Giving birth to a baby is an important milestone for every parent, which is why it’s common for their friends to organize a baby shower for them. Simply defined, a baby shower is a gift-giving event wherein guests provide parents with items needed by the baby. Giving birth and raising a baby can be expensive, and the gifts received during such an event can surely help the parents!

Baby showers can be fun, but planning one hastily can affect the event in many ways. Using plastic during the occasion, for example, can cause pollution that can harm animals, humans, and plants. Plastic also takes hundreds of years for it to break down, which means that it continues to damage the environment years after you’ve held the baby shower.

For you to plan a successful baby shower without sacrificing the condition of the environment, take note of the following eco-friendly tips:

1. Give Out Digital Invitations

Technology is rapidly changing the world today, so why not make the most out of it when planning a baby shower? Skip printing invitations for your friend’s baby shower and give out e-invitations instead. Websites such as greenvelope.com can help you easily create and send out e-invitations.

Aside from saving trees, e-invitations are also more convenient and unique. You can basically send digital invites to all of your guests within minutes, regardless of where they are located in the world!

2. Pick An Easy Access Location

As a host, you have the liberty to pick the location for the baby shower. Aside from considering the number of guests you’re expecting, it’s also important to assess the proximity of the location to your guests’ residences. Ideally, the location you pick should be accessible for everyone who’s invited.

Choosing a central location for everyone who’s invited will save them time in travelling, and can also help minimize emissions by reducing travel times. The nearer the location is for the guests, the better it’ll be for everyone and for the environment.

3. Skip The Wrapping

It’s common for guests to hand out gifts with several wrappers and ribbons. This has been a tradition practiced by many for centuries, and most of them even consider their gifts incomplete if they’re not properly wrapped.

For you to have an eco-friendly baby shower, take the time to explain your theme to your guests and let them understand why gift wrappers and ribbons are no longer necessary. You can also tell guests to skip the cards and stationaries.

If guests want to add an element of surprise to their gifts, suggest using 100% cotton baby blankets, towels, sheets, and reusable plastic bags as wrappers. If guests are going to give big and bulky gifts, let them know that they can use BPA-free storage bins as wrappers. These containers can be reused for storing the child’s toys and clothes in the future!

4. Rethink The Paper Decorations

Baby showers are becoming more common today, which is why businesses have started selling ready-made paper decorations for the event. You can simply buy paper decorations for baby showers from several online and offline stores.

But, although convenient, it’s best if you skip paper decorations and use reusable materials for the ornamentations instead. You can use potted plants as giveaways, washable tablecloths that match the theme of the event, and bouquets made from baby items and clothes. Making beeswax candles infused with your or the parents’ favorite essential oils can also help set the guests’ mood for the event.

Using eco-friendly decorations when hosting a baby shower might require more time and effort, but because of their uniqueness and benefits, the parents will surely appreciate your idea.

5. Serve Natural Food And Drinks

Aside from the gifts, the food to be served is one of the highlights of any baby shower. Food can make any event more interesting and memorable, and serving them at the right time can also encourage people to start conversations. It’s very easy for a group of people to bond with each other if there’s food!

For you to stay true to your eco-friendly theme, only serve natural food and drinks during the baby shower. Contrary to popular belief, serving natural food and drinks during a baby shower is actually easy and is an excellent way to keep your guests healthy.

Some of the most common choices you’ll have for natural food and drinks are the following:

For appetizers, you can serve fruit and vegetable platters to guests. Pita chips, cheeses, and olives are also excellent options.
For an organic entrée, prepare chicken and tuna salads, salmon burgers, and light pasta. Instead of buying cakes for the occasion, opt to make homemade fruit pies instead.
As for the drinks, you can create healthy smoothies, as well as teas, or serve flavored waters. If you plan to serve smoothies, you can even ask your guests their favorite fruits and, then, offer their preferred smoothies during the baby shower.

6. Don’t Buy New Plates And Utensils

If you’re hosting a baby shower, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the responsibility. Often, you would like to impress the parents and guests by making sure that everything about the baby shower is flawless.

However, when it comes to plates and utensils, it’s best if you avoid buying new ones and use what you already have. If you think that your plates are not enough for all of the guests, ask some of your friends to bring some of theirs. You can also consider investing in bamboo utensils as these are reusable and 100% biodegradable.

Skip using napkins and let your guests use washable cloth napkins in order to save waste. Washable cloth napkins come in a wide variety of options, making it easy for you to find ones that match the baby’s gender.

Your Consistency Counts

It’s no secret that the environment is currently in a bad state, and not showing any concern for the earth can only exacerbate its condition. Make sure that you don’t contribute to the worsening condition of the environment by changing your ways of planning and hosting events.

As long as practiced regularly, these changes will surely go a long way in healing the environment!

Key Tips For Having An Eco-Friendly Baby Shower