A Baby Shower with Special Eco-friendly Touches

One thing I have really looked forward to during my pregnancy is my baby shower. My group of high school girlfriends took the lead in planning it, and I gave them a few suggestions of the kind of day I'd like. My two eco-friendly requests were no balloons and that the invitation specify 'no gift wrap'. But beyond that, I didn't want to be too much of a green-zilla about the party.


However, my friends went above and beyond and created a really special shower with a bunch of thoughtful eco-friendly touches—some I didn't expect at all!


The invitations were printed on recycled paper and had a floral theme, and specified no gift wrap. I've got another blog post coming soon that will focus more on our registry, some of my eco-friendly baby items and a look at the gift wrap-free shower gifts!



My friend's mother hosted the shower at her home, and when my mom and I pulled up, there was a cute chalkboard sign hanging on the mailbox instead of balloons to mark where the party was. The wreath on the door is from a friend's house and repurposed for the day.


Many of the decorations were secondhand and borrowed, which made it special to me. I loved knowing that some of the decorations were used at previous baby showers for my friends, allowing them to get extra use. The banner over the food table consisted of nightgowns and socks, which were also gifts for Baby, and I absolutely want the grownup version of those tiny chenille socks.




The cake was made by my friend's mom and the cookies were made by one of my friends. The serving trays were all collected, and my friends even gathered an assortment of cloth napkins for guests to use. I really loved and appreciated the cloth napkin touch.


Water and lemonade were served in pitchers that my friends supplied (and that we've used now for one Christmas party and two baby sprinkles within the past year!), and the cups and utensils were made of compostable plant-based materials—a fact I immediately pointed out in awe to my friends. I also took the extras home.



The succulents scattered throughout the house were clippings from my friend's house, and I definitely took a bunch of them home to replant. (Now I just need to keep them alive!)


Instead of signing a guestbook, guests each signed the back piece of an alphabet-themed puzzle, giving Baby Girl both a fun educational toy and a collection of sweet notes from her loved ones. My husband and I had a great time a couple nights later reading the notes on the back of every piece.


The hostesses planned a party game that involved fastening cloth diapers onto teddy bears, but we ended up not getting to play, since everyone was having such a great time visiting and mingling. However, the stack of cloth diapers are put away, ready to be used as multipurpose burp cloths and towels.

I brought my trusty Eco Jot notebook for the gift list to be written in, so the hostesses didn't have to purchase or find another notebook. It worked out well so that I wouldn't lose the list of gifts right away.


When it came to my hostess gifts, each one included an adorable heart tray that I discovered from Natalie at Sustainably Chic, and a bottle of sparkling rosé, because ROSÉ. The heart trays are handmade by artists in Kenya using fair trade practices, and they are found on Amazon and curated by Wonderful Things. I wrapped the gifts using plain kraft paper bags and tissue paper from my stash (and I made sure not to write anything on the bags themselves so they can be reused.)


And the thank you gifts for all shower guests came in small canvas bags with tricycles printed on them, calling back to our pregnancy announcement photos with Baby Girl's very own tricycle.

Oh, and I can't forget my shower style! I decided to treat myself to a maternity Rent the Runway dress, mostly because at this point I'm sick of the few outfits in my closet that still fit. Plus, I wear them to work every day, and I wanted something a little special for the party. Side note: It was as comfortable as a nightgown, so it's basically the perfect dress. I wore my Beyond Skin vegan leather heels from my wedding (determined to work that cost per wear!) and accessorized with a local artist's essential oil leaf necklace (I unfortunately cannot remember her name though!) and earrings my stepmother-in-law passed along to me.


I'm still so thankful for my group of friends who put together such a beautiful shower and afternoon for us, and really enjoyed having our friends and family together to celebrate our new addition.

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