How To Throw An Eco-Friendly Baby Shower

25 January 2022

Updated April 2024

With baby showers being a trend that's here to stay in the UK, it’s important that we are able to celebrate special occasions with friends and family whilst also doing what we can to protect the environment.

Throwing a baby shower doesn't have to be all plastic glitter, prosecco for everyone except Mum and just a little bit tacky. Your baby shower theme can be classy and thoughtful, minimising environmental impact too.

Here we share our top ten tips on how to throw an eco friendly baby shower in 2024:

Host your baby shower at home
Invite guests with electronic invitations
Request and buy eco friendly gift ideas
Discourage the use of wrapping paper
Use sustainable decorations
Choose eco friendly tableware
Use homemade food instead of shop bought
Switch up your gender reveal
Guest books
Sustainable baby shower favours
Make sustainable celebrations the norm

Host your baby shower at home

Having a baby shower at home allows you to stay in control of the event, you can make sure that sustainable products are used and you can save on cost and travel time. Whilst hosting an event at a venue may allow for more guests, it has a negative effect on the environment as it requires more energy and electricity to power the building.

Invite guests using electronic invitations

The amount of paper used when creating and sending out invitations is highly damaging to the environment. By going paperless you can not only save money, but you will be saving trees and reducing carbon emissions. Digital invites are also a lot easier for the sender and guests to manage.

Request and buy eco-friendly baby shower gifts

The majority of high street presents for children are plastic-based, however, following an increase in searches for the term ‘sustainable baby gifts’ , it’s clear to see parents are taking positive steps to become more eco-conscious.

There are many eco-friendly gift ideas available that are practical for expecting parents and their baby, such as reusable nappies, washable baby wipes and washable changing mats.

If you're going to buy baby clothes, don't buy newborn clothing which they will grow out of in mere moments. Buying larger sizes, or even buying preloved makes a much more sustainable gift. Vinted have many items of baby clothing still with the labels on!

Discourage the use of wrapping paper

Wrapping paper is a significant contributor to landfills but there are many alternative ways to wrap presents that have a much smaller impact on the environment. For example, you could ask your guests to bring their gifts without wrapping, or they could decorate with brown paper, leftover fabric, baby blankets, or a reusable gift bag.

Use sustainable decorations

Decorating for an event is often the most exciting part. However, it’s usually done using single-use plastic that’s thrown away when the party is over. Instead of using harmful materials such as balloons, you could decorate your home using paper lanterns, fabric bunting and paper streamers. Natural elements also make beautiful decorations, for example, flowers, shells, seeds and pine cones.

Eco-friendly tableware

Tableware is one of the most common features of a baby shower, with many disposable cups, plates, cutlery and table cloths being wasted after only hours of use. Reduce waste, just use your own crockery and ask friends to help with the washing up!

If you don’t have enough for all of your guests, buying from your local charity shop or borrowing from your family and friends is a good option.

Choose homemade dishes over shop-bought products

Buy as many local and organic food products as possible and get creative with your home cooking. Cooking with locally sourced products saves on plastic waste and gives back to your community. If cooking for your entire baby shower is too much, why not share the task among family members. Easy and organic dishes include hummus and pitta bread, fresh salads, homemade sandwiches, fresh fruit and sweet treats such as cupcakes and cookies.

Switch up your gender reveal

Instead of your gender reveal revolving around confetti-filled balloons, why not choose a more sustainable option? You could bake a cake using organic ingredients, make the inside colour symbolise your baby's gender, hand out scratch cards made from biodegradable brown paper or use flower petals instead of the plastic confetti.

Guest books

Guest books are a great way to remember your baby shower and create a keepsake for your family, and this doesn’t need to be sacrificed when becoming more eco-friendly. The book can be made with recycled or brown paper, and guests can be as creative as they like whilst protecting the environment. Alternatives to a guest book include jigsaw puzzles with handwritten messages on the wooden pieces or a picture frame filled with wooden hearts signed by loved ones.

Baby shower favours

It’s common for the baby shower host to give their guests a gift, thanking them for attending the celebration. There are many sustainable baby shower favours to choose from, including beeswax candles, naturally made soaps, plants or homemade sweet treats such as jars of jam, cupcakes or cookies.

Making sustainable celebrations the norm

We are delighted to see an increase in interest in making more sustainable choices and hosting eco friendly parties and events.

We are not only advocates for reusable nappies and washable wipes, but we are advocates for using a wide range of sustainable products in our daily lives.

Baby showers are so important for the family to celebrate and welcome a newborn, nobody should have to compromise on the styling of their shower, but instead, be encouraged to think about where they can make sustainable choices that will not only save their money but also help the environment.

With more parents looking to make eco-conscious decisions, we are looking forward to seeing how this reflects into their baby showers and other celebrations. We hope sustainable focused parties become the norm in 2024.

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About the Author: Helen Rankin, a pioneer in the world of sustainable parenting solutions, embarked on her journey with reusable nappies back in 2004, when her first child, Archie, was born. After experiencing firsthand the limited options available, Helen founded Cheeky Wipes in 2008 while heavily pregnant with her third child. Her passion for eco-friendly parenting solutions found a kindred spirit in Laura, the founder of The Nappy Gurus. In 2024, Helen took the helm of The Nappy Gurus, bringing her extensive experience and dedication to helping a new generation of parents embrace sustainable practices. Helen’s insights are not just limited to reusable nappies but extend to promoting environmentally friendly choices in all aspects of parenting and home life, making celebrations like baby showers both chic and eco-conscious.