Do you know an expectant mother who wants to “go green?” Or maybe you are trying to show your friends the benefits of an eco-friendly lifestyle and yet need to “throw” a baby shower. Use these tips and ideas on everything from invitations to gifts to host a baby shower that is so much better than blue and pink, it is green!
Why host an eco-friendly baby shower?
Having a green baby shower is an excellent way to show your commitment to an eco-friendly lifestyle, encourage other parents to participate in an earth friendly lifestyle as well as encourage an expectant mom with her plans to make environmental choices that are healthier for her baby and for her family too.
Eco-friendly Baby Shower Invitations
Get that party started with environmentally friendly invitations. After all electronic invitations and paper invitations created with environmentally friendly or recycled products can avoid a carbon footprint before our guests step through the door. Evite.com and the ever popular Blue Mountain.com offer you paperless alternatives for your baby shower invitations as well as provide a way of tracking your RSVPs. If you are one of those that prefer the old fashioned “snail mail” cards and invitations you can make your own invitations with recycled materials. Consider homemade postcard invitations which can be made from medium weight cardboard, like the kind found on the back of note pads or inserted into men’s shirts. You can use a variety of scraps from envelopes, magazines, ribbons, scrapbooking embellishments or even foil coffee bags to decorate. Creating your own handmade post card invitations allow you to be cheap, creative and eco-friendly. You don’t even have to make them all the same design, it’s not like everyone is going to be comparing their shower invitations. Another reason to use postcards means saving paper on envelopes and requires less postage too. If you want more traditional invitations that are green consider eco-friendly printed invitations using smaller size paper, printing on your home computer or use recycled paper or soy based inks for printing.
Eco-friendly Baby Shower Decorations
Decorate without disposable. Skip the crepe paper and disposable decorations. Look around your home for board books, empty bottles, and consider using crib sheets for table cloths. Use cloth napkins instead of paper. Even stuffed animals can be used to decorate without waste.
Eco-friendly Baby Shower Foods
Just as you would visit the Farmer’s Market to purchase your organically grown vegetables and certified grain fed beef or free range chicken products your local Farmer’s market can be a source of delicious foods for your baby shower. Substitute eco-friendly food items for your favorite baby shower recipes. To inspire your guests to use locally grown, organic and eco-friendly foods place a note card next to each dish served so they can have the recipe for organic cooking success.
Eco-friendly Baby Shower Gifts
Baby registries make shopping easy for guests, but did you know that many of the items listed on the registry can be made using environmentally friendly alternatives? If you are shopping for sheets or blankets consider organic cotton. Be sure to purchase BPA free baby bottles. Many items listed on a baby registry can be purchased as an eco-friendly alternative from diapers to cribs and every item in between.
If your expectant mother agrees, encourage guests to bring gently used baby toys, baby books, baby clothing, or other baby items as gifts. You are doing good for the environment and the mother to be gets a gift that she can really use.
Encourage guest to skip the wrapping paper and new gift bags. Consider wrapping gifts in a baby blanket or even wrapping a baby toy or bottle in a baby bib. To encourage this habit, offer a prize for the most creative green gift wrapping.
Use one or all of these tips for having a more environmentally friendly baby shower, after all every little bit helps. Not only can you feel good about the baby shower but expectant moms can feel good about the journey they are getting ready to take towards being a more environmentally conscious parent.
Sources:
Personal Experience
Amazon.com for eco-friendly gift ideas
ToysRUs.com for eco-friendly crib sheets
