Baby/Kid Gear
Baby Showers 101: Hosting a Green Baby Shower

Baby Showers 101: Hosting a Green Baby Shower

March 26, 2008

By Healthy Child Staff

A baby shower is a celebration of life and it should be as clean, safe, and healthy as possible. Make your theme green and natural to help create a healthy world for healthy babies.

Invitations

Send out e-vites (www.evite.com) to all of your guests. Using email invitations is a great way to quickly get the word out and track RSVPs and it’s also better for the environment (no paper, no waste, no fuel emissions from sending invites out, etc). Evite has dozens of baby shower invitations to choose from, or you can design your own. Make sure to enter the URL for “Giving Green and Responsibly at a Baby Shower” into the message of the evite, so guests who are unfamiliar with the issue can learn what it is and what that means for them. Also be sure to enter the URLs for any stores mom-to-be has registered at.

Gifts

Make it easy for your guests to find the perfect green gift by having the mom-to-be register at on-line stores such as Our Green House or Better for Babies. You can also use MyRegistry.com, which creates registries for multiple stores in one location. Not all the products currently available are green, so enter “organic” in the search box and click on the “baby and kids” link in the left sidebar.

Games

Some hostesses like to organize games and activities during the shower. If you are planning something make sure your guest of honor is comfortable with the idea (guests may get a good chuckle out of games like “Guess Her Girth,” but it can really be humiliating for mom). Also, choose something that creates little or no waste and provide green prizes like natural personal care products or soy candles. Here are some activities that could work with small or large groups:

  • Guess Who - Instruct guests to bring a baby photo of themselves to the shower. Place all photos on a bulletin board or use magnets and put them on the fridge, and have guests try to match each baby photo to the guest they belong to. The winner is the person with most correct guesses.
  • I Remember - Have guests share special memories from their childhood, or of their own children. These may be written and kept, or shared out loud.
  • Onesie Painting - Supply organic baby t-shirts or onesies (plain white works best) and non-toxic paints or natural dyes for your guests. Have them decorate a shirt any way they want as a keepsake for baby to wear.
  • Write a Letter to Baby - Have guests write a letter to the baby and save them in a scrapbook or decorative box for baby to read later in life.
  • Advice - Have guests write their best baby advice and suggestions for the mother-to-be to keep and read after baby is born.

Food

Make your nosh as nutritious and safe as possible by using local, organically grown ingredients. Use the following sites to find the healthiest food in your region Eat Well Guide, Local Harvest, and the Natural Food Coop Directory.

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.

Serve it all up on your good china to really make the day feel special (and reduce an enormous amount of waste). Or go second best by using environmentally friendly disposables if washing a lot of dishes is unrealistic. Check out the Biodegradable Store, Cereplast, Earthshell, Green Feet, or Royal Chinet.

Décor

Keep the natural theme apparent by using potted plants as decorations. Your guests can take them home with them for a cheerful reminder of the special day. You can also go with traditional flowers by ordering through OrganicBoutique.com or try ecobusinesslinks.com/organic_flowers.htm if you’d like to find something local.

Artfully arranged twigs, rocks and shells are another beautiful option. Even crystal bowls filled with seasonal fruit (a la Martha Stewart) can make a lovely, natural decoration.

Remember, before you decorate, clean the house using non-toxic cleansers, vacuum with a HEPA filter, and open the windows for some fresh air. It will significantly improve your indoor air quality, which is always better for baby.

For more information and ideas:

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