For a new arrival
“Welcome to the world, little one. May your days be full of wonder and your nights full of gentle dreams. With love, Grandma.”
For a first birthday
“One wonderful year of you. Here’s to little discoveries, big smiles and many more stories together. Love always, Auntie.”
For bedtime
“For all our one-more-story moments. Wherever your dreams take you, you are loved. Mum and Dad.”
Before submitting
These are optional examples, not text automatically added to an order. Check names, punctuation and the Etsy personalisation instructions. Goodnight, [Name] accepts up to 250 dedication characters.
Keep the message in your own voice
A dedication does not need to sound like a greeting card. Start with how you normally speak to the family: a warm welcome, a little birthday wish or a reminder that you enjoy reading together. One or two sentences often give enough space for the occasion, a personal thought and the giver’s name. If you would not say a phrase aloud, simplify it. The examples here are original starting points you can adapt. They are not automatically applied to a book, and you should follow the personalisation field on the exact listing you buy.
Examples for different family moments
For Christmas: “For our Christmas Eve stories, this year and every year. With love, Grandma and Grandad.” For a new sibling: “A new chapter for our family, and a special place just for you. With all our love.” For a gift from a family friend: “For little adventures and one-more-story evenings. With love from Sam.” For a grandmother: “For all the stories we share and the cuddles between pages. Love, Ava.” Change names and relationships to fit the real giver. You can keep a dedication timeless by leaving out the year, or include a milestone date if that is part of what you want the family to remember.
Fit the actual character limit
Limits vary between titles. Goodnight, [Name] accepts a dedication of up to 250 characters, while other books may offer a different allowance. Spaces and punctuation take room too, so paste your finished message into the listing’s field and check its instructions. If the wording is too long, remove repeated ideas rather than abbreviating a name. A shorter version of a birthday message could be: “One wonderful year of you. Here’s to many more stories together. Love, Auntie.” Where DEFAULT is offered, that requests the listing’s standard dedication; it does not mean the shop chooses a custom message for your family.
Proofread as though it were already printed
Read the message once for meaning and once for spelling. Check the recipient’s name, the giver’s name, any date and the punctuation around a sign-off. Ask another adult to read it if you are ordering a gift with a name you do not write often. Avoid including information you would not want preserved in a printed keepsake. The Etsy order is where you submit the final text; this guide does not collect it. If you notice an error after paying, message the shop promptly through that order. A correction may be possible before production starts, but cannot be promised once the book is being made.