Have you ever wondered whether it is possible to save the earth by organizing baby showers? Yes, if you organize an eco friendly baby shower.
It is possible to have a splashing good time to celebrate the impending arrival of your little one with your friends and family and still be a good citizen of our planet.
All you have to do is make some simple adjustments to your planning process, be clear to communicate your intentions with your guests and you are good to go.
If you are contemplating whether it is worthwhile to organize a sustainable baby shower, just imagine the message you are sending out to your family, friends and of course that precious child that you will welcome into this world.
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How Do You Throw An Eco-Friendly Baby Shower?
An eco-friendly baby shower means that you are organizing an environmentally sustainable baby shower, that produces little to zero waste and does not harm the ecosystem.
Now if you were to imagine a traditional baby shower, it has many components that make it unsustainable for the environment, such as:
- Single-use decorations
- Paper invitation cards
- Plastic disposable cutleries
- Exotic food ordered in from far and not in season.
Additionally, the gifts that are presented may not be eco-friendly such as:
- Disposable diapers that end up in landfills
- Fast fashion baby clothes made unsustainably and
- Shower creams that contain harmful chemicals.
An eco-friendly baby shower goes against all these principles.
As you read on, you will receive an in-depth guide on how to organize an environmentally friendly baby shower with a list of what is needed as well as a comprehensive list of all the best gifts to give the expectant mummy and her precious baby.
What Steps Should You Take To Organize An Eco-Friendly Baby Shower?
1. Prepare Your Guest List
Think of who you would like around during this special occasion. If possible, to reduce the carbon footprint of travelling far, invite family and friends who live nearby. It always helps to be organised and have a guest list and a guest book ready for each guest to sign and leave a memorable note which can one day be shared with your little one.
2. Set A Date
Pick a date that is not too sudden and has ample notice for your family and friends. This will give them sufficient time to plan their gifts for you and make sustainable purchases or reuse/repurpose old items they have.
Picking an advance date also allows you to make the necessary sustainable preparations without having to resort to cheap, environmentally-unfriendly choices.
3. Create A Budget
An eco-friendly baby shower is not meant to break the bank.
Think of ways you can save money by reusing old decorative items or recycling previous gifts or materials.
Avoid buying new utensils, look at the things you have in your stock and bring it out to be admired by everyone.
Additionally, if you need any extra utensils, do not hesitate to ask your family or friends. Most people have pretty utensils that are heavily underutilized and begging to be seen.
Avoid putting aside money for exotic foods that are not in season or made out of state. This will reduce your costs. It is important to set a budget in advance to be able to plan ahead and allocate funds where they are needed.
4. Brainstorm A Theme
Imagine a theme that goes in line with a sustainable message, such as green coloured forests or safari to highlight endangered animals.
You can even consider animated shows such as Captain Planet and The Planeteers or The Lorax which highlights the negative impact of environmental pollution and unsustainable farming.
Do remember though, whichever theme you decide, you want to practise sustainable habits and not have your guests go out of the way to purchase clothes or gifts to fit the theme.
5. Pick A Venue
When thinking of a venue, think of one that is not far from your house, or better yet, just organize a simple shower in your house.
The benefit of organizing a party in your own house is so you need not hire any specific cleaners or other logistics staff which adds unnecessary carbon footprint to your event.
It also saves you unnecessary travelling to the venue multiple times before your baby shower to study the area, bring supplies and plan your shower.
6. Invitation
Avoid paper invites and go digital with your eco-friendly baby shower invitations. More and more youngsters are adopting e-invite methods.
You may create beautiful e-invitations from any of the following websites:
You may even add a personal touch to these invitations by putting pictures of yourself with each guest that you are inviting.
That is something that costs absolutely zero dollars and no photo printing is involved.
The benefit? You will make your guest feel ultra special and you can build a closer bond with him/her.
If you still have a desire to send out actual invitations, then you can consider these eco-friendly, biodegradable baby shower invitation cards:
- JOHOUSE Dried Flowers Greeting Cards x 50 pcs. Made with non-toxic and eco-friendly materials
- Programme and Games for the day
7. Games
Think of eco-friendly baby shower games that do not utilize any disposable materials if possible.
