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Giving Green and Responsibly at a Baby Shower
Janelle Sorensen
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
No matter if the theme for the baby shower is green or not, the best gifts for baby are non-toxic and environmentally-friendly. Welcome a new baby into this world, while doing your best to make that world a healthy, clean place for the baby to grow up in.
Follow these simple steps to be a gracious green guest:
The Good Gift
If your guest of honor is hoping for green gifts, she likely isn’t on a major retailer’s registry. Use the following websites to find the perfect gift.
Great Green Baby is a shopping blog devoted to the green, eco-friendly, baby consumer.
Our Green House offers a wide range of all organic and natural baby products and gifts. There is a gift registry, so find out if the mom-to-be has one.
Better for Babies is another virtual store offering a wide range of organic baby care products. They have a gift registry as well.
For a large list of links to other vendors, visit the EcoMall.
Don’t forget the gift that keeps on giving, parenting books. Our favorites:
- Healthy Child, Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home – Christopher Gavigan
- Raising Baby Green: The Earth Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care – Alan Greene
- Green Babies, Sage Moms: The Ultimate Guide to Raising Your Organic Baby – Lynda Fassa
Wrap it right
Wrap your gift in something reusable. Gift bags are a step in the right direction, but you can go even further by using a baby blanket, a bath towel, a pillow case, a basket or a reusable shopping bag. Use the time honored tradition of furoshiki to tie a beautiful scarf around your gift. Watch a quick video about how versatile and elegant a simple piece of cloth can be.
If you just can’t kick the paper habit, make it recycled paper, hemp-blend wraps or even seed-in-paper that’s planted instead of tossed and blooms flowers as a beautiful reminder of your thoughtfulness.
For more ideas go to "Top 10 Green Gift Wrap Ideas".
Creative Cards
Baby shower cards often end up lining the insides of a baby book, but what about using something a little more creative and enduring for your greeting. Write a message inside your favorite children’s story book (no need to buy it new, conserve natural resources by checking out your local thrift stores or even buying used on Amazon.com).
Make your own using a square cut from a brown paper bag, an old baby picture of yourself, or your own child’s artwork.
Don’t know what to write? A personal memory is sweet and meaningful, but if you aren’t comfortable with your writing skills, you can look for a pertinent quote or poem on the internet (just google something like “baby poem” or “parenting quotes”).
Green Cuisine
Some showers are “potluck” style and everyone is asked to bring a dish to pass. Make your nosh as nutritious and safe as possible by using organically grown ingredients. If organics aren’t an option for you, check out “Fresh Choices: Easy Recipes for Pure Food When You Can’t Buy 100% Organic”. Find additional recipe ideas at OrganicAuthority.com.
Miscellaneous Minutiae
Forgo fragrances for the day (synthetic perfumes often contain a cocktail of chemicals that can impact baby’s health).
Carpool if you can (to reduce greenhouse gas emissions).
Just do what you can and what you’re comfortable with. This day isn’t about how green you can be, it’s about welcoming a new baby into this world. Have fun!
image courtesy of SCV Imagery / CC BY-SA 2.0
Posted by Jennifer Rave on 06/24/2009 at 09:26 AM
Also, remember, that parents who are conscious enough to have a “green baby shower” are also very conscious about there parenting as well, and may choose cloth diapers over plastic, glass bottles over plastic, and desire organic skin care products versus generic toxic store brand skincare products. To ensure that your gift is well received, consult the Mother-to- be about the type of environment they are creating for their new life. And ask about diapering, botttling, and skin care. Honestly, the prices are similar, and sometimes down right cheaper for the “green/organic” alternative.
Posted by BABY REGISTRY on 06/17/2009 at 11:44 AM
I agree with you. All gifts for babies during baby registry are those organic ones. There are feeding bottles which are toxic plastics. We should avoid them and we should be wise and more knowledgeable in choosing products for our babies. Much better if we consult the professionals.
Posted by Baby Gear on 04/29/2009 at 05:26 AM
Hi I really thankful to you because you are simply great.Encourage the guests you invite to use reusable packaging, such as gift bags (remind them not to write on the bag itself but to put their names on the removable card) or cloth wrapping. Give a door prize for most creative eco-friendly packaging. Craftsy moms could even wrap the gift inside itself, for example a baby blanket could be folded attractively to hold an outfit. Look in books on Japanese wrapping for inspiration.Nice blog.
Tom
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Posted by Suzanne on 11/13/2010 at 03:14 PM
These are great tips for anyone in the market for a baby gift!