.
Can I send it to my parents and my in-laws separately?
Yes, with Pro ($9.99): up to 30 people, each with their own link and their name in the preview. On Free, it's one person per card.
How much does it cost?
Making it and sending it to one person is free. Pro is $9.99 and Premium is $19.99, one payment per gift, no subscription.
You might also like
- How to tell your parents you're pregnant at Christmas
Ways to tell your parents they'll be grandparents this Christmas, even from far away, and a free digital scratch-off card that opens on their phone.
- A digital pregnancy announcement for the people who should hear it first
Make a free digital pregnancy announcement online: a scratch-off card with their name that hides the news until they open it. For parents or a best friend.
Make it your own
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