Some ideas to consider are:
- Plant some flowers
You may give your guests wildflower seed paper in the shape of biodegradable shaped hearts.
You may all plant this seed paper during the shower outside your house and it will serve as a beautiful lasting memory for your child that flowers were planted to welcome his/ her arrival. Another version of these are seed balls which allow you to plant native wildflowers, just toss on soil and the rain will do the rest!
An activity like this is certainly the epitome of an eco-friendly baby shower game.
- Have an advice sharing game where you can create questions starting with, “what should you do if ……”.
The goal of the game is to get your guests to share valuable advice that won’t just benefit the mom-to-be but all the other guests in attendance, some of whom may have or are planning to have children.
Examples of questions to ask are, “what should you do if…:
- Your water breaks while you are in the car
- You want a massage and your husband/partner is tired
- You fall down
- You accidentally eat food that you are allergic to
- Drink alcohol by accident
- Sleep on your back
- Want to exercise
- You want to groom yourself
- You have trouble sleeping
- You suffer cramps in your leg at night
- Have nightmares about childbirth
- Cannot stop crying
- Are stuck in unpleasant conversations about your pregnancy, birth or raising your child
These are just some examples of questions which are deep issues and heartfelt.
These are areas of potential concern for any mom-to-be or new-mom, who may feel alone during these situations.
- Guess Who The Baby Is
Invite your guests to send you or the party organizer baby photos of themselves via email or social media before your eco-friendly baby shower.
During your baby shower, display the photos one by one on your television or laptop and have your guests guess who the baby is.
This is a game that will certainly lead to some nice hearty laughs and has zero waste bas a bonus!
8. Food And Beverage
Did you know that the average American meal travels about 1500 miles from Farm to Plate?
This makes standard meals highly unsustainable due to the large carbon footprint associated with it.
Plan a menu which is 100% organic, seasonal and locally sourced. Even more important, go vegan and avoid meat, dairy and cheese products.
If you are puzzled about vegan recipes, you can try some of the recipes here. There are 117 delicious vegetarian recipes for your dining pleasure.
With these recipes, you can create memorable eco-friendly baby shower meals.
9. Communicate With Your Guests
It is important to highlight your requests/intentions clearly regarding the eco-friendly nature of your baby shower.
You should not have to worry about offending your guests as you intend to create zero waste and be sustainable. Think of it as an honourable way of educating your loved ones.
You may highlight the following points to your guests:
- Avoid gift wrappers, either bring gifts in reusable bags or storage boxes which can be used in the future to store toys or other necessities.
- If they wish to give gifts, kindly purchase eco-friendly and sustainable baby shower gifts (specific options will be shared below)
- Avoid bringing food that does not follow your meal plan
- Avoid purchasing new clothes or dressing up excessively for the theme. Encourage them to use recyclable or old materials instead.
- Ask them to carpool where possible.
10. Decorations
Did you know that one of the biggest sources of party waste comes from decorations? It is such a pity that these items are treated as single-use, not recycled or repurposed.
Fortunately, you can host a beautiful eco-friendly baby shower using eco-friendly baby shower decorations.
From reusable, eco-friendly balloons, to recyclable backdrops, there are eco-friendly and sustainable options to create a beautiful eco-friendly baby shower. You can forego the plastic table covers with washable cloth covers. All of these will lead to zero waste.
All the various eco-friendly baby shower decoration items and where you may purchase them will be shared below.
Comprehensive List Of The Best Eco-Friendly Baby Shower Items
Now that you understand the purpose and benefits of organizing a sustainable baby shower, you will be provided with a comprehensive list of the best eco-friendly baby shower items that you can purchase.
1. Organic Baby Monthly Growth Blanket
2. Eco Friendly Palm Leaf Plates with Forks
3. Natural All Purpose Cleaner for After Party Clean-Up
4. Tree Free Bamboo Dinner Napkins
This is a functional dinner napkin that was made using sustainable bamboo materials, is a napkin that is strong, durable and absorbent enough to handle any spills.
Bamboo requires 30% less water than trees and grows significantly faster within 1-2 years compared to the 30 years needed for a tree to grow!
