tell us about your baby shower!

Ashlee from Mummy and Tummy wrote:

We’ve had a baby shower with each of our babies, not in the traditional sense of ‘showering’ us with items to prepare for the baby, but more as a celebration of our pregnancy and to catch up with friends and family before the baby comes and chaos with it!

For me, it wasn’t until I had my first child that I began to feel strongly about chemicals and other nasties in our air, skin and food. All of a sudden, this pure and innocent baby was being subjected to the dirty world we were creating and I wasn’t proud or happy of that! So began my natural journey!

You can imagine how two and half years later, and pregnant with my third baby, how things were changing in our household. Admittedly I wasn’t as eco or organic as I would have liked, being somewhat tired, and on limited time and money with two babies. But we were taking steps forward every month, and Im proud of how far we have come.

Planning the baby shower with number 3 had to be different. The idea of an eco-friendly baby shower came with loads of ideas from the net, and adapting some of the natural and recycling ways we had adopted in our home. I also wanted a scrapbooking afternoon, so we combined the two (but that’s a whole new story!).

To start with, I created a hard-copy invite using recycled paper scraps and stamps, and then scanned it into our computer. I used a word processing programme to create a digital version, which was then emailed to all our friends and family (except a small handful who got the hardcopy versions, like grandparents!).

Then I bought some little peat pots, which are made from recycled materials, filled them with potting mix, and planted heaps of little seeds. I bought organic tomatoes from organicbaby.co.nz, which sprouted in just over a week, but the concept of the little seedling representing new life would work with other seeds.

The easiest way to cater for family and friends is to have a pot-luck meal! This spreads the cost and gives loads of variety and everyone is usually more than happy to bring a plate to share. We supplied the meat and a basic salad, and our guests bought another dish to complement it. I always buy extras such as breads and drinks, which can be frozen and stored, for several weeks in advance to spread the cost. We buy much of our produce local (our homegrown lettuce wasn’t quite ready!), if you’re planning your baby shower, look for locally grown and organic food and drinks.

When the girls arrived, each place setting had the little pot holding the now grown seedlings, and a white envelope. It was a way of giving to our guests in return for the support and gifts they have given us. The envelopes were the Organic Baby sample pack, filled with vouchers, samples and more, for eco living and organic beauty – and they went down a treat!!! See below on how to order yours!

We used our cutlery and crockery, and extra plastic plates, and the whole lot was put in the dishwasher. I love entertaining, and I have used the same plastic plates for every event this year (over half a dozen!) simply by washing in the dishwasher when we are done!! They are left for a day to dry, then put away for next time! Very cheap and easy! We also have cloth napkins as an alternative to paper serviettes.
At the end of the day, we had just half a small bag of rubbish, a plate of food scraps for the pigs or dogs, one extra load for the dishwasher and lots of smiles and laughs! How's that for eco-friendly!

Here are some more ideas for your eco-friendly baby shower:

• Create a banner! This is a fabulous way to decorate for your event, cheaper than balloons, and create a keepsake for your baby in years to come! Use recycled material scraps. Once the baby is born, add their name and you can hang as a decoration for each coming birthday!
  
•  Ask your guests for specific items if they offer a gift, so you get the gear you need rather than ten packets of baby wipes! If you’re brave and your friends and family wont be offended, ask for money (any small amount!) to put towards the cost of a bigger item like the cot or a set of modern cloth nappies.
  
•  Have conversations with your friends and family and tell them you are opting for natural cotton, wool or merino clothing and bedding (organic where possible). Hopefully they won't give you polyester baby clothes!!!
  
•  Pot a tree (or a branch!). Have your guests suggest baby names onto recycled paper scraps and hang onto the tree! Or, call it a ‘money tree’ and supply your guests with envelopes if you are expecting/asking for monetary donations.
  
•  Tell your guests you are going for the eco-theme so they opt for recycled wrapping etc and know what to expect (there are still wary and unconverted people out there!!).
  
•  Place a range of baby items on a tray and let the guests see this for one minute, before covering up and having your friends write down the items they remember!
  
•  Use a teddy bear and have guests put a cloth nappy on the bear in record time! (This one is hilarious if there are men around!)
  
•  Have your guests bring a baby photo of themselves, then have everyone match the photo to the guest!
  
•  For party favours, grab an Organic Baby sample pack for each guest, or give potted little vegetable seedlings. Boxed soaps (like ecostore’s fab range) are also a nice touch!
  
•  For prizes, give gifts such as natural soaps, extra plant seedlings or a small bag of homebaking!
  
•  See www.mummyandtummy.co.nz for more ideas and to get a printable PDF file of baby shower games!

The whole morning was a great success and everyone enjoyed themselves. Its so great to catch up with friends before the baby comes, and to show that we’re living healthy and naturally (rather than just talking about it!). It was a wonderful way to celebrate the new life that we are expecting soon!!!

Where we got it:

Organic Baby sample pack – www.organicbaby.co.nz
Recycled peat pots – The Warehouse, nationwide, or check out your local garden centre.
Tomato seedlings – www.ecoseeds.co.nz
Baby shower games – www.mummyandtummy.co.nz
Ecostore soaps – www.ecostore.co.nz (or www.organicbaby.co.nz or available in supermarkets nationwide)
Modern Cloth Nappies – we got ours from www.realnappies.co.nz but check out The Nappy Network.