What to Write in a Maternity Leave Card

Maternity leave is precious for a mother as it gives them sufficient time to care for and bond with their child. It’s common practice for staff to give maternity leave cards or/and gifts to a colleague setting out on maternity leave.

A thoughtful card can be a gratifying way of congratulating a mother on her new baby and wishing her well ahead of maternity leave.

Whether you are writing a maternity leave card for a colleague, your employee (if you’re a manager), and whether you’re thinking of including a serious or humorous message, the Thankbox team has compiled some lists of useful messages to include. Let’s begin!

What to emphasise in a maternity leave card

Before considering the best messages to include in a maternity leave card, there are some broad themes to focus on emphasising.

Here are some of the key points to communicate in a maternity leave card:

Feature maternity leave congratulations, referencing the new addition to their family.
Include positive maternity leave wishes and, ideally a message that is personal.
Express how you’ll miss them while they’re gone before mentioning how you wish them well or another similar positive note.

PROMO

Maternity leave card for a Colleague

More than likely you’re writing a maternity card for a fellow colleague. We’ve compiled some ideas for both serious and funny/light-hearted messages you may want to include.

General ideas for writing a maternity leave card:

Congratulations on your new arrival. Wishing you all the joy in the world for your maternity leave.
There’s no bigger joy than having a child. I wish you only happiness as you raise your new family!
Being a parent is a true joy! I wish you all the best as you begin your journey!
I’ll miss your positivity and upbeat mentality in the office while you’re away! Wishing you nothing but joy for your maternity leave.
Wishing you the very best for a happy maternity leave.
Congratulations to you and your family!
Please let me know if there’s any way I can support you as you start your maternity leave.
Congratulations, and wishing you only joy!

Funny maternity leave card messages you may want to include:

Congratulations on your new family! Would you like us to sort out some extra leave to catch up on sleep?
Have a wonderful time with your new baby! Enjoy it to the fullest, as they don’t remain cute forever. Soon it’s the terrible twos, but for now it’s the wonderful ones, yay!
You do realise why they call it maternity leave and not a maternity holiday?
I do know you’re a fan of a structured work routine. Unfortunately, you won’t get much of that for the next several months.
I know (boss’ name) can be tough but trust me, babies are the most ruthless of bosses!

*Of course, you should judge whether to include humor (and if so, what humor) based on your personal relationship with your work colleague and whether you feel they would appreciate a little joke in their card.

"A fantastic concept in this virtual world we now inhabit to replace the workplace physical card signing and envelope collection for a colleague’s new job, new baby, wedding, etc. So easy to set up and send the link to everyone, particularly with contributors spread over several teams!"
A Thankbox customer testimonial

Maternity leave card from a manager

When putting together a maternity leave card for an employee as a manager, you should word things a bit differently. Generally, the message(s) included should be a tad more formal.

Here are some ideas for a maternity leave card from a manager:

I’m so happy for you right now. Have a wonderful maternity leave!
Each employee is like family here. And it’s great to hear that a new member is joining your family. Take good care of yourself and enjoy this special time.
The office will miss your service while you are away, but it’s all for the incredibly important reason of raising a cute angel. Have a wonderful maternity leave with your new baby.
You are an incredibly hard worker, and I just know that you’ll do a fantastic job as a mother, too.
I’m delighted for you as you undertake maternity leave. I’m so proud of you and wishing you and your family all the best during this special time.

Finding the perfect card

Many stores sell a range of maternity leave cards. In addition, you’ll find plenty of options online. You may even want to personalise the design of your maternity leave card, whether this is for a physical copy that can be sent to you by post or in the form of a customised digital card. A digital maternity leave card is a more engaging modern alternative to paper cards. With a digital Thankbox, you create a group-based maternity leave card with the choice of adding photos, GIFs, videos, and a cash collection pot for a gift too.

Some of the benefits of a digital card include:

Easy to design and edit.
You can add media.
Cost-effective
Can be interactive.
Better for the environment.
Many people would rather have a digital card these days as it’s less hassle than having many physical cards.
While people don’t generally hang on to every physical card they receive, a digital format card is arguably more likely to last a lifetime.

A sample Thankbox new baby digital card full of messages, GIFs, photos and video.

How to put together a maternity leave card

Today we’ve looked at some useful messages to include in a maternity leave card. However, the structure of the card is arguably just as important.

Here’s how to structure a maternity leave card:

Address the individual.
Include one or several thoughtful best wishes for maternity leave messages. Use our ideas as a guide for inspiration. Ultimately, it’s best to speak from the heart and let it flow naturally.
If deemed appropriate, include a little bit of humor.
Restate your well-wishes.
Sign off (e.g., with Kind Regards or Best Wishes).

Some extra tips worth taking on board:

Be concise. Avoid being too wordy or writing in an unnatural way.
Consider writing a first draft. You might want to do a first draft of your card and come back to it later. You could do a draft in a Word document. Although, as mentioned, there's no need with a digital Thankbox. Everyone can easily edit and change their message right up to the time of sending.

What else we offer at Thankbox

A thoughtful maternity leave card can be well-received as a mother sets out to dedicate time to her new born child.

Beyond creating a card to wish someone well on their maternity leave, you can use a Thankbox on an ongoing basis to send engaging digital cards for a whole host of occasions.