5. LED Light Up Reusable Balloons
These LED Light Up Reusable Balloons are equipped with holder sticks and 9.84ft of LED light strings. It is made of high-quality natural latex that is non-toxic, transparent and durable.
Please take note that you cannot blow these eco-friendly balloons by mouth and you must use a balloon pump.
6. Eco-Friendly Cotton Drawstring Bags for Favour Gifts
These eco-friendly cotton drawstring bags are an excellent eco-friendly accessory. It can be reused to carry your smaller items.
It is made of high-quality natural cotton and it is durable without any unpleasant smell.
You can put any small gift inside this as part of your eco-friendly baby shower favour gifts such as dried fruits or nuts, jewellery, herbs or spices.
Another versatile use for these eco-friendly cotton drawstring bags is to put your tea leaves inside this and then brew your tea with it.
7. Reusable Gift Bags
Another option for your eco-friendly baby shower favour gifts is this reusable gift bag. It is an eco-friendly accessory and can be reused as grocery bags or to store toys.
You may also opt to not put anything inside it when you gift it, as it will go in line with your theme to practise eco-friendly habits.
This reusable gift bag comes in a set of 12 bags with 6 bright neon colours. What is even better about this deal is that you can choose between 3 different sizes ( 6 x 6 inches, 8 x 8 inches or 10 x 10 inches) for your bags to serve different purposes.
8. Indoor Plants
These real-life potted indoor plants come in various colours which are fully rooted in soil.
How often can you say that a decorative item in your event created oxygen? Nothing shouts eco-friendly louder than plants – creator of oxygen.
After using these plants as decorative pieces during your eco-friendly baby shower, you may enjoy it as it is or replant it in a bigger pot of your choice and let it grow.
Alternatively, you can also give these away as favour gifts.
9. Eco-Friendly Baby Shower Guest Book
No baby shower is complete without a guest book. This eco-friendly baby shower guest book is made with natural materials and no harmful finishes.
The design is gender neutral and tastefully designed.
Alternative Baby Shower Guest Book: Moon Guest Book with Wood Star Cutouts
10. Eco-Friendly Baby Shower Backdrop
This eco-friendly baby shower backdrop is biodegradable and made with acid-free and lignin-free cardstock.
These are available in 3 different colours; dark pink, soft pink and purple.
However, if you prefer a different colour, you just have to select the ‘Custom Banner Listing’ after you select the item and request for a customized colour of your choice.
11. Eco-Friendly Baby Shower Photo Props
These eco-friendly baby shower photo props will be the perfect addition to your eco-friendly baby shower.
It is made with natural ingredients and has no harmful finishes. It comes in a pack of 10 different and adorable props such as a pacifier, milk bottle, mummy-to-be sign and more.
You can have an eco-friendly, DIY photo booth using the backdrop shared above where you take photos with your cameras and keep digital copies of these pictures.
Provided above are some of the eco-friendly baby shower decoration items you can potentially buy to organize a beautiful eco-friendly baby shower.
Even though there are items shared above which you can buy, you are advised to look at the items you already have in your home.
Is there anything that can be reused or repurposed as an eco-friendly baby shower decoration or accessory?
Look at old wrapping paper, flip charts, cardboards, glass jars and bags. Imagine how you can reuse them such as decorating it to become a DIY backdrop, store gifts, provide favour gifts or keep food.
The possibilities are endless and this is what makes organizing an eco-friendly baby shower so enlightening.
Comprehensive List Of The Best Eco-Friendly Baby Shower Gifts
1. Cute Bear Organic Newborn Swaddle Wrap
The softest baby swaddle made from sustainable fabrics, 100% Organic Cotton lining with soft Sherpa outer made from recycled polyester.
This cute bear swaddle blanket is breathable and soft keeping your baby comfortable.
The soft materials are gentle on your baby’s skin making it the perfect travel companion for your baby for a walk in the stroller, a trip to the park and even on a flight.
2. Eco-Friendly Kinderfeets Pram Walker And Toy Stroller
This eco-friendly Kinderfeets Pram Walker and Toy Stroller is a 2-in-1 walker and stroller. It is handmade from replenishable birch wood and finished with two non-toxic colour options.
