Wording guide

Diaper raffle wording

It is a small card with one job: explain a game in three lines without making anybody feel billed for entry.

A soft table detail in muted sage and cream with eucalyptus

A diaper raffle is simple. A guest brings a pack of nappies, that gets them a ticket, and one ticket wins something at the shower. The card has to convey all of that in about twenty-five words, because it is a small enclosure sitting behind the invitation, and anything longer will not be read.

The tone problem is real though. Written badly, the card reads as a condition of entry, and a guest who has already bought a gift from the registry now feels they have to buy something else. The wording that works makes it clearly optional and clearly a game. "Bring a pack if you like" does more work than any clever rhyme.

The practical detail people leave off is the size. Newborn nappies are the size everybody buys and the size that gets outgrown in three weeks, so a card that nudges guests toward larger sizes is genuinely useful to the parents. One line does it, and it is the line most raffle cards are missing.

The wording, written out

Straightforward

Diaper raffle Bring a pack of nappies to the shower and you will be entered to win a prize One pack, one ticket Sizes 2 and up are the most useful

Plain, complete, and it slips the size hint in without lecturing anyone. This is the version that gets used most.

Light rhyme

Bring a pack of nappies, any size will do, and a raffle ticket comes right back to you. One pack, one entry — the prize goes home tonight.

If the rest of the shower is playful, a rhyme fits. Keep it to three lines. Long rhyming cards are the ones that end up in the recycling unread.

Optional, said clearly

A diaper raffle, if you fancy it Bring a pack of any size and we will pop your name in the draw Absolutely no obligation — the registry is plenty

The third line is why this version exists. If your guest list includes people for whom an extra purchase is a real cost, use this one.

Wipes or books instead

Bring a pack of wipes for a raffle ticket Bring a book for the nursery instead of a card, and we will enter you in the draw

Wipes never get outgrown, and the book version doubles as a way to build a library. Both work exactly the same way as nappies.

What goes wrong

The mistakes worth avoiding

Wording it so it sounds required, which turns a game into an entry fee.
Not saying what the prize is, or at least that there is one.
Asking only for newborn size, which the baby will be out of almost immediately.
Printing it on a card the same size as the invitation, so guests read it as part of the invitation itself.
Forgetting to say the draw happens at the shower, so guests who leave early assume they missed it.

Questions people ask

What size should the insert card be?

Noticeably smaller than the invitation, so it reads as an extra. Around 3.5 by 2 inches, the size of a business card, is the usual and it is enough for four lines.

Does every guest need one?

Yes, one per invitation. A guest who does not get the card and hears about the raffle at the shower is the person who feels left out.

What makes a good prize?

Something small and adult. A bottle of wine, a candle, a gift card to a local coffee shop. The prize is a wink, not the point of the game.

Can this go on a digital invitation?

Yes, as a separate image or a second page rather than more text on the invitation itself. The separation is what keeps it feeling optional.

Want the wording set properly?

Wording is included in anything designed here. Tell me who is hosting and anything delicate about it, and I will set it and show you two versions to choose between. $45 for a First Look concept, back in three days, and it comes off whatever you book.

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