Green Moms And Babies

How to Throw a Green Baby Shower

By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

I'm planning a baby shower for my friend who is really into the environment. I'd love to plan a party that is especially friendly to the environment but I don't have any experience with throwing green parties. Do you have any tips for how I can make the baby shower as green as possible, as well as any ideas for gifts I can get the mother-to-be?

Sincerely,

Going Green For Babies

Dear Going Green For Babies,

High end moms are going to be thinking GREEN when it comes to baby showers -- and not just the color green, but the concept. Green products are posh, hip, and trendy. If you want to show up with the baby shower gift that gets the most oohs and ahhs (and why else attend a baby shower, but to compete for those syllables?), go green.

Here are some ideas:

* Grooming products for baby that are organic, locally made, and are produced by a green company. Don't forget beauty products for the new mom that are green, too.

* If you can't buy organic cotton or baby clothes and blankies that are made by green companies, buy a onesie that says "Green is the new black" on it. You'll get your message across and enjoy "baby as billboard" for a day or two.

* Diaper bags (chic Chanel or something cute from Toys R Us) filled with cloth diapers are the new green gift. Disposable diapers are for landfills.

Throwing a green baby shower:

Make your green party a hit with the following tips:

*Instead of using utensils serve finger food! Right there you cut out on plastic utensils that may get thrown away, and you cut down on washing. You can go basic with sandwiches and pizza or exotic with Morroccan finger food!

*Go organic pot luck. This will actually be an educational experience for your guests who are not used to shopping green and they will be providing food and educating themselves and having fun at the same time.

*Party favors should be green -- and I don't necessarily mean the color. Give out reusable shopping bags as party favors that your guests can use at the local market instead of paper and plastic bags.

*Have a speaker as entertainment that will offer up tips and information about going green.

*Have a recycling Pollyanna exchange. Ask each guest to bring something from their home that they no longer use to exchange or swap with someone else at the party. Think of the possibilities with a baby shower! If it's not high end enough, then have each guest bring used baby clothes to be donated to a charity at the end of the party. Good deeds can be green, too.

*And don't forget that if you're single, and it's a co-ed shower (or there's a cute waiter) instead of giving someone your number on a piece of paper -- write it on their hand! It's better for the environment!

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.

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