This can firstly be used as a walking aid for babies who are learning to stand and walk.
Once they are comfortable taking steps by themselves, the safety pegs can be removed and they may start pushing this as a stroller that holds their toys and/or dolls.
3. Eco-Friendly Baby Goat Hair Brush And Comb Set
This eco-friendly baby Goat Hair Brush and Comb Set is made with soft goat hair and no synthetic materials.
It is hypoallergenic and BPA free. BPA (bisphenol-A) is a harmful industrial chemical used in many consumer and storage products that can seep into our food and beverages.
The soft bristles on this brush and comb set will be so soothing for your baby’s scalp and can double up as an indulging spa treatment for your little one.
4. Reusable And Washable Baby Wipes
These eco-friendly reusable and washable baby wipes are made from unbleached GOTS certified organic cotton.
It is perfect for cleaning and wiping your baby’s soft skin with fragrance-free, chlorine-free, and chemical-free super-soft wipes.
These wipes come in a set of 12, sturdy and generously-sized to help you clean your baby without getting your hands messy.
Once used these wipes can simply be washed with your baby’s soiled diapers if you use reusable diapers like these ones with specially formulated laundry detergent.
5. Organic Cotton Soft Toy
This organic cotton soft toy is made with 100% organic cotton. It is OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certified which means you can be certain that it contains no harmful substances.
It contains eco-friendly dyes with a super-soft and snuggly texture. This will make it comfortable for your baby to play with and spark sensory stimulation.
6. Eco-Friendly Diapers
These eco-friendly diapers are made using Plant-Based Materials made with sustainably harvested, and chlorine-free fluff pulp. It is hypoallergenic with no perfumes, dyes or lotion.
The best part about these diapers are Quick Absorb Channels that keep leaks under wraps providing hours of dryness which means that your precious baby will have a much lower chance of developing nappy rashes with these diapers.
7. Eco-Friendly Early Childhood Development Toy
This wooden stacking toy and shape-sorting board is non-toxic and child-safe. It will help educate and entertain your child.
It will also help to develop your toddler’s fine motor skills, improve cognitive thinking, learn shapes, and build colour recognition.
8. Muslin Swaddle Blanket – Organic Cotton
This Muslin Swaddle Blanket is eco-friendly as it was made without pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. It is stamped with toxin-free and acid-free ink and is 70% bamboo and 30% cotton.
As swaddles are used to wrap around your baby to help them sleep comfortably, as bamboo is 3 times softer than cotton.
You can rest knowing that no harmful chemicals or toxins will be released into your baby’s body from this swaddle.
A bonus from this swaddle is that it becomes softer after every wash and is designed to mimic the womb. That means it envelopes babies in a gentle and warm environment, similar to that of a mother’s womb.
9. Eco-Friendly And Organic Live Clean Baby Tearless Shampoo & Wash
This Tearless Shampoo & Wash is 97% derived from plant materials. It is free of Parabens and SLS which makes it much safer than most skincare products.
Parabens are a harmful chemical used in most beauty and hygiene products that increases its shelf life. Long-term exposure to it affects your hormonal balance.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is also found in most skincare and hygiene products. However, it has been found to cause skin irritation, especially for those with more sensitive skin.
10. The Honest Company Truly Lavender Conditioner
This eco-friendly conditioner that is gentle for babies comes in four different flavours. It was made responsibly without animal testing.
It is perfect for all skin types and made without any synthetic materials, artificial dyes and parabens.
It contains Aloe, Chamomile, Jojoba Extract and Citrus which will leave your baby’s hair feeling soft and silky.
As you read this article, you have understood the purpose and benefits of organizing eco-friendly baby showers, list of best eco-friendly baby shower gifts and items to have.
It is possible to have a sustainably good time during your baby showers.
It is just a matter of making a few simple adjustments, removing all the plastic components and other harmful materials and communicating it with your guests.
You will find that you are not just organizing an event that does not harm the environment, but you have taught your guests about the importance of such a practice.
Hopefully, they will continue and slowly influence more people within their network.
Just like a seed that grows into a tree, the benefits of your eco-friendly baby shower will be felt far and near.
